Power Rangers: Angel Force
by xeikm
Summary: A grim message left behind by Zordon after his death and Thrax returning from the grave, a new team of Rangers have been chosen. Each one with a connection to previous Rangers, they are the only ones with the power to save the universe from destruction.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Well, thank you all for clicking on this story. Welcome to the world of Power Rangers Angel Force. The only similtarities between this fan fic and the tv show is the theme of angels and maybe the monsters of the day. Everything else has been changed: including the zords, costumes, and weapons. You are in for a real treat though! This is just the prologue, a mere taste of what I have in store for you. The official chapter 1 should be up no later then Saturday so look out for it! There will be couples involved, both straight and a gay couple so if you're not into the gays then you'll want to scroll through those scenes. I'll try to preserve your childhood as much as possible, since Power Rangers were such a big part of mine too. I will include people/items from the various generations while incorporating things from Final Fantasy, Digimon, and even Gundam into the story. So, I hope you guys love the story. Read and review!

Disclaimer: Nothing I own. Only the randomness of the story.

**Prologue to Power**

Year 1999 AD or year 01 AZ (After Zordon):

The peace that Zordon promised with his demise almost held true. Dark Specter's forces had been completely eliminated and no trace of the United Alliance of Evil had been left behind. However, other incarnations of evil existed in the universe. A new team of Power Rangers had risen in a distant galaxy, the Power Rangers of the Lost Galaxy.

But in the Milky Way, they managed to hang onto peace for as long as they could. It was during this area of peace that Andros and Zhane decided to investigate what was left of Eltar after the Great War. Leaving the other Space Rangers on KO-35, Andros and Zhane traveled across space on a private space shuttle across the stars. Eventually, they reached a planet that looked slightly similar to Earth, only with a stronger green color around it.

Once they entered Eltarian atmosphere, it was then they could see the beginning of the destruction. The entire planet was blanketed in black smoke. As they got closer to the ground, the great city that Zordon had constructed before his imprisoned by Rita Repulsa was completely in ruins. The buildings were completely destroyed, mechanized weapons were torn apart and scattered, and half-decayed bodies were everywhere.

Their ship landed on the surface and the two Rangers stepped out to see the damage with their own eyes.

They wore their space uniforms after they saw the oxygen on the planet was still breathable. They took their oxygen masks with them though, while carrying a set of Astro Blasters in their hand. If need be, they were ready to morph into Rangers, but they didn't think it would be necessary. Any evil being would've been destroyed by Zordon's Energy Wave, so the planet would be completely barren.

"You really think Zordon might have left something behind for us?" asked the platinum blond, Zhane. "What do you think he'd leave behind, Andros?"

Andros led Zhane to the ruined capital, his long hair bouncing a little off his gray coat. He was cautious with every step that he took and almost ignored Zhane's question had the platinum blond not asked for a second time. "Zordon said that he'd always be there for us," Andros said, simply. "There's still evil left in the universe. I'm just worried that someone like Dark Specter may rise up again and something like what happened to Karone would happen to someone else. I need to see if Zordon felt the same, if he made any preparations for it."

Zhane flinched as he looked down to the necklace dangling in front of his silver shirt. He clenched the rune for a moment as he thought about the girl he loved. Karone had left for parts unknown before he had a chance to propose to her. He'd find her though; he wasn't going to let her slip away.

The young men entered the ruins of what looked like a Command Center. The doors were hanging off the hinges, the robotic clones of the Turbo Power Rangers were there. Each one was horribly torn apart with their wires sending out sparks as they passed. Zhane was impressed that even the slightest bit of power was left in the clones.

They kept moving onward though. They followed the staircase that led to the lower levels where more damage from the Battle of Eltar could be seen. Andros held his breath as they reached a large, gray door. The scanning system had been destroyed so it would need to be pushed open. He was afraid to see what horrors would be behind it, he needed to do this though.

Zhane helped in pushing the doors open so that they came upon the Zordon's control room. The place was in worse condition then they could've imagined. They entered the chamber to see it completely destroyed with scorch marks everywhere. Zhane had the bad feeling that Dark Specter had been here when he captured Zordon. Andros has a similar theory as they went deeper into the chamber.

It was there that they found a robotic form leaning against one of the main computers. Behind it was a pedestal that looked like it could hold Zordon's energy tube. Andros immediately rushed towards the robot, recognizing it in a second. Zhane wasn't too far behind as he saw the broken robot before them.

"Alpha!" Andros shouted. "Alpha 5, can you hear me?"

The helmet of the robot began to spark with traces of life. A few lights began to go off as the Alpha bot attempted to raise his hand up to Andros. "Rangers," Alpha 5 barely whispered. "It…so…nice to…see you."

Zhane dropped to his knees, scanning Alpha 5 in the process. He shook his head as he closed the scanner before turning towards Andros. "It's not good," Zhane told him. "He doesn't have much power left. His central core has been damaged beyond repair."

"It's alright," Alpha 5 spoke. "I'm just…glad you're here. Is Zordon safe?"

"Dark Specter's been destroyed and so has his army," Andros told him. "But…Zordon made me…"

"He asked Andros to destroy him," said Zhane. "Zordon gave up his life to save the galaxy and all the people and Rangers."

Alpha 5 nodded his robotic head as a light chuckle escaped his childish voice. "Thank you, Zordon," Alpha whispered. "I have something to give you, Rangers. This is…this is Zordon's last gift, it's not a good one I'm afraid. Zordon tried to find the meaning of this, Dimitria and I tried to help him before he was captured and Dark Specter destroyed her."

Andros and Zhane flinched, hearing the horrible news about Dimitria. The other Space Rangers and Alpha 6 had always wondered what he fate was. They felt bad that they would have to return to KO-35 with such grim news.

Alpha 5 removed a disk from the front of his chest. The disk left his body and he handed it over to Andros. "Take this to Billy on Aquitar," begged Alpha. "He will know the codes to find Zordon's message to all Rangers of the past, present, and future."

"Zordon left a message for every Ranger?" asked Zhane.

"Yes," said Alpha 5. "Hurry to Aquitar. I don't know how much time we have before…before…"

The power that once supplied Alpha 5 with life had been reduced to nothing. Alpha 5's head slumped forward as his entire, robotic body fell to the ground. Andros and Zhane both shouted with horror, knowing that Alpha's life was over.

Before leaving Eltar though, they made certain to give Alpha 5 the proper burial that he earned for his services to Zordon, the Power Rangers, and the forces of good.

* * *

><p>After a few more days in space, Andros and Zhane reached the Planet of the Aquitar Rangers. They were welcomed with open arms from the people of the watery planet. They received full honors and were taken to Cestria's palace where Billy resided.<p>

Zhane was somehow expecting to have to swim everywhere like in "The Little Mermaid", a movie which Cassie forced him into watching. He was surprised to see tubes that connected together to the different sections of the underwater city. But he did find the bubbly voices of the Aquitians to be a tad bit annoying.

Either way, they entered Cestria's palace where the Aquitar Rangers appeared, greeting them in Ranger form. Apparently, there were talks of rebels planning to attack the city so the Aquitar Rangers were preparing for a battle if it came to it .

Delphine approached the young men as the White Aquitian Ranger. "Welcome to our home," she told them. "It is nice to see you, Andros and Zhane, again. I only wish it was under better circumstances. Cestria and Billy are waiting for you in the computer center."

"Thank you, Delphine," said Andros. "I wish you all luck with your mission."

"Thank you, Andros," Delphine said as she led the other Rangers out.

Andros and Zhane walked into the control room to another Aquitian with a human man. She seemed beautiful, despite her large, odd skull with dark hair flowing behind her. Her alien beauty was still fairly mesmerizing though, especially for her Earthling consort. Billy Cranston was back to aging the way he naturally should. He was only two years older, but he no longer looked like an old man, which he considered to be a great accomplishment thanks to the Aquitian science.

Billy approached the Space Rangers, greeting them both. Cestria did the same and soon enough they found themselves talking about their visit to Eltar. They listened to the Space Ranger's story, both sharing remorseful looks for the fate of Alpha 5. Billy's fists tightened into balls as he restrained himself from punching the wall. Alpha had been a dear friend to him, it was heartbreaking to lose him.

It was almost as bad as losing Zordon, who like Kimberly said once was like a father to them all.

"Alpha said you were the only one who could translate the disk," said Andros. He took a golden disk from his pocket and handed it over to Billy. "He said you would know the codes. You don't know what the contents of the disk are, do you?"

"Zordon said something about having visitors from across the stars once," Billy said, softly. "It was back when the Zeo Rangers were barely active. I do remember some codes that Alpha mentioned once. I think I might be able to play Zordon's message."

"I will assist you in translating it, Billy," Cestria said as she rose to her feet.

They all followed her to the central computer where Billy inserted the disk in. Billy as brainy as ever worked on unveiling the contents of the disk to everyone in the room. He was hammering away at the sequences, typing in all the potential codes that he could think of. Zordon seemed to help make it a little easier for him due to hints scattered throughout the disk.

Most of the files were blocked so he left those ones alone for now, focusing on uncovering Zordon's message.

"And Bingo was his nameo!" Billy said, pushing on the final key. "Here it is."

The screen blackened for a moment until Zordon's head appeared on the screen. Everyone felt a sharp pain in the hearts as they looked upon the face of Zordon. The wounds were still fresh, but it almost seemed like he never left in the first place.

"I am Zordon of Eltar. If you are viewing this message then it means I have perished in my battle against the forces of evil. You, I hope, are continuing the noble battle to protect the universe from evil. This is a message to the Power Rangers, to all Power Rangers. After the recovering the Zeo Crystal, I was visited by a group of beings who called themselves the Celestials. They gave me information which I have encrypted onto to this disk for protection. The Celestials told me that one day, the greatest forces of evil shall rise and bring the universe to its demise. These entities call the Seven Dark Lords. With this disk holds the key to saving the universe from the Seven Dark Lords. I pray that whoever is listening to this will do what is best for preservation of all life. Within the disk is the data to create a team of Power Rangers who draw their power from the Celestials, this power is the only thing that will save our universe from doom. I have one more gift left. The keys to awakening the power of the Celestials are hidden on Earth, I left them hidden with a former Power Ranger for safe keeping. His name is Adam Park. Take this disk to him, he will know what to do. Good luck, Rangers, and may the power protect you."

The message ended there, leaving them all afraid of grim message that Zordon left behind.

Who were these Celestials?

What were the Seven Great Lords?

And what orders did Zordon leave behind for Adam to follow?

* * *

><p>Year 2008 AD or 10 AZ:<p>

Adam Park stood inside the new Command Center that would serve as a base of operations for a future team of Power Rangers. The Command Center was hidden beneath Angel Grove, hidden from everything and anyone. They were working on the defense systems and masking the Command Center completely so that evil would never be able to find it. He didn't want this Command Center to suffer the same fate as the two previous ones.

Goldar and Rito destroyed the first one with a bomb then Divatox had the second destroyed with a bomb as well.

It had been years since all of that happened, but the memory of being inside when the first one was destroyed was still fresh. It was just as fresh for his companion who was busy working on the defense program with another friend. Two more allies were busy working creating a mystical wall to keep the center hidden as well. They were all doing their part in keeping this place safe for a future generation of Power Rangers.

Adam looked around to see that the center was still too dark and not enough power still wasn't being generated into the place. He placed the two cases in his arms onto the separate pedestals that they would remain on. The center looked similar to the one they had back in the Zeo days with a mixture of the upgrade they created when they shifted into Turbo. All of it was minus the plasma tube that Zordon would appear from.

To think he would only be thirty a few more years from now. It was enough to frighten the black haired man as he walked over to the computers that his friends were working on. Adam placed his hand on the shoulders of a man with equally dark hair. They both chose to wear theirs very short, but the other man had some spikes to it. They had been friends for years and close companions since they worked together on the same team.

"How is engineering this whole operation going, Tommy?" asked Adam.

Tommy Oliver began to smirk as he shrugged Adam's hand off his stiff shoulder. He had been sitting on the white chair for hours now, punching away at keys to get the gears moving. "So far we got the security system running," said Tommy. "Everything seems good, but until we get the Command Center fully operational then we're going to be delayed."

"Excuse me, Tommy," said the woman next to him. She ran her hand through her long, red hair before fixing the strap to her top, shaking off the brutal insult that Tommy threw her way. Like he knew what he was doing. She was the MIT graduate, technology was her life and she was glad to do her part the help the Power Rangers once more. "I'm the one who is doing all the heavy lifting here. You know stuff about dinosaurs, but a rocket scientist you ain't!"

"Sorry Hayley," Tommy said, returning to punching in more keys.

Hayley merely rolled her eyes as she returned to the computations.

Adam held the urge to laugh back since he did not like being on Hayley's bad side. Even Rita would've ran for cover if she seen Hayley pissed off. Anyways, just as Adam was getting back on his feet, the lights illuminated fully and the Command Center was filled with sound as it was supplied with full power.

There was a loud cheer from underneath them that led to the power supply chamber. Adam bent down to pull the hatch up just as a young man emerged from there. His shaggy, dark blond hair was the first thing to show up as he pulled himself through the hatch, wearing his Operation Overdrive jumpsuit.

"We're in business people!" Mack Hartford said, cheerfully. "Everything is fully operational now."

"Hey, help me out of here, ass!" came another voice from behind him. A young woman of much shorter stature with tanned skin and short, black hair finally made her way out. Mack turned back, helping to pull Rose Ortiz out from the bottom.

Adam applauded them both for their efforts, thanking them for helping him to get the Command Center up and running.

"Done!" came another set of voices.

Two figures came rushing into the Command Center after the automatic doors opened up for them. One was a young man and the other was a young woman. The young man had short, red hair that didn't come with freckles. He was cheery and energetic as he skipped towards the others. The young woman behind him had her hair dyed completely pink and looked equally cheerful, which made her exotic look even more beautiful.

Chip and Vida stopped in front of Adam, saluting him in the process.

"All the spells are active now," said Vida.

"No bad guy will ever be able to break into this impenetrable fortress!" announced Chip.

Tommy briefly laughed as he stood up to join the others. Hayley was finishing up with the rest of the security system since the power was fully activated. Now she could get some real work done on the Alpha 8 unit she was so itching to get to work on.

"So this Command Center is going to go in the dark for a while?" asked Rose. "Until this super, special team of Power Rangers need it."

"What a waste," Mack said with a frown.

"Not really," said Tommy. "This team is going to have to face the worst threat to the universe since Dark Specter. Even then, fighting Dark Specter was a walk in the park compared to what they'll be facing."

Adam agreed as made his way towards the main computer. He pulled a transparent screen up, while inserting the disk in that contained all details of the Celestial Initiative. "We have a lot of preparations to make before that day comes," he told them. "Zordon is counting on us to make sure that this team will be ready. I'm having the computers scan every person presently on Earth, Aquitar, KO-35, and Triforia for the best Ranger candidates. The computer will keep scanning even into the future until a great enough treat rises to activate a team."

"You're really going all out for this one," said Hayley. "Do you really think these Seven Dark Lords are that bad?"

"Zordon's message seemed to think so," said Adam. "There's someone else I'm worried about though. I have a bad feeling that Thrax may come back."

"No way!" said Rose. "We destroyed him for good."

"Yeah," said Mack. "You were there when we destroyed him."

"That doesn't mean anything," said Tommy. "Our greatest enemies always seem to find a way to come back from the dead. He was the son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa, he'll find a way to come back if desperately wants too."

"We need to be prepared for anything," Adam concluded as he started to run the scan.

Even Hayley had to agree with him on that one as she pushed the final key, activating Alpha 8.

* * *

><p>Year 2014 AD, 16 AZ:<p>

Four years had passed since the Venjix Virus nearly destroyed the entire planet. The RPM Power Rangers succeeded in defeating the virus and saved the world from certain doom. It took two years for the planet to recover, the recovery went by quickly thanks to assistance from planets Aquitar, Triforia, KO-35, and Mirinoi.

Corinth wasn't the only city to have survived the vicious assault of the Venjix Virus. Other cities across the globe managed to survive the robotic invasion in large part thanks to the still active teams of Power Rangers. They managed to repeal Venjix's forces back, but due to the broken communication network, the Rangers were unable to organize successful attacks at the virus. Had the RPM Rangers failed in shutting down Venjix then all hope would've been lost.

But they need not worry about that, the Earth was safe now despite the storm that ravaged the eastern coast of the United States.

What they should worry is the dark forces that surged around outside of the quite town of Angel Grove. The rocky area was hammered by sheets of rain before a bolt of lightning struck the ground. Rocks flew everywhere as a figure emerged, reborn from the elements, hell-bent on having his revenge.

The horrific creature rose up from the ground and stood, growling against the storm. For the most part, he had a lack of skin with his muscles exposed except for the parts that were covered by silver armor. His face was partly skeletal, a trait he inherited from his uncle. He had horns on the side of his head that were pointed downward with a cloth like material wrapped around them.

He pulled his silver Z-Staff up from the ground, a symbol of his father, and raised up into the air to have lightning strike against it.

"I have returned!" roared Thrax. "I shall have my revenge on the Earth! This world shall know only suffering. And its precious Power Rangers will be the first to suffer!"


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Glad to see that I've already gotten a bit of support for the story. Haha. Well, here is the official chapter where we finally meet the bad guys and our Rangers! The chapters won't generally be this long, but they will be fairly lengthy. I also will only be updating every other week until I complete my other story, Once in a Blue Moon. That should be done around June with any luck. I'm so excited about this chapter and the support I've gotten so far. I hope I don't let any of you down.. Here it is. Read and review!

**United We Stand**

Year 2015 AD, 17 AZ:

On the green planet of Mirinoi, a figure dressed in black leather was being chased by the warriors of the planet. This shadowy figure ran through the forests as laser beams chased after him in attempt to put an end to the terrorist's life. The male creature began to smirk as he leaped over a fallen tree with remarkable agility, saving himself a few seconds in his escape.

He landed across the forest on his feet, crouching down for a moment to listen to his surroundings.

He dressed in an outfit similar to that of a biker. He had a black, leather coat with a white collar attached to it, a black vest was underneath it to cover his blue skin, and he wore black, leather pants with part of the back torn so that his tail could flow freely. A blue mask covered his face, but allowed his three, red eyes to be seen with part of his blond hair spiking up from behind. His boots had sharp spikes on the front with silver leg braces on the front of his leather pants. A red bandana was tied around his left arm with metal armguards on both arms. Strapped to his left leg was a shotgun with a second strapped to the back of his belt.

The sounds of the warriors were slowly growing too close for comfort so he started to run through the woods once more. So his attempt to steal the Quasar Sabers had failed miserably. He didn't think he would succeed and now he knew that this attempt had been a waste of his precious time. He was half tempted to send one of his Daimons to deal with the pathetic mortals, but decided against it.

They were too filthy of creatures to play with.

He leaped over another tree and landed with remarkable skill, once again, but this time a gun was aimed at his head. He hadn't even sensed, smelt, or heard another person was anywhere near his escape route. But here was the gun and the gun's owner flashed a cocky smirk as she dangerously began to play with the trigger.

She was a fit, young woman with long, light blonde hair, pale aqua-colored eyes and a heart-shaped face. She wore a sleeveless, white overcoat with a brown turtleneck shirt underneath it and a metallic, green pauldron on her left shoulder. A red cape was even attached to the left side of her overcoat as well. She wore knee-high leather boots, a brown mini-skirt over a pair of black shorts, and blue gloves covered her hands.

An odd, red case was tied around her left leg with a black case behind her that hung off of her belt. He noticed a lightning bolt pendant around her neck that dangled from a silver chain. The heavily mechanical gun looked only slightly frightening to the intergalactic criminal. He was about to brush the weapon aside when she dangerously cocked the trigger a little.

"You wouldn't want to do that," she warned him. "I suggest that you come with me if you want to live, Beelzebub."

The man barely smirked at the amusing girl. She was so bold as to threaten him, a young child thought she could last against him. "Don't think yourself tough, girl," laughed Beelzebub. "I can't destroy you in an instant."

Beelzebub brushed the girl's weapon aside, only to face retribution. She spun her body around and kicked him in the face with the heel of her boot. She did a brief flip, twisting her gun around until it transformed into a sword. The young woman pointed the Gunblade at Beelzebub and had the blade pointed straight at his throat.

"You're good," Beelzebub said, looking at the blade. It was dangerously close to his throat. She had it pressed against the skin and could easily slice him open if she wanted to. "What did you say your name was, girl?"

"I didn't," she told him, "but if you must call me something then it's Lightning. My employer would like to speak with you. He will grant you asylum if you offer your services up to him."

"And what would I be doing, Miss Lightning?" asked Beelzebub.

She removed her Gunblade from his throat, switching it around to return to gun mode. The weapon returned to the case as she straightened herself up and crossed her arms over her chest. "You don't have the luxury of asking questions right now," she said, firmly. "The clock is ticking for you. Either come with me now or I leave you on this planet to rot."

Beelzebub could hear the warriors getting closer towards them now. He simply huffed as he pulled himself back together and bowed to the young woman. "Let's blow this planet then," he said, laughing. "I'm growing bored and this sound like it could be an adventure."

Lightning shook her head as she pulled out a remote from her pocket. She pushed the middle button to reveal a spacecraft that was right behind them. It's cloaking mode was deactivated so that they could see the black ship that now roared with life.

The female warrior quickly jumped into the open door and went over to the cockpit. Beelzebub jumped in behind her just as the door sealed itself shut behind him. He flinched at the thought of losing his tail. He followed the young woman to the cockpit just as the ship flew up into the air and disappeared from the planet before they would be caught by the warriors.

Beelzebub sat on the seat beside Lightning, his legs and arms crossed as he stared out into space. Lightning drove the ship like a pro as they went through the stars in warp speed. He was impressed by how fast this small ship could go. However, he knew it would've been faster just to teleport ,but he had no idea where they were going so that would've been foolish.

They arrived to their destination though. Beelzebub leaned forward, recognizing the blue planet that was in front of them. Earth. For a minute, he thought Lightning was going to fly them to the planet when she veered left to the Earth's moon. He wondered what she was doing when he saw it.

A black palace stood on the surface of the moon, filled by dark energy that delighted Beelzebub. Lightning parked the ship on the runway and eventually came to a stop. Beelzebub left the ship to get a better view of the palace, while Lightning just kept walking onward. The black palace was illuminated by red light, sharp thorns could be seen jutting out from every direction, and it just radiated with a vicious presence that it made Beelzebub's skin tingle.

He followed her into the dark palace, walking up the glowing staircase to the top floor. As they walked onward, Lightning's clothing began to shift. Golden, Valkyrie armor appeared to cover her body with white feathers forming a train behind her. Her Gunblade was now in her hands as she ascended the staircase, looking like an Angel of Death in the eyes of Beelzebub. He wouldn't mind such a beautiful creature to be the one to destroy him though.

Lightning pushed the large, silver doors open. They entered a room that was brightly lit up with orange and white light. A globe revolved around at the very end of the room with creatures wearing silver jumpsuits with clay, gray faces exposed and a large T in front of their chests. These creatures formed a path along the red carpet that led to the throne of Lightning's employer. Beelzebub briefly glanced at the black tile, shaking his head at whoever decorated the interior of the palace.

She ascended the white stairs, leaving Beelzebub behind as she joined a suit of black armor and a black chair etched with ancient writings. He glanced at this figure and wondered if this was a true knight. The knight's armor was large and bulky, no doubt hindering his speed considerably. But what he lacked in speed, Beelzebub was certain he made up for that with his power. Even the red cape that flowed behind him seemed a little menacing. The helmet of the knight was fairly simple but was exceptionally long around the top of his head, making his head seem rather large.

"Lord Thrax," Lightning spoke firmly, "I have brought him."

The chair began to turn as Lightning sat at the right hand of the figure. Eventually, Beelzebub came face to face with this Thrax, smirking as he saw the man with his own eyes. Thrax rose up from his throne now, not before the leather clad warrior caught sight of runes that were also present at the front of the seat.

Thrax struck the ground with his Z-Staff, making his clay servants bow to their knees. His other two warriors simply bowed their heads to their leader. "Welcome to my Castle Pandemonium, Beelzebub," said Thrax. "You are no doubt wondering why I brought you here."

"Well, you're the son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa," Beelzebub fired without warning. "I can only assume that you want revenge for what was done to your parents. Or better yet, you want revenge for your own destruction when you tried to get vengeance the first time."

Thrax flinched at the words that came out from that sharp tongue. He would've struck the leather-clad man down had he not so desperately in need of his assistance. "No matter," growled Thrax. "I want you to help me destroy the Earth. You have control over the creatures called Daimons; my Super Putty Patrol, Lightning, and the Dark Knight aren't enough to take destroy the planet. I need more power."

"I still don't see how that benefits me," said Beelzebub.

"You love to fight," said Thrax. "Don't you think it would be fun to destroy the Earth? And there are plenty of treasures on Earth, items of great value and power."

Beelzebub simply huffed as he turned away for a moment, shrugging his shoulders. It would be fun to destroy the Earth. It had been so long too since he had anyone worthy to fight. There was bound to be at least one good warrior on the planet that he could fight to the death.

Besides, this could benefit his ultimate goal as he looked back, eyeing the Dark Knight carefully.

"Alright Thrax," said Beelzebub. "You have yourself a deal. My Daemons will be at your disposal. We'll destroy the Earth, together." He held out his armored hand to Thrax, which the gruesome looking man accepted.

Dark energy began to rise around the throne room as a new partnership was forged.

* * *

><p>November 21st 2015.<p>

Today was a momentous day for the people of Angel Grove, California. Seventeen years ago on this day, the greatest battle between good and evil took place here today. The United Alliance of Evil attempted to eliminate all the forces of good in the galaxy on the various planets. Angel Grove was one of the biggest locations for the battle as Astronema attempted to take over as the new Queen of Evil only to be defeated by the Space Power Rangers and the energy wave created by Zordon.

On the anniversary of the end of that battle, the people of Angel Grove created a special monument in recognition of the event. Every year, a celebration took place for the Rangers' victory over evil and for the contribution the people of Angel Grove made as they too stood up against Astronema.

Everyone in the city was gearing up to celebrate one of the most important days in their city's history. The ceremony would be held at Power Rangers Memorial Park to unveil the latest addition to the Power Rangers' Memorial. On the first anniversary, the park was created in honor of the heroism of all the Power Rangers. This year, it was rumored that a new statue would be put into place in honor of the Samurai Power Rangers who had saved the Earth from the latest incarnation of evil.

The entire city was just buzzing to hear what was going to happen as they went to the park on this beautiful, Friday afternoon.

* * *

><p>Alice King was completely fed up with the menial job that she had at the bank. She was a graduate from MIT, not to mention its youngest African American graduate, yet she was stuck doing this pathetic grunt work that they barely paid her any decent money for. She got paid more doing freelancing computer repairs, so why bother to stay around fixing their poor excuse of a mainframe.<p>

The young woman of twenty-one decided that enough was enough. She pushed chair aside and slammed her work laptop shut. Her black skin seemed to radiate with the fury she felt at this point as her long, curly black hair flew passed her as she stormed towards her supervisor's office door.

It was like her good ol' momma used to say, 'I'm mad as heck and I'm not gonna take it anymore'.

So storming on with the yellow pantsuit she bought from New York & Company, she pounded on the supervisor's door. The sound of the frightened man behind it told her to come in, which she did as she pushed the door open. Alice ran the gates and didn't stop until she stood at the desk with her hands on her hips, daggers shooting out from her mocha brown eyes.

"What can I do for you, Alice?" asked her pathetic supervisor.

The man looked so geeky, but he was far from actually being one. He was just a butt kisser who climbed his way to a position of power by sucking up to all the bosses. Alice had no respect for this man. She was the one who had to do his job for him because he was completely incompetent and couldn't handle the responsibility.

"I quit," Alice said, firmly. "I don't have to take this bullshit any longer. I graduated from MIT with a Master's at 19. I don't need this. I don't need to work for a sorry excuse of a man who can't do his own job so he forces his responsibilities onto his staff. Learn to run the computations and how to troubleshoot on your own." Alice threw the paperwork on his desk at him, deciding to go all out for this one. "I'm done, I quit, adios sucker!" She turned around to march out of his office after that, a big smile plastered onto his face.

"You can't quit!" shouted her supervisor, sounding exceptionally fierce. "You're…you're fired, Alice King! You'll never find work in the state again!"

"You don't have the power," Alice said as she returned to her office to grab her purse and jacket.

And that's what you get for messing with a child prodigy.

Alice checked her watch as she made her way outside of the building, tossing aside all her ID tags for the bank to the security officer. She told the sweet man who always complimented her on a daily that she had quit and wouldn't be back. He looked deeply hurt and Alice noticed just how mildly attractive he was.

"I might come back for you, sugar," she said, blowing him a kiss.

"Don't get a man's hope up, Alice," said the security guard.

She simply smiled as she left and remembered about the ceremony at the park.

* * *

><p>Connor Song was desperate for an escape from his cruel reality. He was hiding in the boys' locker room, while the other guys were playing football on the field. The young, Korean, baby-faced boy had snuck away as the coach was breaking up everyone into teams for the game. Now that nobody was around, Connor quickly changed out of his damn gym uniform and back into his regular clothes.<p>

He quickly dropped the blue shirt on the ground, keeping his black long-sleeve on. He went through his locker to retrieve his white t-shirt and his black skinny jeans. He stuffed the gym clothes into the locker then quickly grabbed his backpack before running out of there before anyone saw him.

There was safety in the hallways, despite the occasional security guard or administrator that might pass by. At fifteen years old, he was used to this though. He had only been going to Angel Grove High School for a semester, but he already knew all of the patterns. He knew what places to avoid at certain times, he knew what the bullies' schedules were, and he knew what hall the adults like to patrol. The boy with layered, red hair picked himself up as he brushed his bangs to the left side of his face. He made sure he was quite as he went down the hall towards the nearest exit.

At this time, he just needed to cross the teachers' parking lot then he could squeeze through the hole in the fence. It was the perfect plan. He had already done it a hundred times and never got caught. Not like anyone really would care though. He was the foster kid, nobody gave a damn about what happened to him. Nobody had cared about him since his parents passed away and he was forced into the system.

Six years of suffering…it was a nightmare that Connor could never outrun.

Today though, he was going to do something for him. He pushed the door open and took off as fast as he could. If there was one thing he was good at it was running. You had to learn how to run and to get fast at it if you wanted to outrun the vicious bullies. And Connor had a lot of bullies, especially since everyone thought he was just a little faggot, he was gay though.

Despite the fact that school was letting out early anyways, Connor didn't seem to care as he squeezed his skinny body through the fence. He dragged his half-torn backpack through the fencing and took off as fast as he could down the street. Nobody was around to see him so he knew he was in the clear and began to relax as he went in the direction of the park.

* * *

><p>Haley Ann Scott blew a kiss at the mirror once she finished applying the last of her red lipstick. She played with the curls in her rich, brown hair that she had spent the past hour trying to fix into perfection. Today was a big day for her and she had to make the best impression that she possibly could in order not to insult her parents.<p>

Well, it wasn't like they'd be at the ceremony at Rangers' Park anyways. That was odd too since Jason and Kimberly Scott loved all of these Ranger functions. It was a great way to re-bond with all their Ranger buddies, but this year they were busy with work-related things. Her dad's karate students were going to a national competition so her mom went along with him to support her husband.

So it was Haley's job to make a good impression on her parents' behalf at the park today. She had skipped school so she could pretty herself up in a way that her mother would approve of. If she had it her way though, Haley would've just gone chill like her dad tended to support. It was odd just how the seventeen year old behaved. She had the looks of her mother, but she acted way more like her father, yet she inherited all of their athletic talents. Haley was a capable gymnast, while able to kick any ass that got in her way.

"Hiya!" Haley shouted at the mirror, striking a pose.

Her hazel eyes flashed at her reflection and she couldn't help but to laugh at herself. She quickly stopped that though as she finished getting ready, making the last adjustments needed to the pink dress she wore. She grabbed a necklace to hold the outfit together, while strapping a belt around her waist and getting the appropriate heels.

"Dressed to kill," Haley said, winking at herself. "Damn, do I know how to gussy up."

She could only laugh at herself again as she left her bedroom for her car to get going to the park.

* * *

><p>Landon Samuels and Ricardo Cruz had just finished their workout for the day. They decided that since it was Friday night that they would party it up since the city would be buzzing with all the Rangers festivities. It would be party central so they needed to look their best if they were going to impress all the ladies that they would come across. Part of that included looking as buff and sexy as they possibly could.<p>

The roommates had just finished their individual showers and were back at the lockers, getting dressed for the event.

Landon was a chiseled young man with smooth, handsome features that went well lightly-brawny physique of twenty-one year old. He was fairly tall too thanks to his Navajo ancestry so that proportioned his body well. His black hair laid completely flat across his forehead though as he finished drying it off with the towel, standing in the middle of the locker room in his boxers.

Ricardo had a little more muscle on Landon, but not that much though at nineteen years old. He was equally handsome, chiseled, and clean-shaven, but had a larger sex appeal due to his Latin roots. He could wiggle his hips around with the best of them, seducing any partner with his rhythm. But the curls in his hair were giving him a little bit of trouble today, which he didn't seem to mind since he had his hair gel to take care of that. He dropped his towel for a second, snatching his boxers up from the bench then proceeded to put them on.

"Dude, today is going to be epic," Landon said, smiling. "I just feel like today is going to be awesome. I don't know how else to describe it."

His roommate just snorted at him though once he pulled his boxers all the way up. Ric grabbed his light-blue button up from his locker and started to fix it up. He buttoned it up his perfectly formed, smooth abs and pectorals before turning back at the half-naked Landon. "Everytime you say that, vato," said Ric, "we end up in a sticky situation. Sabes que, you're going to get my killed one of these days."

Landon rolled his eyes as he pulled his white muscle-shirt on, over his equally developed physique before taking out the red and white button up. He was vainly proud of his body that he had worked years on. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, and he made sure to burn all evidence, but he grew up as a fat little kid. He never quite got over those scars. The humiliation he had to go left plenty of wounds on him, he even developed an eating disorder for a little bit because of it.

But that was a story for another day.

"Enough of the Spanish, Ric," said Landon. "You know I don't understand half the things you say."

"Not my fault, hombre," Ric said, putting his jeans on.

Landon swatted Ric in the back of the head, which sparked a mini fight between the two. They were both half-dressed and it looked awkward for the guys who passed by them. It looked as if Ric would win the fight, but Landon managed to sneak around to latch onto Ric's head, pushing him against his chest.

Ric finally caved in and surrendered to Landon's superior strength. Landon raised his arms up in victory, which led to Ric to tell him to put some damn deodorant on. Just to prove his point, Ric raised Landon's arm up so that he had to smell some of his leftover stink that the soap couldn't kill. Landon quickly grabbed the Old Spice and got to rolling.

They both quickly finished getting dressed and made their way out of the locker rooms to head over to the park.

* * *

><p>At Power Rangers Memorial Park, half the population of Angel Grove had flocked to the park for the ceremony. The news crew was already there to report the event live. The mayor, the local congressmen, and the governor were present for the momentous event. They all had a lot of thanks to give to the Power Rangers. For over twenty years, the Power Rangers have been putting their lives down on the table in order to keep them all safe.<p>

"It is in honor of the Samurai Power Rangers that we have gathered here today," said Mayor Ferguson. "In honor of their heroism and on the anniversary of the day that Earth survived destruction, allow me to present the Samurai Memorial Statue!"

The cloak was unveiled, revealing the image of a seven-foot tall Red and Gold Samurai Rangers. They both raised their swords up in the air with the kanji symbol of unity etched onto the bottom. Applause filled the air as the people of Angel Grove cheered for the latest addition to the memorial. The governor stood to give his brief speech of the Power Rangers, in fact, he was a teenager in Angel Grove when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first united.

Alice found a place close to the reporters since she gotten their early enough. She was applauding loudly like the rest of the people of Angel Grove. Landon and Ricardo finally made it to the festivities, but were stuck in the middle of the crowd of people. Or like Ric loved to say, "an orgy with clothes". As for Connor, he had snuck in with plenty of time to spare. He climbed up a tree to get away from everyone and to have his own privacy from the crowd.

"We have a special guest with us today," said the Governor of California. "Miss Haley Ann Scott, the daughter of Jason Lee Scott and Kimberly Ann Hart, the original Red and Pink Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

More applause left from the crowd as the young woman stood from her chair beside the mayor. She waved at the crowd, while making her way to the podium to speak. The governor kissed her on the cheek and wished her luck with the presentation. Haley thanked the governor as she made it to the podium and prepared to give her speech.

As Haley was about to thank everyone for coming, there was a sudden bolt of ominous lightning that flashed across the clear skies. That didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Everyone looked up to the sky, wondering what could've caused such a strange occurrence. That's when two dozen bolts of gray light touched the ground, taking the form of humanoid figure dressed in silver jumpsuits with gray clay-like skin and a light armor covering them. A large T was at the center of their chests, the Super Putty Patrol wasted no time in attacking the people of the park.

Panic attacked the people of Angel Grove as the Putties made things worse with their presence. Everyone began to flee, knocking into innocent people, and tried their best to escape from the attack that was taken place. The Putties flung people out of the way as they tried to work their way to the various statues of the Power Rangers.

Haley shook her head as she latched onto her dress and jumped from the stage. She quickly tossed her heels off, rushing over towards the Putties to knock them around. She threw quick punches at their faces before finishing one off with a nasty kick in the hip.

She wasn't the only one who stood up, while everyone else fled.

Landon and Ricardo were doing their part to help fight the Putties off too. Both young men rushed in to help Haley, taking down any Putty that got in their way too. Landon elbowed on in the back to knock it down before grabbing another and tossing him away. Ric flew in to tackle a couple of them down to the ground, afterwards, he sprang up to his feet and flipped another around when he latched onto their ankle.

Alice was helping people to get back on their feet so that they could run. When she was done helping everyone she could, she decided to help take the Putties down too. She didn't have to go far since the Putties decided to go after her. She was quick about throwing a few punches and kicks around. It looked like all those self-defense classes she took in college wouldn't go to waste now. Alice managed to grab onto one then pushed it into the way of another. She karate chopped one in the front of their chests, hitting the large T. The Putty stopped moving before exploding into dust.

"Whoa," Alice said, surprised. "Hey, aim for the T! That's their weak point."

The others heard her just in time before another Putty knocked her down and kept her down. Landon ran over to help her out, pulling the creature away from her before kicking it in the T. The Putty exploded as he turned around to help the young woman back on her feet.

"Nice save," Alice said, smiling at Landon.

"Thanks for the advice," he said, smiling back.

Connor watched the scene unfold and wondered just what he would do know. He couldn't get down from the tree without exposing himself. That didn't matter though since a few Putties already caught sight of him. One managed to sneak up from behind Connor, grabbing hold of his leg that was partly dangling in view.

The boy began to scream as he tried to get his leg back, but the creature's strength was stronger than his. He barely had time to grab onto the branch he had been sitting on as he was pulled closer to the ground. "Help!" cried Connor. "Somebody, help me!" He tried to kick the Putty with his free leg, but the Putty only grabbed onto that one too, making it harder for Connor to keep holding on.

Ric managed to see this as he knocked a Putty down with a blow from his elbow. He quickly ran across the park to help Connor. He sprang himself into the air and threw his legs forward until they hit the Putty in the chest, forcing him to release Connor as it exploded into dust. Ric had a rough landing, but he recovered quickly enough and held his arms out to the boy.

"Let go!" shouted Ric. "I got you, kid."

Connor did as he was told, closing his eyes as he fell the rest of the way down. Lucky for him though, a pair of strong arms managed to catch him on the way down. When he opened his blue eyes, he met a warm pair of light-brown ones on the famous of an attractive man.

Ric helped him back to his feet as Connor's backpack fell off his skinny shoulders. He looked at the boy and felt a strange urge to keep him safe. "You really should get out of her, kid," he said, smiling at him. "This place is no place for someone as young as you."

"Right," Connor said as he slowly began to walk away.

But as luck would have it, another Putty managed to grab onto Connor. The boy was pulled up for a moment and Ric was about to rush in to help when two Putties interfered. Ric was too busy trying to fight them both off at once, leaving Connor on his own.

"Let go, son of a bitch!" Connor shouted as he slammed his foot down. The Putty briefly released him in response to the pain, giving Connor time to react. He removed his backpack and swung it forward to smash the T on the Putty's chest. The creature exploded into dust, leaving the boy to smile as he ran back to help Ric.

Connor swung his backpack against, knocking a Putty away from him. Ric took advantage of this to finish off the other Putty, while Connor stomped his foot on the fallen Putty's chest. Their two monsters exploded and left nothing behind but their usual dust.

"What do you carry in that bag?" Rick asked. "Bricks?"

"Just books and binders," Connor said, taking in heavy breaths.

Haley kicked a Putty across the park, which exploded into dust before landing, ending the last of the Putties.

Everyone turned back to get a look at the daughter of two famous Power Rangers as she slowly made her way towards them. Haley ran her hands through her curls before wiping off the sweat that had glistened over her forehead. "You guys are pretty good at this," she said, smiling at all of them. "Thanks for the help, I wouldn't have been able to pull this off without you."

"Nah, this was just fun!" Ric said, lifting his arms up to his head.

"I couldn't just sit around and do nothing," Alice said, joining them too.

"We couldn't leave you on your own," said Landon.

"I just didn't want to run away and let you get hurt," Connor said, turning towards Ric.

The young man threw him a smile and thanked him for the save.

Haley smirked at them all as she picked up her discarded heels. There was no point in putting them back on, at least for now. "So, those were defiantly the Putty Patrol," Haley said to them. "It doesn't make any sense though since the Putties were destroyed when Zordon sacrificed himself to save the galaxy. Why would they come back after all these years?"

"Do you think that someone just made a new batch?" asked Landon.

"They're different then the old ones," Alice said. "I remembered being here when Lord Zedd sent his out. The ones he used had a big Z on their chests, these ones had a T."

"Weird," whispered Ricardo.

"Scary is more appropriate word," Connor said, dropping to ground. "Everywhere I go, the monsters just keep following me. It all started in Mariner Bay when the demons tried to burn the apartment building I was living in. My father almost died trying to save me before the Lightspeed Rangers saved us. Then when those mutant dinosaurs tried to attack Reefside, my parents died to save me before the Dino Thunder Rangers could save them. When Venjix broke out, I was lost in the desert before the Black and Green RPM Rangers managed to rescue me."

The others listened to his story, each one sad to hear the struggle he went through. That was only the tip of the iceberg though, Connor hasn't had that good of a life since his parents passed on. He didn't trust anybody enough though to even go into details about what he had to go through.

Alice was the one who knelt down beside him, putting her hand on his back. She could tell that Connor was to cry from all the bad memories that he was bringing up. "Don't worry about it, sweetie," she told him. "It wasn't easy for me either. I've been saved by the Power Rangers a few times too. I was even here when Dark Specter tried to take over everything. I was one of the POWs in Angel Grove. If the Space Rangers hadn't exposed themselves to everyone then…who knew what would've happened. It was the Yellow Space Ranger who rescued me though. Ever since then, I've dreamed of becoming the Yellow Power Ranger."

"The Power Rangers saved me from walking down the wrong path," Ric said, looking over at Alice and Connor. "I grew up in a real bad neighborhood in Queens. I was involved with the local gang, I was a thug, and I made my parents' lives a living hell. I wouldn't listen to anything or anyone, but it was the Rangers who helped me. They brought in some of the Latino Rangers to the Freshman center. I met the Black Space Ranger, the Blue Zeo Ranger, and the Black Wild Force Ranger. They motivated me to clean up my act, I didn't want to be bother to anyone else, I want to be someone that my family could be proud of."

"I actually grew up fairly unscratched," said Landon. "I used to live in New Mexico before Venjix broke out and we evacuated to Corinth. But before that, we used to be dirt poor. My parents barely made enough to keep a roof over our heads and to feed us. They did it though, they went through all the pain to make sure to have some stability in our lives. But I always dreamed of being the hero, the one who could stop all of the pain. That's why I started to look up to all the Red Rangers, they were the leaders, the ones who made all the difference. I actually met the Red Wild Force Ranger once, he told me that as long as I believed in myself and in everyone around me then anything would be possible."

Haley smiled at them all as she joined the larger circle around them. Her hands rested on her hips as she leaned slightly forward to see Landon's face who had it bowed down and looked away from the others. "It sounds like you all owe a big thanks to the Power Rangers," she said, softly. "They managed to turn your lives around and save them before it was too late."

"Yeah," Landon said, looking at her properly. "They did."

Alice and Ric nodded their heads in agreement, while Connor just sat there.

"Wait!" Haley said, shaking her head. "This is so strange. We're telling each other our life stories, but neither one of us know each other's name. I'm Haley Scott."

"Alice King."

"Landon Samuels."

"Ricardo Cruz."

"Connor Song."

Haley nodded her head as she told them it was nice to meet them all.

Before anything else could be said though, each one disappeared in a silver beam of light that took them across the city to parts unknown.

* * *

><p>The lights gathered into a dark area beneath the city, restoring the young adults back into physical matter. Each one fell on the ground and were scattered about. Haley and Connor managed to land on their backs, while the others fell on their faces. It was kind of painful, but it was something that could be numbed down soon enough.<p>

A few lights began to go off, illuminating this underground location.

The entire place slowly began to brighten up to reveal the most advanced technology that any of them had ever seen. Several screens were mounted onto the walls that displayed news from across the planet, there were several computer stations at the center with comfy looking chairs, and there were couches off to the side. They all looked back to see holograms of various helmets that each one knew belonged to the different generations of Power Rangers.

"What the hell?" said Haley.

"Did we step into the Twilight Zone?" asked Connor.

"This place is so cool!" Alice said, running over to the computers. "Oh my goodness! I've died and gone to Heaven. I've never seen processors which such computing capabilities. This places makes the labs at MIT look like a joke!"

"Still confused," said Ric.

"Can someone please tells us what the hell is going on here?" said Landon.

"Allow me to explain," said a childish, robotic voice. Everyone nearly jumped out of their skin as they turned towards an opening door where a short robot emerged from. The golden features on the robot appeared to be shinny, blue tubes seemed to connect it together with red casing to serve as the outer shell. The robot bore a lightning bolt in the front of his chest that would blink every couple of seconds. "Welcome to the Command Center. This is our base of operations, it will be a second home for each of you."

Haley looked at the robot with disbelief as she started to approach it. The others were too freaked out to do so and even told Haley to come back. She didn't listen though as she recognized the robot, to an extent, from pictures in her parents' albums. "Alpha?" she asked. "Are you an Alpha bot?"

"Alpha 8, Haley," said Alpha. "I was programmed to assist the Power Rangers in their battle against evil." He began to make his way over towards the young adults with Haley following his lead. Alpha went over to the computer that Alice was at and politely asked her to move so he could pull up a screen. "The Earth is under attack by dark forces. His name his Thrax."

The horrific image that appeared on the screen made each one gasp as they looked away. Thrax was laughing as he was joined by an entourage of different villains. "Thrax had been defeated by the Operation Overdrive Power Rangers and a veteran team of Power Rangers," said Alpha 8. "He has returned from the grave though at the worst possible time. Dark forces have begun to gather, revealing the beginning to a grim prophecy that Zordon left behind for the Rangers."

"A prophecy?" asked Ric. "What kind of prophecy are we talking here?"

"The end of the universe," said Alpha 8. "Zordon was visited by these beings called the Celestials who warned him of the coming destruction. The universe would be destroyed by a group of beings of great, malevolent power. They gave Zordon the tools necessary to fight these dark forces, and Zordon left them in care to former Ranger, Adam Park, for safe keeping. Adam is the reason you are here today. He had me search for the best possible candidates for the day that something horrible like this would happen."

"Best possible team?" asked Alice.

"Shoot me now," Connor said as he slumped to the ground.

Ric helped him back up, telling him to save the drama for another day. Connor was dragged forward towards the others so that they could listen to what else Alpha 8 had to say.

Alpha 8 simply nodded his head before pulling up another file. On the screen appeared five, different colored uniforms that looked strangely familiar to them all. "The five of you would make the best, possible team to combat the forces of evil," said Alpha. "You have been selected to be the Power Rangers Angel Force."

"You've got to be joking," said Landon. "We can't be Power Rangers. Well, maybe Haley, but the rest of us?"

"There is no denying it," said Alpha 8. "Each of you brings a skill that is necessary to form a successful team. You are the only ones who can save us all from annihilation."

Haley simply nodded her head as she stepped forward, away from the others. She turned to face them all and saw the reluctant looks on each of their faces. "This is it, you guys," she said, calmly. "You told me just a few minutes ago that you dreamed of making a difference, how you dreamed of becoming a Power Ranger. Well, here's our chance. This is the day where we can make a difference for everyone, to protect the innocent, to do what is right."

"She's right," Alice said, stepping up. "As long as I get to be the Yellow Ranger, I'm up for it!"

"Count me in too," Ric said, smiling now. "I want to kick some evil ass."

"I'll help too," said Landon.

They all gathered around Alpha, while Connor continued to stay back.

The boy shook his head as he started taking more steps back. It couldn't be possible, it had to be mistake. "I can't be a Power Ranger," Connor said, firmly. "I'm too weak, a coward. I run away from fights, I'm constantly bullies at school, and…I'm not good enough. I can't be a Ranger. This has to be a mistake."

"It is no mistake, Connor," said Alpha 8. "You've been chosen for a reason. If Zordon were still alive, he would've chosen you to be a Ranger as well."

"No, this is just a cruel joke," Connor said. "I'm not Ranger material."

Ricardo disagreed though as he pulled away from the others. His protective urges started to kick in as he went up to Connor and placed his hands on the boy's frail shoulders. "You're tougher and braver then you give yourself credit for," he told Connor. "You didn't hesitate to fight that Putty or to rescue me when you saw I was ambushed. There is a lot more heart in there then you know. I think you'll make a great Ranger. And besides, I got your back. I'll make sure that nothing bad happens, okay?"

Connor actually felt reassured by everything that Ric said. He felt a strange feeling in his heart as the older boy looked him in the eyes. It was a good feeling though, one that Connor knew that he had to submit too. He did dream of becoming a Ranger, why not give it a shot?

"Alright," Connor said, softly. "I'll…help."

The others cheered as they went over to Connor and dragged him back towards Alpha 8 so that he could finish explaining things.

* * *

><p>At Castle Pandemonium, Thrax slammed his fist down on his throne as he rose up with his skin glowing from his anger. His staff began to burn with the anger coursing through his veins as he witnessed his Super Putties being defeated by five, miserable Earthlings. The audacity of these Earthlings downright infuriated Thrax as he fired a bolt of lightning through the open space. It streaked across the moon, dying out only miles after it left the surface.<p>

Lightning sat at the foot of the stairs with legs crossed as she shook her head. This was just perfect, the Earthlings were fitting back and now her damn boss was angry. "It looks like that some players have entered the game, Thrax," she sneered. "What are you going to do about them? Clearly Putties aren't going to be enough." She summoned her Gunblade to her hand as she gently began to rise to her feet. "Maybe I should go down to Earth to show them just who they should fear."

"Allow me to go, sire," said the frozen Dark Knight.

"No," Beelzebub said as he jumped off a pedestal. He landed on his feet with perfect grace before approaching the still fuming Thrax. "Allow me to handle this. I'm sure I can handle those little brats with just one Daimon. If they want to play hero then let them die pretending to be heroes."

Thrax began to laugh, his skeletal face bore a horrific smile that made him look absolutely hideous. Lightning had turn to look away before she vomited, while Dark Knight remained standing and Beelzebub simply ignored it.

"Yes, do it!" said Thrax. "Let the Earthlings perish. Send a Daimon down to the Earth and raise all the mayhem that you can! Throw the entire planet into anarchy!"

"Easy there, big guy," Beelzebub said. "Let's just start by destroying those brats." He snapped his fingers, causing a black shadow to filter into the room and formed a dark silhouette. The shadow stood in front of its master, awaiting the necessary orders. "Go down to Angel Grove, make a mess of it."

"Yes, my lord," said the shadow."

The shadow disappeared from the castle and took form back on Earth.

* * *

><p>Alpha 8 had all the new Rangers gathered before him as he pushed a key on the computer. A single podium rose up from across them, which he told the Rangers to go to. The robot guided them there and took the case that was on top. The Rangers looked at it, seeing the ancient looking writing on the case. Wondering what was inside it or what it even was, Landon was the first to ask what it was.<p>

The robot opened the case to reveal five, crystal feathers that were laid inside a velvet cushion. Each was had a different color to it: one was red, another, a third black, another yellow, and the last was pink. "These are your Crystal Morphers," said Alpha 8. "With these you'll be able to connect to the Morphing Grid and transform into Power Rangers by calling out 'Angel Force, Power Up'."

"Which is mine?" Ricardo asked, leaning closer towards the case.

Alpha 8 took the blue, crystal feather and gave it to the young man. "Ricardo, you are the Blue Angel Force Ranger," he said, calmly. He turned over to Connor and took the black feather. "Connor, you are the Black Angel Force Ranger." Next, the robot went to Haley and gave her the pink feather. "Haley, you are the Pink Angel Force Ranger." Then he went over to Alice and gave her the yellow feather, which she was grateful for. "Alice, you are the Yellow Rangel Force Ranger." Lastly, he went to Landon and gave him the red feather, presenting it carefully to him. "And you, Landon, are the Red Angel Force Ranger."

Each one held onto their Crystal Morphers, looking at the feathers with great care. They felt an immense source of pride for what had just happened. They had been selected to be Power Rangers, they were the champions of good. It was something that they had all dreamed about since they were kids.

The moment was cut short though as the sirens around the Command Center began to ring.

"Ay, ay, ay!" said Alpha 8. "Thrax has sent a monster to attack the city. There is no time. Rangers, you most go to protect the city now. I will teleport you there at once."

Landon stood at the middle, everyone else circled around him without even saying an order. They all turned to him and nodded their heads at him. They already saw him as the leader without anything having to be done besides calling him the Red Ranger. Landon felt a strange feeling in his gut since he never had to be so responsible before. He couldn't let them down though, he clung onto his Crystal Morpher and nodded his head back.

"Send us out, Alpha," said Landon. "We have a city to save."

"Good luck, Rangers," said Alpha 8. "May the power protect you!"

Alpha 8 pushed the teleportation button, sending the Rangers back to Angel Grove with beams of light that matched their Ranger color.

* * *

><p>The plaza by the Rangers Memorial Park was under attack by the Daimon that Beelzebub had released. This monster was made out of black rocks with a strange, ring around the center of his chest. It's face was the only part of the monster not to be made from rock, it bore a demonic appearance with sharps fangs and horns sticking out from it.<p>

"Take this, pathetic humans!" the Daimon laughed. It opened its jaws to suck up the rocks that were littered on the ground and grinded it into its stomach. The ring around its chest began to glow as it fired the attack from the ring. A blast of energy zoomed across the plaza and crashed into the fountain there.

Water flew everywhere along with the broken cement that held the water in. The Daimon laughed as it created more havoc for the fleeing citizens of Angel Grove. All the people who hadn't already ran away were leaving as quickly as they could. It made the monster happy to know it could create so much chaos without any difficulty.

Earthlings were so easily frightened, it was almost too easy for the Daimon's taste.

But before the monster could enjoy even more of its fun, it saw the five flashes of light in front from of it. The Daimon stopped for a moment to see what was about to happen. Five humans appeared from the lights, each one throwing threatening stares at the Daimon.

"Your faces are going to freeze if you keep looking at me like that," said the Daimon.

Landon stood front and center as he held onto his Crystal Morpher. The red feather in his hand gave a faint glow against the sunlight. "Throw all the jokes you want, monster," said Landon. "We're here to stop you."

"You won't be terrorizing anyone else after today," said Ric.

"We'll make you regret all the evil you've done," said Connor.

"This isn't going to end pretty for you in case you haven't realized," said Alice.

"And we're going to tell you why," said Haley.

"We're the Power Rangers!" they shouted together. Each one raised their feather up so that it was beside their face. They swung their arm around in a circle with their Crystal Morphers glowing in response. "Angel Force, Power Up!" The Rangers raised their morphers up into the air, releasing the light of their individual colors.

A storm of feathers began to circle around each of the Rangers, representing their individual colors. The feathers wrapped around their bodies and gave life to their uniforms. Once their clothes changed, their helmets appeared to mask their identities from all who would see.

With the transformation complete, the Angel Force Rangers stood together ready for battle. Their uniforms were all strikingly similar. A large, white cross appeared in front of each of their chests with a golden belt around their waist with a smaller cross as the buckle. White lines appeared around their arms and the lower parts of their legs to separate their gloves and boots. A silver collar wrapped around their necks and their helmet bore a black fleur-de-lis with lines around it. On their backs, each one had a pair of angelic woven onto the tights. And strapped to their waists were short swords with a silver blade and handles of their individual colors. The only difference between them was their colors and that the girls had skirts while the boys didn't.

Each of the Rangers pulled their Angel Swords out from the holder and raised it up. The silver, short sword grew into a full-length sword that they swung around into different positions. Red Ranger held his with one hand, pointed upward. Black Ranger and Pink Ranger held theirs with both hands, pointing theirs in Landon's direction. Yellow Ranger and Blue Ranger held theirs up with both hands but pointed to the left for Yellow Ranger and the right for Blue Ranger.

The Daimon laughed as it began to approach the Rangers. "Great, now the Power Rangers are here," laughed the Daimon. "I'm so scared. What's the worst you can do to me with those play things of yours?"

"Kick your ass!" shouted Red Ranger. "Let's go!"

The Rangers charged after the Daimon, springing to action.

Blue Ranger was the first one who made it up to bat. He swung his sword to the side and slashed into the Daimon's rocky body. Black Ranger went right behind him to repeat the action that Ric did, triggering a second explosion on the Daimon.

Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger jumped across the plaza, slashing their swords downward to hit the Daimon. They did a tuck and roll after that, getting away from the Daimon so that Red Ranger could have his turn. Red Ranger charged after the Daimon, pushing his sword forward to strike the rocky body of the monster with all the force he could muster up.

The Daimon had sparks flying from the impact as it rolled towards the broken fountain. It slowly pulled itself back up just as the Rangers united together in order to attack again. But the Daimon only laughed some more, cutting what celebration the Rangers would have short.

"It's not over yet, poor punks!" said the Daimon. The ring on its chest began to glow as it picked up more rubble. The Rangers didn't know what to expect until it was too late. The Daimon had charged up enough energy to release a blast that crashed into the Rangers, sending each one flying across the plaza.

Gradually, the Rangers began to pick themselves back up, while the Daimon laughed more at them. Red Ranger was the first to make it back on his feet and the others weren't too far behind him. It was a struggle, but they were back on their feet and ready to fight the Daimon again, pushing through the pain they had.

"We can't give up," said Red Ranger. "We're going to have to do this together if we're going to beat him!"

"Then come on!" said Blue Ranger.

"Let's not waste anymore time!" said Yellow Ranger.

The Rangers crossed their swords together just as the Daimon began to charge up for its next attack. Unless something was done about him soon then they would be screwed on their first fight. Light began to glow from each Ranger's sword, bathed in the light of their individual energies.

"Die, Power Pukes!" shouted the Daimon as it fired its attack.

"Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers.

The Rangers slashed their Angel Swords in an upward motion, releasing a powerful blast. Their attack flew across the plaza and worked together to smash through the Daimon's energy attack. Once it broke through that, their attack sliced through the Daimon and put an end to its rampage. The Daimon cried out in great pain as it fell to the ground and exploded into nothing.

The Rangers returned their swords to their sheaths and turned away from the explosion.

* * *

><p>Bolts of lightning flashed across the Thrax's throne room as he witnessed the fall of Beelzebub's Daimon. He smashed his fist on the railing of the open balcony. His red skin was glowing from his fury as he turned to face his "minions".<p>

The Putties were cowering in fear and flocked away before their master could punish them. Lightning kept herself out if it as she sat on the stairs, polishing her Gunblade. The Dark Knight remained perfectly still as he stood beside the left-hand side of his master's throne. Beelzebub just shook his head as he felt the diminished spirit of his Daimon.

"You failed me, Beelzebub!" roared Thrax. "Your Daimon failed to destroy those brats."

"And now we have the Power Rangers to worry about," Lightning said, kissing her blade. "Well, I guess we need a real warrior to take them down a notch."

"The Rangers will be difficult to defeat if we don't destroy them soon," said the Dark Knight.

Beelzebub merely ignored all of them as he walked away from the throne, his hands buried into the pockets of his leather pants. He didn't care what Thrax had to say, he wasn't his lackey like the other idiots there. He was a creature of great power and importance.

"You came to me for assistance, remember?" said Beelzebub. "You weren't capable of handling this on your own. So what if we hit a little bump in the road?" He pulled his twin shotguns out and pointed them at Thrax's head. The man raised his Z-Staff up, pointing the crackling energy at the biker. Beelzebub smirked as he pulled one of his shotguns back into the case. "Tomorrow is another day. We know that there are Rangers who are active. We just need to worry about destroying them then it will be smooth sailing from then on."

"Do not fail me, Beelzebub," said Thrax. "I will destroy you if necessary."

"I don't fail," Beelzebub said as he returned the second gun to the case on his leg.

The biker turned to walk away, shooting a brief glance at Lightning. She simply shook her head as she stood and approached Thrax. He just kept on smirking as he disappeared into the depths of the castle, no longer wanting to deal with these idiots for the rest of his day.

Lightning joined Thrax's side, looking briefly at Beelzebub's fleeting trail. "Do you really think we should trust that arrogant bastard?" she asked her leader. "He is a waste of space, if you ask me. We don't need him around. I'll destroy the Rangers on my own."

"Relax, Lightning," said Thrax. "You will have your revenge on the Rangers just like I'll have mine. But we need Beelzebub, at least for now. Until we can perfect the Generator, we'll need the Daimons that Beelzebub controls."

Lightning still didn't like any of this as she walked off to the other end of the castle, leaving Thrax and the Dark Knight.

* * *

><p>Cheers filled the Command Center as the Rangers ran through it with their helmets placed on the ground. They locked their arms around one another in celebration of their first victory together as a team. Even Alpha 8 was cheering with them as he told them how proud he was of them defeating the Daimon.<p>

"You did an excellent job, Rangers," said Alpha 8. "I know this is only the beginning of many more victories for us."

"It felt good fighting the bad guys," said Haley. "We made a difference today."

"Maybe I could get used to this fighting evil thing," Connor admitted.

Ric snuck up behind him, wrapping his arm over the boy's shoulders. "Look who changed his mind now," said the older boy. "Glad to see you had a change of heart."

"What about the ceremony though?" asked Alice. "And all the people too. Our fights did a lot of damage today."

"I heard the city has a great insurance policy for monster attacks," laughed Ric.

Landon shook his head at the man in blue. He elbowed his roommate, nudging him away before he said anything else stupid. "Alpha, do you think you could put up one of the local, news channel?" he asked. "I'd like to know the damage report."

"Right away, Landon," Alpha said, pushing down on a key.

The screen lit up as the local news gave out a report. The attacks on the city hadn't done that much damage, which they were thankful for. Even the mayor had went on about how grateful the city was for the safety of everyone. That's when the report shifted and showed a news crew capturing an image of them battling the Daimon that attacked the plaza today, after transformation.

"It seems that a new group of Rangers have risen up to protect Angel Grove," said the reporter. "We owe thanks to these new Power Rangers for saving our city. Thank you, Rangers. We wish you luck in all your future battles."

The report ended, leaving the Rangers with smiles on their faces as they stood beside one another.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter.

On the next chapter, Landon and his leadership skills are put to the test as Thrax's Dark Knight attacks Angel Grove. He fails to lead his team, unable to control the power of their Heaven Power Cannon, shatters his confidence in his ability to lead. It is up to Haley to help save Landon's faith in himself, while Ric, Connor, and Alice fight to stop the Dark Knight from destroying the city. Can the Rangers rise up to the challenge or will the Dark Knight finish them off? Find out in **Red is Believing!**


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Woot! I'm finally finished with the update. It took a little while longer because of family drama. Haha. Well, I hope you guys enjoy it! Read and review.

**Red is Believing:**

The most fun place in Angel Grove to hang out was "Skulls and Crosses", which was owned by the infamous Bulk. The establishment was named after his companion Skull who had passed away in a car accident along with his wife, leaving their son, Spike, in Bulk's care. The boy had already graduated from high school, but he enjoyed being around his Uncle Bulk so much that he stayed around.

As for Skulls and Crosses, it was just a massive hangout place for teens and young adults. There was an area for an arcade, a dinning section, a juice bar, and a stage for where plenty of performances took place. Bulk had drawn in inspiration from the previous owners including Ernie, Lt. Stone, and Adelle, to make the place fun for everyone. He even bought part of the building next door just so he could make the place even bigger.

Bulk was behind the bar, yelling at his nephew. The overweight, middle-aged man pushed his nephew off the stool he was sitting on to wake him up. "Get to work, lazy ass!" growled Bulk. "Earn the damn paycheck I give you. Go clean some tables."

The skinny Spike fell to the ground, landing right on his bony ass. He rubbed his sore backside as he slowly began to get up and grabbed his towel. "Ouch, Uncle Bulk!" shouted the young man. "You didn't have to be so rough. You could say please."

"Spike!" shouted Bulk.

Spike gulped as he jumped over the bar and went to work before his nephew could throw the blender in his hands.

Across from the bar was a table where the new Power Rangers were sitting at. They got a brief laugh at the scene as Bulk continued to yell at Spike as the young man got to work. The Rangers sat around each other just talking so that they could get to know each other better. It was Landon's plan that they met up here in the first place. He knew that the only way that they would be able to get along as a team was to take advantage of this lovely Saturday afternoon to better get acquainted with one another.

The others agreed and that's how they arrived to Skulls and Crosses.

Connor was busy sipping away at his chocolate, banana milkshake when Haley had fired a question his way. The boy was the only one who hadn't spoken much about himself, a reason that he kept to himself too. He relaxed though when he heard that she had just asked what high school he went too.

"Angel Grove High," Connor said, simply.

"Really?" asked Haley. "I've never seen you there."

"I'm the kid who the football team drags into the trashcan or the boy's locker room to dump him in the toilet," Connor said, sourly.

"Oh," Haley said, returning to her drink. She did know who he was then. She had witnessed the actions of those Neanderthals, but everytime she tried to do something about it, they would be long gone. "Well, I'll be there to help you next time it happens. I'll kick their asses for you."

"Thanks," Connor said, playing with the straw.

"Correction," said Ric, "he's got all of looking out for him. Am I right?"

"That's right," Alice said, raising her drink.

"We got your back, Connor," agreed Landon.

Connor smiled at his new friends, trying to hold back the embarrassing feeling in his stomach.

As the Rangers talked though, Bulk changed the channel onto the new station. He hadn't meant to do it, but the battery decided to die on him before he could change it again. So they were all left watching the news just as the local report started with the reporter talking of the new team of Power Rangers once more.

For the past three days, the new Power Rangers were on every news station in Angel Grove. They made the front page of the papers too, which was strange since they hadn't been around for that long. All they had were the same photo of their battle against their first Daimon. That didn't stop the journalistic community from going crazy with the story as everyone was left wondering just who these new Power Rangers were.

"If only I was younger," Bulk said, reminiscing about the old days. "I would've tried to unmask them for myself. Oh well." He returned to work just in time to see Spike sleeping on the job again. He grabbed pitcher of water and went over to the table where his nephew was at. "Wake up, lazy punk!"

Bulk dumped the water on Spike's head, forcing his nephew to get up and panic.

* * *

><p>A big thank you was owed to Alice.<p>

After their first victory, Alpha began to inform the Rangers of the previous generations of Power Rangers. The others had returned home, but Alice stayed behind to apply some of the technology used by the original generations of Rangers into their "modern" technology. Alpha 8 worked with Alice to develop a new set of Communicators that would allow the Rangers to keep in touch with each other and the Command Center, while giving them the ability to teleport where they needed to be.

It took all night for her to perfect it, but that's what made Alice who she was. A determined, young woman when she started a project then there was no stopping her until she finished. The completion of the Communicators only brought more inspiration to her as she started going over what the Mystic Force Rangers did to their Morphers. She developed a way to make carrying their Crystal Morphers around easier by creating a dormant state that took the form of bracelets.

The last bit of inspiration came from the Operation Overdrive and R.P.M Rangers. She spent last night working with Alpha on creating a way to naturally expand upon their team's natural talents in order to make them better fighters. This was why she had dragged the other Rangers to the Command Center was so she could present this awesome gift to them.

Meanwhile, Alpha 8 had some new toys to show them later on.

"What are all these fancy buttons?" Ric asked as he leaned over Alice's shoulder.

She pushed his face away from her as she punched a few more keys. With a smile now on her face, she swung her chair around just as Ric joined the other Rangers. "This is my gift to you all," she said, cheerfully. "I hope you appreciate my work. It took me nearly twenty-four hours to perfect the program and connect to the Morphing Grid. Thank God for Alpha, I don't know what I would've done without him."

"There is no need to thank me, Alice," Alpha said, happily. "I am far more impressed by your project. You are by far the most remarkable human I've had the pleasure of meeting."

"Thanks Alpha," Alice said, still smiling. She jumped up from the chair as she dragged the other Rangers to the plasma tubes behind them. Each one illuminated by the individual colors of the Angel Force Rangers. A keypad appeared before Alice as she got closer where she then began to type a few things in.

A strange pad appeared from the ground with a ring hovering around it. The tiling had broken apart just to make room for the pad. The other Rangers just assumed that this was the famous project that Alice was working on and that they apparently needed to be grateful for it. Connor gulped as he wondered what Alice could've possibly been planning.

Alice stood on the pad and punched on the red button. Lights began to flash at the bottom of the pad as strange flickers of light began to float up to her. The lights began to sparkle across her body with a smile still present on her face. Once the lights died out, Alice got off from the pad with her hands on her waist.

"Now, let me show you what I can do now," Alice said, smirking. She barely raised a hand up when the pad disappeared back to the ground. The others weren't exactly sure what they should be looking for when Alice waved her hand again and the pad came back up. "These lights are from the Morphing Grid. I mixed them with my own DNA to heighten my own natural talents. I just happen to be so intelligently awesome with technology that now I can manipulate it without a touch. Who wants to go next?"

"Me!" Ric said as he jumped on the pad. "Do I just push the red button?"

Alice only snapped her fingers, causing the machine to glow with life. Ric stood perfectly still as the light became one with his DNA. There was a smile on Ric's face as the lights faded and he got away from the pad.

"Let's see," Alpha said, scanning Ric. "Your strength has improved tenfold. Your stamina has improved as well, allowing you to fight longer and harder."

"Hell yeah!" Ric said, flexing his muscles. "I like this."

Landon shook his head as he got on the pad next. Alice worked her mojo again, helping to change his DNA as well. When the lights died out, Landon stepped off the pad with Alpha scanning him again.

"It appears that you and Ric are very similar," said Alpha. "Your strength has improved to an equally to his own with your stamina improving as well. Your senses also appear to be heightened, no doubt to help your own natural instincts as the leader."

"Thanks Alice," Landon said, smiling at the young woman.

"Any time," Alice said, winking at him. "Who wants to go next? Haley or Connor?"

"I'll go," Haley said, noticing the fear on Connor.

The lights went off and Haley came down feeling fairly light. She was almost as light as a feather at this point. Alpha scanned her to figure out what had changed about her. The results came up so he was able to share it with her.

"It appears that your agility has improved to remarkable levels," said Alpha. "You'll be able to move in ways that you never thought possible."

"I wonder if I can fly now?" Haley said, bouncing on her toes.

"We could always practice to see," said Alice. She turned over to Connor, holding a hand out to the boy. "Alright, hun, it's your turn next. I promise that the machine won't blow up on you."

"Please don't say things like that," Connor said, gulping as he stepped on the pad.

The process continued with him and he was pleasantly surprised to see that it hadn't blown up. He stepped off the pad as Alpha quickly began to scan him as well. The other Rangers stood around him, wondering what his special skill would be.

"Alice's machine seems to have improved your speed," said Alpha. "You already had a talent for running, but now you are able to run with superhuman speed. We'll need to test to see just how fast and far you'll be able to run without endangering your well-being."

"Super speed," Connor said to himself, "sweet! That makes getting away from bullies easier."

The Rangers laughed, while Alpha and Alice went over to the computers to get to work on the next project that they had to show. It would be a while before they finished it so they told the others to go to the training room to practice with their heightened talents. Landon led the others towards the automatic doors to a room filled with athletic equipment with plenty of mats all over the place.

Landon and Ric quickly started to prove who was the stronger, while Haley helped to teach Connor how to better fight now that he could move faster. The boys were well matched against each other, but Landon managed to get Ric in a head-lock for a minute. As for Haley and Connor, the two were dancing around each other with remarkable speed. Haley's agility was almost as blindly quick as Connor's own speed, making it difficult for the other to catch them.

* * *

><p>On the moon, Thrax watched the Earth to see just how sickeningly peaceful Angel Grove was. It was enough to make him vomit as he saw the children running around, the happy couples strolling around, and families spending quality time together. The compassion that the Earthlings displayed only made his head hurt to the point where he had to look away. What he needed to do was to give the people something to cry over, something to make them truly miserable.<p>

Yes, he would need to send a monster down to Earth to wreak havoc and lure the Power Rangers out so that they could be destroyed.

"Beelzebub," Thrax shouted.

Thrax turned towards his throne to see the leather-clad biker to appear from out of thin air beside him. Beelzebub smirked as he looked at the strange, mutant of a humanoid who was hell-bent on having revenge for his dead, good mommy and daddy. "What can I do for you, boss?" asked the thin figure. "Do you want me to send another Daimon down to Earth to play with the Rangers? I'm going to need a little more notice though. I have to find one strong enough who will take the little punks down."

"Your sarcasm is outstanding, Beelzebub," Lightning said as she appeared in the throne room. Her golden armor sparkled against the candlelight as she approached. Her Gunblade was strapped to her hip so that she wouldn't have to carry it around. "Will you show some respect? It is insulting that you should insult the Lord of Castle Pandemonium."

"He ain't my lord, girlie," laughed Beelzebub. "Once this kiddo starts carrying around his own weight instead of barking orders then I'll show a little more respect. Until then, I'll get to work on getting a Daimon ready for battle."

A sword appeared in front of the leather-clad figure, making him stop before he could take another step. Beelzebub expected the sword to belong to Lightning, but she hadn't moved an inch and she looked equally as shocked as he was. No, Beelzebub turned his eyes to the corner to see the Dark Knight standing next to him with his sword raised up.

The usually, immobile sentinel had learned just how to move. He raised his silver, curved sword up to the man's neck, reminding him of his first encounter with the lovely Lightning. This time though, Beelzebub didn't see the humor in it even as the knight returned his sword to the black sheath.

The black-armored knight walked away from Beelzebub to approach his lord and master. The knight bowed his armored form to Thrax as he dropped to one knee. "My lord," said Dark Knight, "allow me the honor of going to Angel Grove and destroying the Power Rangers. I will do whatever it takes to vanquish them."

"Excellent," said Thrax. "Go down to Earth, my Dark Knight. Destroy the Power Rangers."

"I vow to destroy the Rangers, my lord," said the Dark Knight.

The knight rose up to his feet and disappeared from sight.

Beelzebub smirked as he wondered just how this would end.

* * *

><p>Landon was working with Connor now, teaching the boy how to fight. Connor was nervous as he tried to fight the team leader, but Landon was patient and kind as he tried to help the boy improve. Landon worked with Connor's limited experience and tried to build up on the groundwork that Haley had spent the past hour lying down.<p>

Connor stumbled around a lot and tripped on his own two feet a couple of time. Ric laughed at him a couple of time as he now worked with Haley. She scolded him as she easily dropped to the ground and tripped him so that he fell flat on his ass. This time it was Connor that laughed as Landon helped him back on his feet.

"Don't let take Ric too seriously," Landon told him. "He can be bit of a sarcastic ass. You're doing just fine, Connor, trust me."

"Thanks Landon," Connor said, blushing though as he looked at Ric.

The boy went back to training with Landon and it remained that way until the sirens began to go off. The four of them immediately dropped what they were doing as they ran back to the main chamber. The door opened before them as they rejoined Alice and Alpha as they pulled up the screen to see what was happening to the city.

A screen appeared in front of the central computers with the image of the Dark Knight attacking a courtyard around downtown. Super Putties were joined with the knight as he attacked the city with his massive sword. People were fleeing from the scene in hopes of escaping to someplace safer.

"We need to do something," said Haley. "This knight is going to make a mess of the city."

"It's time to Ranger up," said Landon. "Let's go, team."

"Wait!" Alpha said before the Rangers ran off. He pulled the screen down as he brought another one up. On it were five separate weapons that floated around with four of them wondering what was going on as Alice joined the robot. "These are the Heaven Power Weapons. These weapons will help you in the fight and when you put them together they form the Heaven Power Cannon. Landon, it is up to you to form the weapon and to maintain its power so that it can defeat the knight. If you fail to control the power then you won't be able to use the weapon and it could lead to a severe injury for all of you."

Landon nodded his head, feeling horribly nervous now thanks to the Alpha bot. His stomach was coiling around and it made him a little nauseous as he thought about it. But he recovered though so that he could lead the team to the best of his ability.

Haley was the only one to notice the look on Landon's face though. She didn't say anything though as she joined her leader with the others.

They raised their arms up with a flash of light escaping their bracelets. The bracelets took the form of their Crystal Morphers, which each Ranger caught with ease. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. They raised the feathers into the air with their individual colors radiating around them as feathers started to dance around them.

* * *

><p>The heavily armored Dark Knight stomped around the courtyard, swinging his sword around at the fleeing citizens of Angel Grove. The people were hysterical as they tried to outrun the knight as the Putty Patrol ran after them as well. It was utter mayhem as they attacked them without any mercy and tore the courtyard apart in the process.<p>

Dark Knight laughed as he saw all the damage that was done. He knew that all of this would lure the Power Rangers out from wherever they were. He wanted so badly to destroy them all; it had been so long since he had a worthy challenge.

A group of Putties mindlessly tried to attack a group of injured citizens. As the people screamed in horror, a greater yell could be heard from the distance. "Heaven Power Slash!" Five flashes of light went racing across the courtyard to attack the Putties before they reached the people. The Putties were blown apart with the remaining Putties and the Dark Knight looking back to see who dared to attack.

The Angel Force Power Rangers jumped from the stairs and landed gracefully on the ground. Their Angel Swords in hand as they stood as a guard for the citizens. The people gave out joyful gasps as the found themselves looking up to the Rangers, while Dark Knight watched them with laughter escaping his armored being.

"At last we meet, Power Rangers," said the knight. "My lord, Thrax, sent me here to destroy you. I will not let my sovereign down! Prepare to die, Power Rangers. Putties, attack!"

The Black and Yellow Ranger helped to get the citizens to escape, while the other three went after the Putties.

Red Ranger jumped above the Putties and landed perfectly on his feet. He spun around to slash them apart with his sword. He elbowed a Putty away from him, sending the clay freak halfway across the courtyard as it burst into pieces.

Blue Ranger swung his sword around before diving below two Putties who tried to jump him. He sprang back up and kicked a Putty away then punched the other in the chest. Pink Ranger joined up with him and slashed at the Putty that snuck up behind him. She then leaped into the air, halfway flying as she swooped down to finish another Putty.

With the people gone now, Black and Yellow Ranger joined the battle together. The Black Ranger zipped across the courtyard as he removed with remarkable speed. He slashed his Putties apart, while the Yellow Ranger made the creatures come to her. She cut them down a peg or two. She grabbed a Putty's leg and tossed it over before stomping on the giant t on its chest.

Now that the remaining Putties were taken apart, all that stood was the Dark Knight.

"Guys, we're going to need a little more power to fight this knight," said Red Ranger. "Let's weapon up."

"Right!" shouted the other four.

They returned their Angel Swords into their sheaths before raising their hands up. A flash of light appeared on the Red, Black, and Blue Ranger's hands. For the girls, two sets of lights appeared in the hands of the Yellow and Pink Ranger. The lights faded as the Rangers bore their Heaven Power Weapons.

"Aurora Sword!" shouted the Red Ranger. He held his silver sword up with a red handle, a golden grip, and red jewels inserted on the grip.

"Glory Hammer!" shouted the Blue Ranger. He held up a short hammer with a blue handle and a giant, jewel encrusted head.

"Heaven Bow!" shouted the Black Ranger. He raised his black and white, angel winged bow up that bore a black handle as well.

"Holy Pistols!" shouted the Yellow Ranger. She raised up her twin pistols both yellow and silver with crosses intersecting at the barrel.

"Sacred Claws!" shouted the Pink Ranger. She held up her set of claws with pink and white guards that bore gems of each of the five Ranger colors with three, silver blades as the claws.

Armed for combat, the Rangers went after the Dark Knight.

Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger applied some cover fire for the others as they snuck around. Yellow had her target ready, pulling the trigger to shot yellow bursts of light at the armored figure. Black held his bow up with the other arm raised back as a black, energy arrow appeared in hand that he fired at the knight. Their combined attacks didn't even put a dent into the knight's heavy armor.

Blue Ranger rammed himself into the knight. He smashed his hammer all over the knight without doing a single bit of damage to him. Pink Ranger joined him and slashed away at the knight with her claws. Sparks would fly everywhere upon impact on the knight, but he easily brushed them both away.

Red Ranger came flying in next to avenge the others. The determined leader rushed after the knight and swung his sword only to meet the dark blade of the knight. Their swords connected together, creating sparks that flew off everywhere. Red Ranger wasn't about to lose though. He couldn't fail his team. He tried to overpower the knight, but Dark Knight only laughed at the young man's futile attempts as he pushed him back.

The others circled around their leader before he fell to his knees. Red Ranger growled at the knight from his helmet as he raised his Aurora Sword up. It looked like they were going to need to use that cannon after all. He was nervous about it, but he knew that he had no other choice but to use the weapon.

"Bring them together, guys!" shouted Red Ranger. "Heaven Power Cannon!"

Black Ranger twisted his bow around in hand before holding it up. Blue Ranger bent the handle to his hammer as he pressed the head in front of the bow's handle. Yellow Ranger connected her pistols underneath the bow's wings. Pink Ranger placed her claws underneath the bow as well. And Red Ranger placed his sword on top of it all, the sharp blade radiating with light as he held the Heaven Power Cannon by the hammer's handle.

Red Ranger stood at the center with Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger holding the cannon up with him. Pink Ranger and Black Ranger stood behind them with a hand on each shoulder. Red Ranger took a heavy breath as he pointed the cannon at the Dark Knight.

"Heaven Power Cannon," shouted Red Ranger, "fire!"

The individual weapons began to glow and nearly released the fatal blast of light, but the unspeakable happened before then. Their weapons broke apart, creating a mini explosion that blew the Rangers away from one another. The weapons faded from view as the Rangers were thrown across the courtyard in various positions, landing painfully on different angles.

Dark Knight laughed as he sheathed his own sword. "How pathetic are you, Power Rangers," said the knight. "You can't even control the power of your little toy. Come after me when you're ready to fight." The knight walked away from the Rangers to attack other parts of the city, while they cowered at their nasty defeat.

Red Ranger held onto his sore ribs as he smashed his fist on the ground, perfectly aware that this was his fault.

* * *

><p>When the Rangers returned to the Command Center, Landon smashed his fist onto the nearest wall as he kept away from the others. He was completely ashamed of himself for what happened during the fight. He completely screwed up by losing control of the cannon and they all got hurt by it because of him.<p>

The others stayed back with Alpha and held their injured selves up. Landon could see their disgusted faces in his mind, feeling even more like a failure. He didn't deserve to be the Red Ranger. He failed his team; they all got hurt because of him. How could be expected to lead if he couldn't take control of a damn cannon to defeat a damn monster.

"Landon," Alice said, softly.

"What happened back there, man?" asked Ric.

"I failed that's what happened," said Landon. "I couldn't control the damn cannon so we all got hurt because of me. I'm not man enough to lead you guys."

"Don't beat yourself up for this, Landon," said Haley.

"No one is perfect, right?" said Connor.

"I have to be perfect though!" said Landon. "Or at least better then what I am now. I'm not suited to be Red Ranger."

Unable to deal with the sting of defeat, Landon dropped his Crystal Morpher on the ground and teleported out of the Command Center in a red flash of light.

"Wait, Landon," Haley shouted.

She followed after him, teleporting in a pink flash after him. Ric was about to follow after the two of them when the sirens started to go off again. They were barely there for ten minutes when the blasted thing went off, which only frustrated him further. His best friend needed help, but the bad guys were attacking the city again.

"Damn homeboy," said Ric. "What are we gonna do?"

"The Dark Knight is attacking again," Alice said, looking at the screen. "He'll tare down half the city and now Landon is a complete mess."

"Haley is with him though," said Connor. "She'll be able to fix him, right?"

"Then that means we'll just have to hold the knight off until then," Ric said, confidently. "Alright guys, I'm the boss for now. Let's Ranger up and do something about this night. You ready?"

"Yeah," said Alice and Connor.

The three of them stood together as they transformed, while Alpha looked at them all with worried signals running through his circuits.

* * *

><p>Landon returned to the courtyard where he failed his team. He sat on the stairs as he replayed the battle in his head. He had been confident enough when they went into the fight, he thought he'd be able to pull off the win. Then Alpha had to mention that damn cannon and how his lack of control could get them hurt.<p>

Well, it did.

He tried to be strong for the team and keep control so that it wouldn't happen, but that obviously wasn't enough. He couldn't maintain control of the cannon so they all got hurt because of him. He failed the Rangers, he didn't deserve to be a Red Ranger.

It was Corinth all over again. When the Venjix Virus had broken out and nearly destroyed the world, Landon wandered around the desert with his family to the city. New Mexico wasn't safe for the Samuels family as the virus sent it's bots out to attack. The apocalyptic world wasn't safe for anyone of organic origins to be more accurate.

It was Landon's father who remained strong throughout the ordeal. Landon was a pathetic mess, he couldn't even hold it together for his mom and younger brother. When Venjix's bots attacked them, Landon was a complete mess and nearly got his family killed because of it. He was too busy cowering in fear, while the robots tried to kill his family. If the soldiers from Corinth hadn't shown up when they did then he'd be an orphan too.

"Red Rangers don't run from danger," said Landon. "I'm too much of a coward. I can never be a Red ranger."

"Well, I'd beg to differ on that one, hun."

Landon picked his head up from the palms of his hand, looking back to see Haley behind him. Now that he was aware of her presence, he could smell the fresh scent of her perfume. It reminded him of the wildflowers that grew on the farm that he grew up at.

Haley dropped to her knees, uncaring if her jeans got dirty or scrapped up. She placed a hand on the sleeve of his long, red shirt, touching his muscles with gentle care. Landon looked at the girl for a moment and saw the warm smile on her face. It was then he noticed just how much this girl looked like her mother, the famous Kimberly Ann Hart, the first Pink Power Ranger.

"You have a big heart, Landon," said Haley. "You care enough about us that you don't want any of us to get hurt. You can't give up because of what happened today. These things are bound to happen. We're Rangers now, we're gonna get hurt."

"I shouldn't be the one hurting you though," Landon said, looking up to the sky. "I should be leading you all to greatness. I should be the one who you all turn to for strength and guidance."

Haley sighed as she joined her hands together around his neck. Her head rubbed against the back of his as she knelt behind him. "But if we're supposed to turn to you for help where are you supposed to go?" she countered. "Even a leader needs someone to help him. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, Landon. You won't last if you do this all on your own."

"What am I supposed to do then, Haley?" Landon asked. "What should a good leader do?"

"I think I should tell you a few things about my dad," Haley said, softly. "He was the first Red Ranger. This might help you find a way to pull yourself together."

So Landon gave the girl his undivided attention as he listened to every word she had to say.

* * *

><p>Dark Knight resumed his attack on the city, this time he wandered out to one of the main roads in Angel Grove. He completely disrupted traffic as he attacked everyone and everything he could with his giant sword. Cars were already torn to bits as people fled before they could be easily cut apart as well.<p>

The knight laughed as he caused more mayhem for the people as he waited for his prey to return to him.

"Back off, Dark Freak!"

The Blue, Black, and Yellow Rangers landed on top of a car with their Angel Swords out as they readied themselves for battle. Dark Knight briefly looked up at them, horribly disappointed that only three of them were graced with his presence. He wanted the entire set that way he could pick them off all together and destroy them all at once.

"Let's get him!" shouted the Yellow Ranger.

The trio jumped from the car and charged after the knight. Blue Ranger led the pack as he rushed after the knight, attempting to cut his armor with his sword. His blade barely knocked off a few sparks when the knight punched him in the helmet. Blue went down just as Yellow and Black joined their swords together as the knight held his own up. There was a brief shockwave upon the impact of their weapons with the two Rangers struggling to overpower the knight at once.

Dark Knight scoffed at the pathetic Power Rangers, wishing he had a better challenge. At least their last encounter had been more entertaining when they were all fighting together. This was hardly a challenge now that they were separated from one another. It wasn't fun at all for him, it wasn't disgraceful to his honor.

"This is insulting," said the knight. "I was expecting more out of you, Rangers!"

He pushed his sword back, knocking the Yellow and Black Ranger back a bit before swinging it forward to cut into them. The two cried out in pain as sparks flew from their suits and they were thrown aside to a totaled car.

Blue Ranger got back on his feet to charge after the knight. He used his heightened strength to push the knight away, but it was hardly enough to move the sentry. The knight grabbed the Ranger then tossed him away with his companions. He landed on top of ht car with his arm get cut by a broken window. His uniform was thick enough though to prevent the injury from ripping him apart, but it still hurt like a bitch.

The Dark Knight laughed at the Rangers, while the trio wished for Haley to hurry up with Landon.

* * *

><p>"My father had no one he could turn to," said Haley. "He had Zordon and Alpha 5, but it wasn't what he needed. He needed someone who would understand, someone who he could go to that would just listen. The struggles with being the leader were too much for him to bare on his own. He was going to fall apart at this rate."<p>

"What did he do then?" Landon asked. "How did he survive this?"

Haley started to smile as she released her hold on Landon. She finally took a proper seat next to him on the concrete steps, placing a hand on his leg. "He finally realized that he was never alone," she told him. "He realized that he had an entire team of people to turn to. My father was the leader, but that didn't mean he was alone. All the other Rangers were there, they were all ready to help him, and they were ready to work beside him not for him. That's how my father accomplished everything he did. They were all his equals, they were all his friends."

"You have friends too, Landon," Haley said, still smiling. "We're all here to help you out. We're going to do this together, that's the only way that we'll be able to beat Thrax. If we do this together then nothing will be impossible, got it?"

Landon looked at her for a moment when he finally nodded his head in agreement. He placed his hand over her own, which was still on his leg. "You're right," he said, smiling. "I've got all of you there to help me. Thank you, Haley."

"I'm here to help," she said, cheerfully.

"But I still don't think I can do this," Landon said, sadly. "I mean, I don't think I'm ready to be the leader just yet. I'm only beginning, I still need a lot of help. So there's something I want to ask you, Haley. Will you help me lead the Rangers? I'd really appreciate your advice and your family experience."

Haley smirked as she jumped on her feet. Well, it looks like she just got herself a big promotion from the head honcho himself. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, winking at him. "It's kind of my catchphrase." She dug her hand into her pocket, grabbing onto something he'd need. Retrieving it, she tossed the bracelet at Landon which took form of his Crystal Morpher. "You're going to need that bossman if you're gonna kick evil ass. Alpha told me that Ric and the others are fighting the knight as we speak."

"Well let's go help our friends then," Landon said, confidently as he stood up. He looked at Haley who just nodded her head at him. She took hold of her Crystal Morpher as she joined her fearless leader's side. "Angel Force, Power Up!" They raised their Morphers together with a wave of light escaping them.

Red feathers wrapped around Landon and Pink ones wrapped around Haley as they transformed into Rangers. The feathers gave life to their uniforms, transforming them into the Red and Pink Power Rangers. Once their helmets came on, the transformation was complete and they each took out their Angel Sword.

They teleported into a stream of red and pink light as they rushed to aid their friends in battle.

* * *

><p>Still managing to find the strength to get up, the Blue Ranger picked himself back on his feet and raised his sword against the Dark Knight. Yellow and Black followed behind him, joining him in their stance against the knight. This fight really wasn't looking good at all for them as they prayed that the others would show up soon.<p>

"One more time," said Blue Ranger. "Let's hit him with everything we got."

"I don't know if I have one more in me," said Black Ranger.

"Don't give up yet, we have to stay strong," said Yellow Ranger.

Black Ranger managed to stomach his fear down as he joined his friends. They were about to rush after the knight when they heard yelling behind them. They froze in place as the Red and Pink Rangers joined up behind them. The trio broke their formation as their friends joined them in the fight.

"Missed us?" asked Pink Ranger.

"Sorry about earlier," said Red Ranger. "It looks like I still have some learning to do."

"Who cares, man," said Blue Ranger. "It's just good to have the team back together."

"Yeah," agreed the Yellow and Black Rangers.

The Red Ranger had a smile underneath his helmet as he held onto his Aurora Sword. He took a step forward to put himself between his friends and their enemy. "I won't let you guys down again," he said, firmly. "I'll do my best. I'll push myself to my limits."

A fiery aura rose up around the Red Ranger as he raised his sword up. A new surge of power coursed through his being and it was burning to be released. "Flaming Aurora Strike!" shouted Red Ranger. He held his sword up as fire circled around his sword. He charged after the Dark Knight for a moment before swinging his sword back to release the fiery wave.

The hellish fire flew across the road and crashed into the knight's sword. Dark Knight slid across the concrete for a moment, nearly dropping to his knees in the process. "Well," said the knight, "someone has gotten stronger. It won't be enough to defeat me though."

"Not alone I can't, but with my friends beside me then anything is possible," said Red Ranger. "Everyone, let's bring our weapons together!"

"Right!" shouted the other four.

The Rangers brought their weapons together once more, forming the Heaven Power Cannon. As the knight prepared to attack with a surge of dark energy coursing throughout his being, the Rangers geared up to use their final attack. This time though Red Ranger wasn't nervous about it one bit. He knew that he could do this, he believed in his power and that of his friends.

"Heaven Power Cannon," shouted Red Ranger, "fire!"

Rays of light fired from the various points, blowing the Dark Knight away. A large explosion went off too as the Rangers' attack overpowered the knight. The Rangers broke apart as their cannon disappeared from sight. They cheered on their victory, but it was a shame that they were in for a rude surprise though.

On the moon, Thrax had seen the defeat of his knight. He wasn't happy about that one bit and knew just how to get his revenge on the Rangers. So he held his Z-Staff up, aiming it on the ground that the knight once stood. "Dark forces, make my monster grow!" shouted the mutant. A bolt of powerful lightning escaped his Z-Staff as it journeyed to the Earth.

The bolt of lightning appeared before the Rangers and hit the spot where Dark Knight once stood. There was a rapid surge of energy that left the Rangers shaking. It was then that a cloud of smoke appeared as the knight returned, growing to a monstrous size.

"Whoa!" shouted the Rangers.

"Alpha!" the Red ranger shouted into the communicator. "We got a big problem. The Dark Knight is as tall as the buildings here. There is no way we can beat him."

"That problem is already solved, Landon," said Alpha 8. "Just call on your Angel Force Zords. They will appear and combine them together with your Crystal Morphers to form the Angel Force Megazord."

The channel went dead as Red Ranger turned to the others. They all nodded their heads so their leader raised his arm up into the air. "We need Angel Force Zords!" he shouted into the sky. "Zords, power up!"

As the Dark Knight nearly stomped on the Rangers with his giant, metal foot, several bursts of light attacked him. The knight stumbled back towards a building but managed to stop himself before knocking it over. The Rangers looked up to the sky to see five, robotic figures emerging into view.

The Rangers all jumped into the air, teleporting into the incoming Zords.

Red Ranger arrived to the first Zord that came into view. The cockpit was a brightly lit area with red beams streaming around all over the place. A small podium floated in front of him with a slot to insert the Crystal Morpher. "Alright!" he said, loudly. His Red Angel Zord's eyes blinked with life as it flew in the sky. The robot had a humanoid shape as its thick layer of red armor flashed in the sky. A pair of white wings were attached to its back with a mini halo on its head.

Blue Ranger landed in his Zord and was already enjoying this new power. "Sweet ride!" he said, louder. His Blue Bear Zord's eyes gave the same luster of life. It hit its own robotic chest with its massive paws as it stood on its feet. The Bear Zord appeared to have two blocks separating its body, a block for the arms and head while the other was for the legs.

Black Ranger got into his Zord and cheered with a little glee. "This is so cool!" he nearly screamed. His Black Unicorn Zord's eyes flashed as it kicked itself into the air. The golden horn on its head reflected in the sunlight as the black armor flashed brightly.

Yellow Ranger was already in her Zord, admiring the simple design of it. "A girl could get used to this," she said, laughing. Her Yellow Wolf Zord's eyes gave a great shine as a howl escaped the mouth. It took a battle stance as its yellow armor reflected against the light.

Pink Ranger was the last into her Zord, which she thought looked cool enough. It was then she noticed the best part of her ride. "Nice stereo!" she cheered. Her Pink Dolphin Zord twisted itself around in the air with the pink armor briefly shinning. The blaster on the top fin started to grow as the golden pattern on its body began to shine.

"Listen up, Rangers," shouted Red Ranger. "We can't waist anytime here. Let's take this knight down by bringing the Zords together! You with me?"

"Yeah!" shouted the other Rangers. "Let's do it."

"Angel Force Megazord, power up!" shouted the Rangers.

They inserted their Crystal Morphers into the necessary slot. The slot sealed itself up as more light began to flash as the Zords gathered together. The Dark Knight tried to prevent the Zords combining by firing dark blasts from his sword, but it wasn't enough to stop them.

Angel Zord flew to the center as the others circled around. The legs bent themselves at the knee with the feet folding back too. Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord ran forward and bent their legs inward into their chambers. The Zords then bent upward with the heads becoming the feet of the Megazord as the back ends combined at the Angel Zord's knees. Angel Zord then bent its arms back with the wings flapping wildly as the Dolphin and Bear Zord came out. Dolphin Zord twisted its tail to the side to connect to the open shoulder. Bear Zord retracted its arms and legs with the face forward to connect to the shoulder as a giant fist appeared from the bottom block. The chest plate in front of the Angel Zord opened up as a larger head emerged. This grander head had two spikes on the side of its face with a giant halo in the middle. With the giant cross on front glowing along with the cross on the waist glowing, the transformation was complete.

The Rangers appeared in the central cockpit at the head of the Megazord. They sat at separate, computing stations that had crosses of their individual colors at the front. "Angel Force Megazord," shouted the Rangers, "power up complete!"

"Let's kick this knight's ass!" shouted Yellow Ranger.

Angel Force Megazord raised its robotic arms up. The right side belonging to the Bear and Unicorn Zords, while the left was the Dolphin and Wolf Zords. The Angel Zord formed the torso, head, and wings to finish of the Megazord. The wings of the Megazord flapped around as the Megazord prepared for battle.

"This isn't' enough to defeat me," laughed the knight. "Your big toy won't vanquish me!"

"Don't underestimate us," said Red Ranger. "It's time to use the Angel Power Sword."

Angel Force Megazord raised the Bear Zord arm into the air as a giant sword appeared. It appeared to be a giant version of the Angel Swords only with the colors of each Ranger at the hilt and on separate jewels on the blade of the sword. The Megazord raised the weapon up as it took its first steps into battle.

Dark Knight rushed after them and swung his own sword at the Megazord. Sparks flew as the blades collided, attacking the armor of one another. Dark Knight briefly grunted as the Megazord slashed into its armor, but retaliated with a heavy attack of his own to send sparks flying off the Megazord's chest.

The Rangers were rocking around within their Megazord as they struggled to get it together.

Red Ranger regained control of the Megazord as he rotated the arm forward to slash at the knight's sword. This time, their Angel Power Sword slashed into the knight's sword with such force that it cleaved the knight's sword in half. This disgrace left the Dark Knight howling with agony as he stepped away from the Megazord.

"It's time to finish this," said the Pink Ranger. "Can you do this, Landon? Do you believe in us?"

"I believe in all of us," Red Ranger said, nodding his head. "Let's do this together everyone.

"Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Angel Force Power Rangers.

Angel Force Megazord raised the Angel Power Sword up in the air. The jewels on the blade began to glow as the sword was completely consumed by light. The Rangers charged the sword with as much power that was necessary. With a great slash, the Megazord brought the sword down and released the energy that had been building up.

A wave of light shot from the sword and crashed into the Dark Knight, forcing more agony upon the knight as he blown apart by the power of the Megazord.

The Rangers cheered loudly, impressed by their latest victory against Thrax's forces.

* * *

><p>"No!" howled Thrax as his entire body began to glow red. "Dark Knight, how dare you fail to destroy the Rangers."<p>

Returning from his defeat, the Dark Knight carried his injure self back to the castle. Smoke escaped his armor as he struggled to even move as Lightning joined his side. "Forgive me, my lord," said the knight. "It will never happen again. I will destroy the Power Rangers."

Thrax ignored him as he fired lightning into space, his fury knowing no bound.

* * *

><p>The city was saved once again thanks to the efforts of the Power Rangers, at least that's what the reporters said. Landon sat with the others in Skulls and Crosses, watching as the report finished on the TV. The patrons were cheering the Rangers on, grateful to have the city saved again. It took a little money out of the city's insurance policy so the Rangers knew they would need to drag the fighting away from the buildings as much as possible next time.<p>

Landon placed his hand over Haley's with a smile on his face. "I owe you big time for this," he said, calmly. "If it wasn't for you then I wouldn't have been able to pick myself together. The Dark Knight would've torn the city down by now."

"Don't mention it," Haley said, laughing. "I just do what I can."

"So are you two like dating now?" Connor asked, looking at their hands.

"No," Haley said, defending herself. "Landon isn't my type."

"Why not?" asked Alice. "Good looking, broad shoulders, square jaw, and tanned skin not your type?"

"Don't forget he's a beast in bed," said Ric. Everyone dropped what they were doing at that moment just to look at Ric. Connor, Haley, and Alice then shifted glances to Landon who was bright red before going back to Ric who had the dumb look on his face. "We're roommates!" Ric said, recovering from it. "I can hear what goes on in his bedroom, and those weren't fake moans coming from those girls."

"Well then," Alice said, picking up her drink, "maybe I need to give you a try, Landon."

"Oh God," Connor said, blushing as he covered his face.

Haley covered the boy's ears, while Connor tried to block the noise out.

Landon couldn't feel anymore embarrassed at this point as he noticed Alice wink at him.

Ric finished his drink, laughing at how interesting things were getting between them all.

* * *

><p>End!<p>

On the next chapter, Ric takes over Connor's training, while the others prepare for the next attack. While Ric and Connor are training, they are attacked by a Daimon and temporarily lose their powers in the fight. The are left running around Angel Grove, hiding from the Daimon, unable to morph, and unable to communicate with the other Rangers. It is up to Ric to keep an injured Connor safe, but will he able to do it on his own? Find out in **Carry Me, Blue!**


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: So here is another awesome chapter coming your way! WOO WOO! I had fun writing this and I threw in just a few hints for one of the major couples in the fic, plus a major hint for the next chapter at the end, not including the little bio you'll see to tease you for the next chapter! WOO! Well, I hope you guys like it. I'm thank you all for supporting the story so far! I hope I dont let you down. Now, read and review! P.S. I just saw the new episode for Power Rangers: Samurai, and I totally think that Antonio is gay for Jayden! Haha. Those two would look hot paired up together! :] HEHE.

**Carry Me, Blue:**

Ric lived by a set schedule, almost in an insane perfectionist sort of life. He could function perfectly outside of his schedule, but Ric just had things he knew he had to get done. He was the time of individual who had taken care of everyone and their mother. He always had the best intentions when it came to helping people even if he had strayed down the wrong path at certain points throughout his life.

As the alarm clock went off at seven in the morning, a hand smacked the alarm. Ric threw the covers off of him as he rose up to embrace the day. He ran his hand over his nearly shaved scalp before pulling his curtains open to let in the sunlight. Already he could hear Angel Grove coming to life as everyone rushed to begin their day.

Ric picked his discarded boxers up from the floor and put them on, along with a t-shirt. He had preferred to sleep in the nude simply because that's just what he was comfortable with. His room was always outrageously hot so to stay cool he slept naked. It was as simple as that.

The young man started his morning routine as he went to the bathroom to do his initial business. After relieving his bladder, he went to brush his teeth and put his deodorant on. Then he went over to the kitchen to get to work on making breakfast for him and Landon.

Over a month ago, Landon cracked a joke about Ric making the perfect housewife. Ric threw a knife at his head as a result of the bad joke. This was no housewife thing he had going. Ric was just used to this; it's what he always did back home. He'd help his mom get everyone ready for the day: he helped get his dad's clothes ironed for work, helped rouse his younger brother and sister to get to school, and managed to get himself ready in all the madness. It was just a routine that Ric had pressed upon him since he was eight, this had been his life for eleven years.

Ric was feeling a little homesick so which provoked an inspiration for breakfast. He grabbed some ingredients that he bought from the Mexican grocery store down the road to cook with. He made his special chorizo tacos with beans and fresh tortillas. That took an hour to get everything ready to his high standards, but he was pleased with the outcome as he took the first bite of his breakfast.

"Just like madre made them," Ric said, smiling.

He quickly finished his breakfast then returned to his room to get his gym bag ready as Landon was beginning to stir from the room next to his. The Latino youth bashed his fist against the door to wake his roomy up from his long, ass sleep.

"Breakfast is on the stove, jackass," shouted Ric. "I'm off today so I'm heading to the gym then I have some errands to do."

"Fuck you!" Landon said, sounding very cranky.

The fearless leader of the Power Rangers was not a morning person, at all. It was a fact that Ric found hilarious since he always rose with the Sun. Landon was more of a noon person, which was odd since he worked morning shifts at the diner

Ric could only start to laugh as he made his way out the front door and got his day going.

* * *

><p>Why did he stay behind when Mr. Johnson asked to talk about his report after class?<p>

Connor felt so stupid as he tried to sneak his way out of the empty halls of Angel Grove High. He knew that his teacher only meant well when he was asking about the progress of his report. It was a family tree project so Mr. Johnson was well aware of Connor's orphan situation. The project was a pain in the ass, but Connor was struggling through the nightmare.

Now he had another one to get through. Connor was already bracing himself for a slushy to the face as he looked around for any sign of the football team. He already had to change his shirt once today and he failed to remember to bring his back up for his back up today. Even though Connor knew that he could run Superman fast, he didn't like to use his new, genetic superpowers in such a way.

It was with heavy relief that Connor made it to the front door of the school without getting attacked. He barely pushed the door though when he saw the football team standing at the foot of the stairs, each with a slushy in hand. A heavy gulp managed to squeeze its way down Connor's throat as he realized that there was no way out of this unless he went all Power Ranger on their ass. But Connor was nowhere near that good at fighting his way out of things, at least not without the Angel Sword or his Heaven Bow. Running sounded good, but he didn't know if one of those idiots were waiting inside for him to show up.

"Fuck my life," whispered Connor. "How do I Scooby and Shaggy my way out of this one?"

Connor saw the way that the football players stood there like starving wolves. The ravenous look in their eyes was more than enough to frighten him then Thrax, the Daimons, or the Putties. Why was God just so cruel to him?

Ready to be slushied to death, Connor barely recognized the sound of tires screeching against the road. Connor opened his eyes and saw the massive, blue truck that pulled up by the sidewalk. The driver nearly ran over the football team, Connor was almost certain that it was on purpose too. He was more than positive of that when he saw Ric coming out of the truck with a dark look in his usually passive eyes.

"Pick on someone your own size, punks," Ric shouted, loudly.

"What are you, the fag's boyfriend?" laughed one of the jocks.

Ric snatched the boy by the collar of his shirt and threw him against his truck. No doubt that his super strength came in handy for that one. "I'm not his boyfriend," said Ric, "but I am his friend. Now, I suggest that you leave my boy, Connor, here alone or I'll personally kick your ass. And you don't want me to come back here, trust me. I'll fuck you up so bad that you'll never be able to use that throwing arm of yours again, quarterback."

The tone that Ric used was plenty frightening enough. The football players each dropped their slushies on the ground then took off running. Ric released the quarterback and pushed him away from his truck. The boy was stumbling to get back on his feet before he joined the rest of the team and got as far away from Ric as possible.

Ric smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He turned over to Connor who stood there like a tiny statue, which made the smile on his face grow. Ric approached the boy, still in the sweaty outfit that he wore to the gym for his workout. Before he reached the top of the stairs, Ric stopped then stretched his hand out to Connor.

"Let's go, kid," Ric said, holding his hand out. "We need to send your ass into boot camp. I'm going to train you how to kick a little more ass that way you can take care of yourself next time the dumbass team shows up."

Connor continued to stand there though with his mouth hanging open a little. Ric could only shake his head as he took Connor's hand and started to drag the boy down the stairs. It was finally then that Connor began to snap out of his trance as his regained control over his motor functions.

"Wait, but…I have nothing to wear," said Connor. "I'm hardly dressed to train."

"Then I guess we need to make a quick stop to K-Mart," said Ric. "All you need are some shorts or sweatpants and a t-shirt. No more than five bucks, it's on me, Connor, so don't worry about it."

"But‒"

"You can thank me later for the rescue," Ric said as they reached the truck. He held the passenger door open and even winked at Connor to get in. The boy could only blush as he slid inside the truck with the door closing behind him. Ric rejoined him at the driver's seat then started the engine up to his baby, taking off down the road.

Connor wondered who was making Ric do this, but Ric kept it to himself that he wanted to help the kid out.

It was just in Ric's protective nature to help someone in need.

* * *

><p>Over at the Command Center, Alice was staring at the screen with her eyes glazed over. She was barley paying any attention to anything as she struggled to keep her eyes open. The latest project that she was working on took a lot of her time and energy to complete. It had been almost two days since she got any sleep, but she was regretting it.<p>

She loved the results that she was coming up with and Alpha 8 loved having a partner to help him.

"Enough Alice," Haley said, dragging the young woman from the computers. Haley started to roll Alice away with the dark-skinned woman fighting the teenage girl. "Alice, you'll kill yourself from exhaustion if you don't get any rest! Alpha can work on the project for a couple hours on his own at least long enough for you two get a nap."

"Naps are for the weak!" said Alice. "Let me finish."

As Alice tried to crawl her way back to computers, she broke away from Haley only to be caught by Landon. He easily lifted the woman up and carried her on his shoulders to a mildly, comfortable couch that they in the center. "I can't let you do that, Alice," said Landon. "We're going to need you if a fight breaks out. We all have to be on our best."

"Quit man-handling me, Landon!" shouted Alice. "Don't make me kick your ass, Superboy!"

"Don't make us drug you, Alice," warned Haley. "I got some medication my mom used to be on after her car accident, it knocked her out in five minutes."

"You people are crazy!" said Alice. "Wait, where is Ric and Connor?"

At that moment, Landon and Haley looked around to see that their Blue and Black Rangers were nowhere to be seen. Alice took advantage of that as she jumped off the couch, trying to return to the computers to finish her project. Haley and Landon managed to return their attention to her then dragged her back on the couch to get some rest.

"Dope her up," said Landon.

"No!" Alice shouted as Haley tried to get the pills in her mouth.

* * *

><p>Thrax and Beelzebub stood at the balcony of the castle, looking down at the Earth. The two of them were already coming up with a plan to dispose of the Power Rangers. Thrax was working out of vengeance, while Beelzebub enjoyed the thrill of a fight. He also wanted to destroy the Rangers for the sake of his true master.<p>

Thrax walked away from the balcony to see the still-recovering Dark Knight by his throne. The mutant huffed as he spun himself back around at Beelzebub who was leaning against the railing. "Do you have a Daimon strong enough to kill the Rangers?" said Thrax. "I want those Rangers to be ripped apart so that we may destroy this pathetic rock of a planet."

"Of course, I have one," huffed Beelzebub. The leather clad humanoid left the balcony and rejoined Thrax's side. Despite the fact that he couldn't stand the mutant, Beelzebub enjoyed getting under the mutant's skin. Beelzebub raised his hand up, his claws twitching with darkness as he summoned a Daimon. "Rise, Herculor!"

A shadow appeared in the middle of the castle before taking the form of a tanned-skinned man. The Daimon was covered with bulging muscles all over his body. His face was hidden by a golden mask and he wore brown armor inspired by the Ancient Greeks all over his body. The metal skirt swung as he approached his master and the mutant.

"How may I serve you, master?" Herculor asked Beelzebub.

"Go down to the Earth and dispose of the Power Rangers," said Beelzebub. "Avenge your fallen companion."

"Yes, my lord!" said Herculor.

The Daimon was about to disappear into the shadows to begin his assault when a woman's voice froze everyone in the room. They all looked to the open doorway as Lightning made her approach into the castle. Her hips swayed slightly as she approached everyone, wearing her golden battle-armor.

Thrax raised his nearly, nonexistent eyebrow at the young woman. "What is it, Lightning?" said Thrax. "You have better have something important to say to disturb us?"

"I always do, Lord Thrax," said Lightning. "I've been working on tracking the Angel Force Power Rangers down. When Beelzebub sent the first Daimon, the Rangers showed up in their civilian forms before transforming. I have sense then been using facial recognition technology to track the Rangers down so we could better figure who they are and attack without any notice."

"Excellent," Thrax said, clearly pleased.

Lightning only smirked as she caused a transparent keyboard to appear in the middle of the throne room. She pushed down on a few keys with a large screen appearing before them all. Thrax and Beelzebub approached her with the Daimon staying back along with the Dark Knight.

Her smiled widened as she tracked two of the Rangers down. The software didn't lie, it was a perfect match. "Here, Lord Thrax," Lightning said, pointing at the screen. "I do not have their names yet, but they are the Blue and Black Power Rangers. Send the Daimon there and victory will be certain."

"Did you hear that, Daimon?" said Thrax. "Go to that spot and attack."

"Yes sir," said the Daimon as he disappeared into shadows.

Lightning retracted the keyboard and screen as she stepped away from them. "I will go down to Earth as well," she told her lord. "The other Rangers will show up to help their friends. I will dispose of them and make this an easy victory."

"Do not fail me, Lightning," warned Thrax. "You know how I feel about failures."

"I don't plan on losing, Lord Thrax," Lightning said.

She too disappeared in the blink of the eye, journeying with the Daimon down to Earth to attack the Rangers.

* * *

><p>The blow came before Connor even had the chance to blink.<p>

Ric's fist got him on the shoulder, causing the boy to stumble back a few feet. Before Connor could respond, Ric had his arms latched around him and threw the boy down to the ground. Then Ric had Connor pinned to the ground with his arm twisted behind him. The pain that coursed through Connor was intense, but he knew that Ric was holding back a lot of his strength to make sure he didn't get too banged up.

For the past hour, Ric has been trying to install some combat skills into the boy's head. Connor wasn't picking any of it up as quickly as Ric had hoped. He could see that this would take a lot longer than he had originally anticipated. For a moment, he thought that Alpha made a mistake by choosing this kid to be a Power Ranger, but he had to remind himself that they were all chosen for a reason.

"Ric, seriously, you're hurting me!" cried Connor.

"No pain, no gain, kid," said Ric.

Connor's right arm was freed before Ric had the chance to snap it. He got off from the boy and took a few steps away from him, giving the boy a moment to recover. Connor sighed with relief to feel that he was free as he struggled to get up. His gray t-shirt was covered with dirt and sweat, while his black sweatpants had mostly dirt on it. The boy felt utterly miserable as he looked up at the young Latino who was sitting down on the dirt.

They had found an empty construction site that had enough open space for them to practice. Connor wasn't too fond of the idea of training around heavy and dangerous machinery, but Ric was certain that it would help boost the kid's survival skills. From what Ric saw right now, it looked like it wouldn't be anywhere near as easy as he had hoped.

He had to give points though for Connor's speed. The speed boost that Alice had given Connor did help the boy dodge the worst of Ric's attacks. It also helped him to weave out of the way and attempt to counter with his own attack, but Connor was still too flimsy and weak to do much harm. Ric bit down on his bottom lip as he tried to figure out a teaching method that would be more effective on Connor, while the boy rested on the ground.

The sun was bright above their heads as the clock reached four thirty.

As the eureka moment was about to reach Ric's head, a creepy chill ran through both of their spines. The boys sprang up into action just as a heavy fist was coming after Ric. The Latino spun himself away from the fist, while Connor rolled a few feet back to safety. Ric landed in front of Connor with his eyes locking on the tan-skinned Daimon that stood before them.

"Shit," said Ric, "it looks like we're going to be in for a fight, Con."

"You think we can handle this guy alone?" Connor asked, slowly getting up.

Ric stared the Daimon down, who remained standing still. Herculor was chuckling lightly as he cracked his heavy fists, which only creeped the young man out. "We'll call Alpha for back up, but until the others show up, we're on our own," said Ric. "Let's Ranger up!" He raised his bracelet arm up, removing it so that it would turn to his Crystal Morpher. Connor followed his lead and grabbed his Crystal Morpher to transform as well.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" they shouted together.

Blue and black feathers surrounded the boys as they transformed into the Blue and Black Power Rangers.

When the transformation was complete, the Rangers stood beside each other while the still Daimon only laughed at them. Blue Ranger took the lead as he rushed after Herculor and attempted to take him down with his fists. Herculor raised his own hands up and grabbed onto the Blue Ranger's incoming attack. Underneath the helmet, the Blue Ranger's brown eyes lit up with shock just before the Daimon easily tossed him towards a crane.

Black Ranger cried out in horror as he saw his comrade crash. The boy grabbed onto the handle of his Angel Sword and pulled it out before going after the Daimon. He understood that he stood no chance against the Daimon, but he couldn't let the monster get away with hurting his friend. He had to try and fight him.

The boy slashed at the thick layer of armor only to see that his Angel Sword was ineffective on its own. A heavy gulp made its way down his throat just before Herculor smashed his fist into the boy's chest. Black Ranger barely held onto his sword as he flew towards a steel beam and crashed into it. Pain coursed through his body with his lightweight self landing on the dirty ground.

"What a pathetic excuse," laughed Herculor. "You, Rangers, are just a bunch of Power Wimps! This is hardly worth my time at all."

"Don't start counting your chickens before they hatch!" shouted Blue Ranger.

Blue Ranger snuck up behind Herculor and slashed at the back of the Daimon with his Angel Sword. He leapt above the Daimon's head to reunite with the barely rising Black Ranger. The boy was armed with his Angel Sword too, still, which gave the Blue Ranger an idea.

"Let's put our swords together," said Blue Ranger. "The attack won't be as strong as when the five of us are together, but it should by us more time. I already called Alpha for backup."

"Right!" said Black Ranger. "Let's take this roid-raging freak down!"

Blue and Black Ranger connected their swords together as they turned to face the incoming Daimon. Herculor was charging after them so they didn't have much time to gather the full power necessary for the attack. Gathering what power they could though, a blue and black aura surrounded their swords as they prepared to attack.

"Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the boy.

They waved their swords forward, releasing a blast of blue and black slashes at the Daimon. The double attack slashed at the incoming Daimon and even seemed to do some minor damage to him. However, the attack was nowhere near powerful enough to slow Herculor down. There wasn't even a second pause as the Daimon contend to charge after them with his arms spread out.

Herculor crashed into the Rangers with his muscular arms, dragging them both through the construction site. They passed through the steel building that was barely forming before crashing into the side of the bulldozer. Black Ranger got the worst of it as his arm crashed into a thicker chunk of metal, causing a great amount of pain to surge in his arm.

The Daimon grabbed both of them by the necks then tossed them, landing far away from the monster. Upon impact though, their powers faded away with their Crystal Morphers rolling away from them. Sparks also flew from their Communicators as well due to the damage that the Daimon had caused to them. The two Rangers were suffering horribly as they coughed out a lung and tried to get back up.

Ric managed to find the strength to stand and even helped Connor up when they saw a woman appear before them. Her beauty looked lethal especially since she carried a crazy looking sword in her hand. She dressed simply in a vest and shorts/skirt deal, but that didn't stop them from seeing the deadly look in her blue eyes.

"I'll be taking these," said Lightning, grabbing their Morphers. "I'm sure that Lord Thrax would find these toys to be amusing. Now to dispose of the Rangers that they belong to."

"Connor, run!" Ric shouted as he picked up a fallen shovel. He tossed the shovel at the woman only to have her flip away from it. Not even a second later, Connor grabbed onto Ric's wrist and began to run as fast as he possibly could.

Connor fought through his injuries as he used what little strength he had in him to get them as far away as possible, Ric helped the best that he could in their getaway.

Lightning smirked as she saw the Rangers flee for now. She lifted the two Crystal Morphers up to her face before looking back at the Daimon who now stood beside her. "What are you waiting for, fool!" shouted Lightning. "Go after those two and destroy them!"

"Yes ma'am!" Herculor said before running after them.

Lightning snarled at the moronic Daimon who was more muscle then brains. She was about to leave when she felt something coming. The smile returned as she hide herself behind the bulldozer just as she saw three flashes of light coming down from the sky. The lights then took form of the Red, Yellow, and Pink Rangers.

Just perfect, the Daimon would finish off the Blue and Black Rangers, while she got to dispose of the other three. Everything was just going by swimmingly. Now, it was her turn to finally have some fun with the Power Rangers.

Arming herself with her Gunblade, Lightning made her presence known as she walked away from the bulldozer. The Rangers turned to see her and immediately knew that she was a threat to them. "Hello Rangers," Lightning said, beautifully. "It is a pleasure to finally meet. I hope you'll be more fun than your two friends. The Daimon should be disposing of them any moment now that they're completely helpless."

To prove her point, she raised their Crystal Morphers up for the others to see.

"Hand those over!" shouted Red Ranger as he armed himself with his Angel Sword. "I won't tell you again, miss! Give back those Crystal Morphers."

"The name is Lightning," she told the Rangers, "and you're about to see why!"

Lightning charged after the Rangers as she hid the Morphers in her case. She swung herself into the air then came back down with her Gunblade nearing the Red Ranger's head. The three Rangers parted ways before she landed, which made her smile grow larger.

At least they would make this amusing for her.

* * *

><p>It amazed Ric just how fast Connor was at getting them out of there. At least speed was never an issue with this one; he could out run the best of them. Ric looked around at the storage hanger that they were hiding in though and wondered just how long they'd have before they were totally screwed. No doubt that the warrior woman or the Daimon would catch them and since warrior woman had their Morphers they were extra screwed.<p>

"How is your arm?" Ric asked Connor.

"I think it's broken," Connor said, cradling his injured right arm.

Ric kept quite as he slid himself closer towards the boy, behind the crate they were hiding in. He gently touched the arm to see if he could do a damage report without any medical assistance. Connor winced from the pain and Ric flinched out of sympathy. Ric was able to figure out what was wrong though, sighing with relief.

"It's not broken," corrected Ric. "It's probably just sprained, maybe even a fracture. Try to avoid using that arm as much as possible though." He tore his own shirt around the bottom, completely exposing his abs to everyone. Connor blushed as he caught sight of the tanned, six pack of pure muscles. Ric didn't notice this as he went straight to wrapping up Connor's arm to get the injury steady and in place. "This should hold up until we can get you to the Command Center."

"How though," whispered Connor. "Our Communicators are broken and that woman has our Morphers. You wouldn't happen to have your cell phone on you?"

"Left it in the truck," Ric said, beating himself up for that one. "What about you? I thought fifteen year olds can't live without their phones."

"I don't have one," confessed Connor.

The hopelessness of the situation only made things harder on Ric. He just slid his back against the wooden crate as he tried to figure out just how he was going to get them out of this one. They were powerless except for their genetic super boost, but they also had no way of getting any backup. Connor was injured too, which would make this all the more difficult for them to get away.

Ric tightened his fists up as he hated himself for not being able to do a better job to protect Connor and himself. He was a protector; he had always used his strength to protect everyone that he cared for. This time though, he couldn't do a damn thing about it and that just insanely pissed him off. Even when he joined that damn gang and his life could've ended in a drive-by at any moment, Ric had never felt more powerless until now.

Connor surprised him though when he curled up beside him. Ric was surprised by the sudden closeness between them and just how bold the usually shy boy was. But then he saw the tired look in the boy's eyes as he rested his head against his shoulder. A soft sigh escaped Ric as he wrapped his arms around Connor, holding onto the kid as he just knew that he had to do something to keep them safe.

For a minute, Ric felt himself about to snooze away when he heard the rough voice.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Rangers!" shouted Herculor. "There is no hiding from me. I'll get you sooner or later."

The Daimon's voice vibrated throughout the storage area they were hiding in. Connor's body immediately tensed up against Ric's as he tried to calm the boy down. Ric told Connor to stay as quite as possible, which the boy managed to follow as he clung onto Ric for support. They stayed silent as a mouse, hoping that the Daimon would overlook them so that they could escape.

No one was ever that fortunate.

Herculor smashed the crate they were hiding behind with his laughter booming louder. "Found you!" shouted the Daimon.

Ric immediately pushed Connor away from him as he sprang to his feet. The adrenaline was pumping with his fists flying, smashing into the Daimon's armored chest. Herculor slid back a little, opening some space for an escape.

"Run, Connor!" shouted Ric. "Go get help. I'll hold this freak off."

"No, Ric!" cried Connor.

"Go now!" Ric shouted as he tackled the Daimon, alone and powerless.

Connor closed his eyes as he got on his feet, running out of the storage hanger when he heard the crash. He turned his head with tears partly blinding his vision as he saw Ric and the Daimon flying out of it. That wasn't the only thing he heard though, he heard another explosion coming from the direction that they were training at earlier.

What was going on here, the boy thought.

* * *

><p>Lightning was far quicker than the Rangers as all three tried to ambush her at once. She easily maneuvered through their Angel Sword, rotating her combat trained body away from them. She twisted her body around into a circle, releasing a rotation of white light from her Gunblade that blew the three Rangers aside.<p>

Red Ranger managed to return quickly enough though with his Angel Sword traded in favor of his Aurora Sword. He swung his primary weapon at the warrior woman, only to have Lightning jump away from it. A growl escaped underneath the helmet as the Red Ranger consumed his sword with flames. "Flaming Aurora Strike!" shouted the Red Ranger. He rushed after Lightning with his fiery sword, ready to deliver the fatal blow. But Lightning was strong enough to hold the fiery attack back and ripped it apart much like the Dark Knight would've had he anticipated the attack.

"Nice try," laughed Lightning, "but you're going to have to try a lot harder than that to defeat me. I have a vendetta against you Rangers that will never die until I take my last breath!"

Lightning rushed after Red Ranger only for the Pink Ranger to run interference. Pink Ranger tackled Lightning down and was armed with her Sacred Claws. She slashed at the falling warrior, but Lightning was quick enough to roll away from her attack. Lightning transformed her Gunblade into its gun form and pointed it at the Pink Ranger.

Pulling the trigger, a bullet went rushing towards Pink Ranger, but the bullet was deflected by another.

Yellow Ranger came rushing after Lightning with her Holy Pistols out, guns a blazing! The Ranger pulled the trigger on the warrior woman as she fired round after round as Lightning. The blond haired woman managed to twist and turn away from the incoming bullets as she fired a few back at the Yellow Ranger. All of their bullets only blew up against each other though or missed their desired target.

The three Rangers reunited to attack Lightning once more when an explosion was heard.

"I'm willing to bet that is from your friends' dying," said Lightning. "Oh well, I'll have to cut this short then."

Lightning rushed after the Rangers and slashed at them all with her Gunblade. Sparks flew off of them as they were blown across the construction site. They had a rough landing, while Lightning gracefully landed on her feet.

A smile crept on her face as she took off running in the direction of the Daimon.

"Damn, bitch!" yelled Yellow Ranger. "I so want to cut that bitch!"

"Save a piece for me," said Pink Ranger. "Ow, we need to help Ric and Connor."

"Let's go then," Red Ranger said, struggling to stand.

Yellow and Pink managed to get up then helped Red back on their feet before taking off after Lightning and hopefully the others.

* * *

><p>Ric was doing everything that was possible to keep Herculor at bay. The Daimon was freakishly strong though and because he lacked his Ranger powers right now, the fight was all that more of a struggle. Ric was getting his ass kicked royally as he was thrown aside like a rag doll by the overly, powerful Daimon.<p>

But Ric knew that he had to keep this Daimon away so that Connor would be safe. He has to protect the boy so that he would have the chance to escape, which he knew that he failed to do. While getting his ass kicked, Ric noticed that Connor was still hanging around, but he did keep his distance from the fight at least.

"Give up, boy!" said the Daimon. "Your power is nothing compared to mine."

"I'll give up when I'm dead!" Ric said, kicking the Daimon's armored chest.

As he regained control of himself, Ric jumped back onto his feet as he thought about it. He remembered his encounter with the Power Rangers back in Queens. The inspiration he felt to pull his life together, to protect everyone that he cared for. He would do things the right way, he wouldn't be taking any short cuts in life.

Yeah, Ric felt the power inside of him. He didn't need to change into a Ranger to fight evil, he had the power within himself to protect those he loved. His heart was his greatest weapon and it gave the rest of his body the power he needed.

Resuming the fight with renewed ferocity, Ric did everything he could to kick some Daimon ass. He attacked Herculor with everything that was in him and was actually putting a few dents into the armor. The pain he felt was numb by now, his body's regenerative properties had been heightened thanks to Alice, which made kicking ass easier.

Herculor was knocked down to the ground with Ric feeling stronger then he had in a while.

But that was all about to change as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He threw himself away from the current spot he was standing at just in time to dodge the blade. Ric's eyes widened with fear as he saw the warrior woman from earlier.

Armed with her Gunblade, Lightning smirked at the young man. She pulled her weapon from the ground as she took her place beside the Daimon. "Well, you're a tough one to kill," said Lightning. "Where's your friend hiding? He doesn't think that he can snatch your Morphers away from you while my back is turned? Well, I'll tell you this, boy, that I, Lightning, am not fooled easily."

Ric wiped the blood away from his lip as he smiled at the woman. "All I can say is bring it on," he said, still smiling. "Ranger or not, I can still take you on."

"This should be entertaining," Lightning said, springing into action.

However, as Lightning was going after Ric, a blur tripped her legs. The warrior woman went flying into the air as the blur returned to the case that was strapped onto her leg. The blur moved quickly enough to snatch the Crystal Morphers before returning to where Ric was standing.

Connor appeared with a smile on his face as he held up their Crystal Morphers. "That was easier than I thought it would be," laughed the boy.

"I told you to get away from here," said Ric.

"I couldn't let my friend get his ass kicked on his own," Connor said, handing over his Morpher.

Ric could only shake his head at Connor when three figures leapt in front of them. The boys were surprised to see that their friends had finally shown up, armed with their Heaven Power Weapons. Connor asked how they got here so fast when Red Ranger explained that Alpha managed to track their location down.

"You guys need to suit up!" said Pink Ranger.

"This Lightning chick is really tough to fight," said Yellow Ranger.

"We're going to need all the power we can get," said Red Ranger.

"Right!" said Ric and Connor. "Angel Force, Power Up!"

The boys quickly transformed into Rangers, ready to fight once again. With the team reunited for battle, Lightning growled with frustration as she stood up. She told Herculor that he was on his own as she disappeared from sight. Her body faded from view with only Herculor left to defeat the Rangers.

Blue Ranger grabbed his Glory Hammer, while Black Ranger armed himself with the Heaven Bow. The other Rangers circled around each other with their weapons out as they watched the Daimon. It was then that Blue Ranger felt that there was something more to it. He felt the strength he had earlier, but this time it was a lot stronger. He needed to use it in order to beat Herculor down.

With the Glory Hammer in hand, Blue Ranger broke away from the pack. He charged after the Daimon without any hesitation in his heart. Herculor rushed in for the Blue Ranger and was about to strike with his heavy fist. Blue Ranger weaved his body around as a blue aura began to consume his body.

The power felt so strong that he just had to release it! This was the best way that they were going to win this battle. "Hurricane Glory Rang!" shouted the Blue Ranger. He twisted the hammer around as a cyclone of wind began to circle around it. Blue Ranger released the power and tossed it after Herculor, pummeling the Daimon with the power.

Herculor howled as the vicious winds tore apart his body, while the hammer cracked the thick layer of armor. The Daimon was blown away, crashing into a steel beam in the process. Blue Ranger jumped back to rejoin the other Rangers and suggested that now would be a good time to use their cannon.

Red Ranger had the team put their weapons together and held up the Heaven Power Cannon. The others took their usual positions, pouring the power from their crystals into the attack. "Heaven Power Cannon!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers. "Fire!" An array of light fired from the cannon and blew the Daimon apart with it.

* * *

><p>A bolt of lightning came down from the moon to grow Herculor to a monstrous size. Thrax's dark powers caused the Daimon to grow to dangerous proportions. The Rangers stood around each other as they looked up to the jumbo sized threat that stood before them.<p>

"We're going to need the Zords," said Red Ranger.

"Let me do the honors," said Blue Ranger. "We need Angel Force Zords! Zords power up!"

There was a flash in the sky as the five Zords began to take view. The Rangers quickly began to teleport into their individual Zords, preparing for the battle ahead of them. Blue Ranger continued to lead the team as he held up his Crystal Morpher and inserted it into the center of the cockpit. The others soon followed his actions as they too inserted their Crystal Morphers into the center of their cockpits.

"Angel Force Megazord, power up!" shouted the Rangers.

The Zords quickly got to work to form the Angel Force Megazord. Angel Zord flew to the center with Dolphin Zord and Bear Zord taking the form of the arms. Unicorn Zord and Wolf Zord shifted to form the legs of the Megazord with each piece combining together. The front of the Angel Zord's chest opened up to reveal the true head of the Megazord, finishing the transformation process.

With the Angel Force Megazord fully operational, the Rangers appeared in the central cockpit at the head of the Megazord. They sat at their battle stations as they prepared for the worst against this muscular Daimon. It didn't take too long either for the rumble to begin as the Daimon charged in after them.

Herculor swung his massive fists at the Megazord, causing sparks to fly everywhere. The Rangers were shaken inside of the Megazord as they tried to regain control. Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger were able to stabilize the legs, while Pink Ranger and Blue Ranger regained control of the arms. Red Ranger stabilized the Megazord as he activated the wings of the Megazord to restore control.

"It looks like this will be a little harder than I thought," said Red Ranger. "We have to weaken this muscular freak down before we can use the Angel Power Sword."

"Leave this to me too!" said Blue Ranger. "I have a special surprise for the Daimon."

As Herculor went after them again, Blue Ranger was prepared for the incoming attack. The Daimon smashed into the chest of the Megazord once more but Blue Ranger already had the counterattack ready. "Bear Fist Smash!" shouted Blue Ranger as he switched up the gears. The fist of the Bear Zord began to glow as the arm pushed forward. Channeling power from the Ranger, the Bear Zord's attack did significant damage to the Daimon.

"Go for it, Landon," said Blue Ranger.

"Now we can finish this!" said Red Ranger. "It's time to use the Angel Power Sword!"

Angel Force Megazord created the fatal sword that would deliver the final blow to the Daimon. The large sword bore gems that carried the color of each individual Ranger. The Rangers channeled the powers of their crystals into the sword to end the fight. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers.

The Angel Power Sword gained a powerful glow as it delivered the fatal slash that sliced Herculor apart.

The Daimon howled in agony before exploding in a terrific flash of light, ending the battle with the Rangers cheering themselves on.

* * *

><p>His routine may have been broken by the battle today, but Ric had just enough time to put dinner together for him and his fellow Rangers.<p>

After the fight, the Rangers had gathered at Ric and Landon's apartment for dinner. They were all crammed into the small table where Ric was carrying in a dish baked chicken. Rice and vegetable were already piled onto their plates, now it was onto the main dish. Everyone's mouths watered as they looked at the perfectly cooked chicken.

"Oh my Lord," said Alice. "Ric, how did you make this?"

"It's not undercooked, is it?" asked Haley. "I don't see how you could make something so delicious in an hour."

Ric laughed as he put the dish down in front of everyone. He took a seat between Landon and Haley as he took the first chicken breast from the dish. "The wonders of modern cooking technology," he said, laughing. "Trust me, I cooked it perfectly with more than enough time. It was a good thing I had it thawing out in the sink otherwise we'd still be waiting to eat."

The others seemed to agree as they grabbed a piece of chicken for themselves. They were all cautious with their first bites though, but sighed with relief to see that it was cooked right. After the taste test, they all began to go over the day and the wicked battle they had managed to survive.

Connor's arm was wrapped up in a light-cast. Haley and Alice got him to the doctor to learn that his arm was fractured so it would heal within a week or two. Connor was a little worried since it would be nearly impossible to use his bow with a damaged arm, but Alice promised to get to work on something that would heal him a little quicker.

"We can't have an injured Ranger on the team," said Alice.

"I think Alpha said something about completing developing a healing station," said Landon.

"I could make a better one," Alice mumbled before eating a spoonful of rice.

"Well, let's give it up for today's hero first!" said Haley. "And thank him for making this fantastic dinner. Ric managed to keep Connor safe on his own, saved all our skins, and still had enough time to prepare this delicious meal."

"Yay Ric!" they all cheered.

Ric tried to hide the embarrassed look on his face as his face began to heat up.

Connor only made it worse as he got Ric's attention. "Thanks, really though, Ric," said the boy. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't rescued me all those times today."

"We're all friends," Ric said, trying to remain cool. It wasn't working at all though. He was obviously a mess right now. "I know you would've done the same for me."

Connor smiled as he slowly began to nod his head.

They resumed their dinner with laughter and smiles filling the air with positive energy.

* * *

><p>The nightmares crept up quicker then he could've expected.<p>

His feet silently shuffled over the tiled floor as he stumbled into the bedroom. He was sore in every possible spot of his body, but his face was burning with pain. He barely made it to the mirror and flicked the light on the nightstand so he could see.

Connor took a good look at the black circle around his right eye, horribly mismatching his pale skin. Fighting through all the pain, Connor grabbed the cover-up from his drawer then got to work at hiding the black eye. The boy wasn't certain what hurt most though, which was the greater of the two pains.

Was it more painful to be beaten by his foster father or was hiding the scars that the man made on him and remembering the pain is what was worse.

Either way, Connor felt horribly numb as he dropped the cover up and collapsed onto bed, begging for the solace of the night.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Beelzebub sends the Daimon of Fear after the Rangers and Angel Grove! The Daimon forces the Rangers to face their greatest fears, while feeding off of the energy. The Rangers suffer, but Connor suffers most of all as the haunting images of his past comes to the surface. Will Connor be able to faces his fears or will the Daimon absorb all of his fears and become invincible! Find out in **Fear the Past, Black!**


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Well, this one is a tad shorter then the previous chapter, but it's still pretty lengthy! Haha. There are some warnings involved, since this is a chapter heavy on fear there will be blood and some gore. Not to an extreme, but it will be very light. And if you can guess where I came up with the Daimon's name and design then you shall get a cookie! Haha. Read and review!

**Fear the Past, Black:**

Castle Pandemonium was filled with rage as Thrax marched his way inside the throne room. The latest defeat at the hands of the Angel Force Power Rangers had left a bad taste in the villain's mouth. His red, exposed skin began to glow as his anger began to filter out throughout his throne as his rage grew larger. He raised the Z-Staff into the air, firing a bolt of lightning out into space to vent out his frustrations.

Lightning stood beside the Dark Knight, she kept her head bowed to the ground out of fear for looking into her master's eyes. She knew she was about to suffer horribly for the lost given to her by the Power Rangers. She had retried when the Rangers united instead of continuing to fight the battle. Her survival instincts had overruled her warrior nature though, she felt so horribly ashamed of herself for fleeing.

Thrax began to calm down a little as his rage subsided some. He looked back at his warriors and the mindless Putties that stood around his throne. His grip on the staff only tightened as he looked at the apathetic Beelzebub who just leaned against the wall with his eyes closed. The cockiness of the leather clad bastard infuriated the mutant so that he stomped his way over towards him.

"You said that your Daimon would be strong enough to defeat the Rangers!" roared Thrax. "But yet again, your damn Daimons failed to destroy the Rangers! All you're doing is making them stronger!"

Beelzebub smirked at Thrax, not bothering to open his eyes to properly acknowledge the mutant. It was amusing just how right that the mutant was, but Beelzebub wasn't about to lay out his cards just yet. "I don't understand why you constantly bitch, Thrax," said Beelzebub. "All I'm doing is what you're telling me to do. I just follow the contract we laid out."

"The contract says to destroy the Rangers!" shouted Thrax.

"Wrong, Thrax!" snapped Beelzebub. "My contract states that I must assist you in the destruction of Earth, and that is what I'm doing. You see, my Daimons have already attacked the Earth and its people. Three Earthlings had died since our attacks began and surely more will follow suit. Besides, you shouldn't be complaining to me." Beelzebub bumped into Thrax's armored shoulder, hiding a smirk by how easily he infuriated the mutant. He raised one of his shotguns up before Thrax could notice and took aim at his head.

Lightning and the Dark Knight were immediately ready to take action, but Thrax halted them before they could attack. Thrax bore no fear in his eyes, which was something that Beelzebub could respect. Then again, the Master of the Daimons had yet to given the mutant good reason to fear him.

All in due time though, Beelzebub needed to remember his patience. The Revival will begin soon enough.

"You have yet to do anything about the Power Rangers, Thrax," Beelzebub said, leaning closer to Thrax's head. His pale, blue lips mere inches away from what he assumed to be the mutant's ears. "I have yet to see you step foot onto the battlefield. A true leader would engage his adversaries in battle at least once to show them the meaning of fear."

Thrax contained himself, he almost shivered by the venomous words that spewed from Beelzebub's mouth. Lightning had to admit that she was frightened by his words, while the Dark Knight was left with a similar emotion. They drew closer to their master just as Beelzebub began to step away.

It was then that a thought had popped into Beelzebub's head. He could already see the perfect Daimon to teach everyone a well deserved lesson. "Oh yes!" said the leather-clad man. "I don't know why I hadn't thought of him sooner. He's perfect for the job!" Beelzebub returned his shotgun to its holder before snapping his fingers.

Beelzebub disappeared from the castle, teleporting to the Earth with a plan for its destruction in mind.

"Damn you," Thrax mumbled under his breath. "Damn you to Hell, Beelzebub."

"We can't trust him," Lightning told her master. "We should just attack the Earth without him. He's too dangerous."

"Beelzebub will turn on us the first chance that he gets," said the Dark Knight.

"Then I'll destroy him," Thrax growled, clenching the staff. "I will rip him apart limb from limb."

Thrax roared again with his frustration as he fired a bolt of lightning out the castle.

* * *

><p>Morning finally came with a breath of relief escaping the boy who was just waking up from bed. Connor had survived another night without a repeated beating. It came with a sigh as he slowly began to climb out of bed to see if what was damaged and if the other bruises had gone away.<p>

So he dragged his feet across the poor carpet until he reached his bathroom. He slowly pulled the shirt he had on and dropped it onto the tile. His scrawny chest was riddled with bruises, some large and others small. At least the ones on his shoulders had faded away to almost nothing. The ones around his skinny boy "abs" were still large though.

He gently pressed his finger against the skin, wincing in pain. He had wished the healing machine that Alice built had done a total body recovery. At least his arm was no longer jacked up, his foster father would've loved to have the chance to break the already injured arm had he known. That's when a tear escaped his eye, which the boy quickly brushed away before he could fall apart more so.

There was relief when he heard a truck's engine pulling out of the driveway. The nasty clunker that the monster drove was gone, which mean Connor could have a peaceful breakfast. It looked like this day would be a little brighter than the others. Now, he just needed to pray that his foster father would be too shit-faced drunk to lift a finger at him tonight. He hasn't had a night free from beatings in a week. The boy could seriously use a break from all the abuse he had been the victim of.

There was one thing to be grateful for though, at least his virginity was still intact.

Connor rushed into his shower and got clean as he let the hot water just scold his bruised skin. He clamped his jaw shut as he hurried to smell decent enough where he didn't feel like a sack of dog shit. Once that was finished, he applied cover-up around his eye to hide the bruise there as well so that no one would know.

He couldn't afford for people to find out what was going on. The foster care system was just terrible, worse now that there were so many kids left orphaned from the Venjix Virus. The boy was lucky enough to end up in the house of just a kid beater. He knew of way more kids (around his age and younger) who were trapped in the care of a pedophile. He'd rather be stuck in the house with a man who just hits him daily for the next three years then someone who would rape him constantly.

Connor pushed those thoughts out of his head though as he quickly braced himself for the day.

* * *

><p>It was a struggle to make it to the school bus on time after only having half a Pop Tart to eat. Connor's stomach was rumbling something fierce as he climbed into the school bus to Angel Grove High. He didn't waste any time finding a seat. He just sat down at the first empty one that he could find, avoiding everyone who would come near him.<p>

That's how things always were for him. Connor just flew under the radar as much as possible, praying that no one would notice him. But deep down, he was begging for someone just to notice him, just once…for the right reasons.

The loneliness had been killing him, slowly with each day that passed. If he hadn't become a Power Ranger then Connor was almost certain that he would've pulled the trigger by now. Right now, being a Power Ranger was the only thing that kept him alive. Who knew for how much longer that would last though. He didn't even want to think about the day that he was no longer a Ranger or if he perished in battle.

At least school wasn't as terrible as it usually was.

For the most part, Connor succeeded in staying out of trouble. He kept himself from standing out in class, he avoided the dangerous halls that his bullies lurked, and he managed to find a decent spot to eat lunch where plenty of adult witnesses were watching. It had been a fairly uneventful day for Connor Song until the school day was almost over. When the clock dangerously approached two-thirty, Connor found his locker surrounded by three members of the football team.

The worst part was that no one was around at the moment. Not a single security guard, teacher, or staff of any kind was there to stop the madness. Connor gulped as he tried to figure a way out from this messy situation. The first thing that came to mind was running away as fast as possible, which wouldn't work because he'd expose his powers. Next thing was actually morphing into a Ranger, but that had the same problem as his first thought.

As Connor tried to come up with an escape plan, the athletes caught him. One of them snatched him by the collar of his shirt and threw him against the lockers with his vest slinging off his frail shoulders. The bruises on his back were burning with pain from the sudden impact. "Not so tough without your wetback boyfriend to protect you, huh, bitch?" said the football player.

"Leave me alone!" Connor tried to scream, while struggling with the bully's grip.

"The fag thinks he's tough," laughed one of the others.

"We should teach the bitch a lesson," said the third. "You know, I'm in the mood for some Chinese food. Maybe we should make him cook us some before kicking his ass."

When that one was about to grab onto Connor's arm, the boy managed to sneak his leg free to kick him in the shin. The football player grunted with pain as Connor embraced this brief, shining moment of victory. "I'm Korean, you racist dick!" shouted the boy. He tried to kick the one who was holding him down.

But it wasn't about to end pretty as the trio decided to kick the boy's ass right here. Connor would've certainly had a lot more bruises to add to his collection had a hand not snatched onto the wrist of one of his attackers. That bully was pulled aside to reveal that it was none other than Haley who was there to rescue him.

The usually sweet girl had a look in her eyes that was screaming out for blood. For good measure, she kicked the fallen bully behind her in the chest. "Vinnie, Pauly, Mike," Haley said with a sickeningly, sweet tone. "You idiots better get the fuck out of here before I cut you." Connor was in shock to hear the anger behind the girl's sweet voice. Connor's bullies looked equally stunned by Haley's threat too. To prove her point, Haley raised her clenched fist in a threatening gesture that caused the other two boys to flinch.

Connor was quickly released as the football players took off running.

They were dicks, but they weren't idiots. They knew better then to get involved in a fight with Haley Ann Scott. Everyone was well aware that her dad was probably one of the best martial artists in the country. Haley had been taught well by her father in the art of self-defense, or she better liked to call it, "kicking a dumbass in the face". Plus, there was the fact that everyone knew that her parents were the original Red and Pink Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

Haley still glared in the direction of the fleeing idiots until they were long gone. She looked back at Connor, helping him to straighten up his clothes. Her gentle hands grazed against his chest, briefly touching his bruises. Connor tensed up as he hissed with pain as he fought to keep it under control.

She was oblivious to the real reason though, she merely thought it had been because of the bullies.

"I'm sorry, Connor," Haley said to him. "Let's get you out of here before more dumbasses decided to show up."

"Thanks, Haley," Connor whispered before opening his locker.

Haley stayed with Connor until he was done then walked him out of the school so that they could meet up with the others. Not a moment passed though where Haley hadn't kept her eyes on Connor, seeing the look of pain behind his face.

There was so much more to Connor Song then Haley or the others could even begin to realize.

* * *

><p>Black feathers fell to the ground as Beelzebub appeared on the rooftop of a building around downtown Angel Grove. He looked around the city to see the population scurrying around on the streets below him. The pathetic humans honestly believed that their lives were so important, it was downright disgusting to him. He needed to teach them a lesson, he needed for them all to suffer for what had happened to him in the past.<p>

"I will summon fear," said Beelzebub. "They will feel the pain that we felt when we Fell."

And with that, Beelzebub raised his hand up then snapped his fingers to give life to the shadows around him. The shadows grew around Beelzebub as he summoned a worthy Daimon to the cause. The shadow rose up until it took a less than frightening human form. An elderly looking man opened his eyes, his short silver hair blew in the breeze as he looked upon his master. The man was dressed in a black suit, which made him appear no one bit terrifying to say the last.

However, this Daimon was the embodiment of fear, the Daimon of Fear.

"Barbas," said the leather-clad man, "it's good to see you again."

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Lord Beelzebub," said Barbas. He held his arms out in an exaggerated manner as he took a bow. He straightened himself out after recognizing his master's presence. "What is it that I can do for you? How can my powers be of service to you?"

Beelzebub pointed out to the city that lay before them. A smile was on his face as he turned his head back to face his Daimon of Fear. "I want you to spread fear throughout this city," he told the Daimon. "Expose the fears of the humans so that they will suffer horribly. And if the Power Rangers show up, give life to their fears. Make it so that their own fears will lead to their destruction as you feast upon them."

The smile that grew on Barbas's face was utterly revolting. His yellow-stained teeth were exposed as he began to inch his way to the edge of the rooftop. "I will do as you command of me, Lord Beelzebub," said the Daimon. "Fear will only be just the beginning! I will show the humans that their petty fears aren't what they should truly be afraid of." The Daimon threw himself off the rooftop before turning into shadows as he began the attack on the city.

Laughter escaped Beelzebub as he disappeared once more, leaving his Daimon to ravage the Angel Grove.

* * *

><p>Making their approach to downtown Angel Grove, Haley and Connor were walking side by side when they heard the first set of screams. It wasn't long after that more screaming could be heard, which set their panic buttons off. They grabbed the dormant bracelets from their wrists and took off running to the set of screams that they had been hearing.<p>

People were running away from an old man, shrieking about random nonsense. Haley and Connor didn't realize what was happening until they paid closer attention to the screaming people. It was then that they realized that this wasn't a man, but a Daimon in human form. That's what led to the two of them springing into action as they hid in an alleyway.

"Alpha," Haley said into the Communicator, "a Daimon is attacking the city. Connor and I need backup."

"The other Rangers are already on their way, Haley," said Alpha 8.

"Thanks Alpha," Connor said for her.

Haley and Connor nodded their heads as they activated their Morphers. They raised them up into the air as pink and black light began to rise up. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Connor and Haley. Pink and black feathers began to swirl around them both as they transformed into Rangers.

The Pink and Black Rangers jumped from their hiding place, exposing themselves to the Daimon.

Barbas smirked as he looked at the spandex wearing heroes that he heard so much about. He stuffed a hand into his pocket, while holding the other up as the crowd of screaming people thinned out some. "Well, if it isn't the Power Rangers," said the Daimon. "I was hoping that the full set would grace me with their presence. I guess I'm not important enough or frightening enough for you." The Daimon laughed at his own bad joke as his demonic energy began to swirl around him.

The duo sprang after the Daimon, armed with their Angel Swords only to be pushed back with by a psychic blast. Barbas had released a psychic attack to repel the Rangers before they had the chance to attack. He huffed at how easy it was to send them flying, crashing on top of a parked car that now had its alarm howling into the air. Pink Ranger managed to pull herself back together before Black Ranger recovered from the blow.

"That wasn't enough for you?" said Barbas. "Alright, then I guess I'll need to use more power!"

"Heaven Power Slash!"

A blast of red, yellow, and blue light rushed across the open road. The attacks crashed into the Daimon, causing him to slide across the concrete for a moment. Pink Ranger and Black Ranger looked over at their approaching friends with glee underneath their helmets. The Rangers were all united for the battle against the Daimon of Fear.

Barbas had to laugh as all the Rangers gathered before him.

Now things were about to get very interesting.

"Why are we battling some old dude?" asked Blue Ranger.

"Don't underestimate him," warned Pink Ranger. "He's actually a tough one."

"Then we'll just need to hit him hard and fast!" shouted Red Ranger.

Barbas could only laugh more as he listened in on the Rangers' strategy to take him down. If only it would be as easy as they believed it to be. Fear wasn't so easily defeated, it would take so much more power than they had in them.

But Barbas allowed the Rangers to think they had a chance against him. He stood completely still as the Blue and Yellow Rangers went after him. When their swords neared his head, the Daimon disappeared from in front of them. He reappeared behind them with a smile on his face, exposing his rotten teeth. He punched both of the Rangers in the chest, pushing them back a few feet.

Red Ranger tried to get him with the Pink Ranger and Black Ranger returning for a second blow. Barbas twisted his old body away from their swords with such remarkable youth and grace that showed how little of a chance that the Rangers stood against him. Once the shock was present underneath their helmets, Barbas took flight as he hovered above the Angel Force Rangers.

"Let me see what secrets you bury beneath your helmets," said the Daimon. "Show me what you fear!"

The Daimon raised his hand up, causing a flash of white light to rise up from the palm. He smiled as he waved the glowing hand over the Rangers to examine each and every one of their fears. The greatest fears were the best to start with since they would be the strongest, the easiest way to eliminate the Rangers.

Barbas faded into darkness, leaving the Rangers alone with a false sense of security. His presence returned though as he trapped the Rangers in a wave of shadows. The darkened space left them all lost and disoriented as the Daimon sprung his trap, releasing the fears contained with the Rangers.

Spiders began to crawl around the Yellow Ranger. Various breeds were crawling around her, trying to climb up her body. Yellow Ranger screamed in terror as she grabbed her Holy Pistols and tried to fire at the spiders.

"I hate spiders!" shouted Yellow Ranger. "I hate spiders! I hate spiders!"

The spiders didn't cease their ascent though as they continued to climb her. The creepy feeling of their fingers left her screaming as she tried to fight them off. The venomous bites of the spiders seeped in her body, causing her to suffer horribly.

Blue Ranger appeared on an empty street in the middle of the night. Slowly, the street lights began to turn on so that he could see a lonely figure standing on the familiar road. Underneath the helmet, the Ranger's eyes lit up as he recognized the boy. "Santos!" he shouted his younger brother's name. It was then that he saw a car approaching from across the street, a window began to roll down as a gun pointed at the boy. "No! Santos!"

He ran in front of his brother just as the trigger was pulled. The bullet pierced through his uniform, causing the Ranger to gasp for breath.

Four bodies lay before him, the bodies of his friends and teammates. Red Ranger looked down upon the bodies of the other Rangers. They were all still, unmoving with blood pooled around them.

"I…I failed," whispered Red Ranger as his friends' corpses became animate once more.

"You failed us," said Haley.

"You let us die," said Ric.

"You couldn't protect us," said Connor.

"You killed us!" shouted Alice.

"No!" Red Ranger screamed.

His panic erupted as a sword slashed across him, putting an end to his existence.

Behind her helmet, Pink Ranger was left paralyzed as she sat at a desk. She was shaking as she looked around her to see the students in her Calculus class hard at work on their test. Her paper was blank though, not a single scribble of work on the sheet.

"I don't know any of this!" said the Pink Ranger. "I don't know anything!"

"That's not my problem," the teacher said, sitting at her desk. "I suppose I'll have to fail you, Ms. Scott."

"I can't afford an F though!" said the Pink Ranger. "I want to get into Yale!"

The teacher started to laugh at her, so did the rest of the class. The teacher rose up from her desk and stamped the Ranger's test with a large, red F. "Yale will never take a failure like you!" hissed her teacher. "Nobody gives a damn about a failure." The rest of the class laughed at the Ranger's misery as the paper blew up in front of her.

All it took was four fears to manifest themselves to make Barbas's powers to grow stronger. The Daimon watched as the Rangers' fears led to their own downfall. The Red, Pink, Blue, and Yellow Rangers were already down for the count. His plan was going just swimmingly, now he needed to bathe the Black Ranger in his fears.

Black Rangers fears already came to life as he knelt to the ground. He just a little boy again as he looked at the familiar park that he used to play at. His parents were still alive and they played with him at the playground. His handsome father and his beautiful mother, their smiling faces brought tears to the Black Ranger. But the happy day was ruined when one of Mesogog's monsters attacked. His parents shielded him as the monster attack, putting an end to their lives.

He was then brought back to the horrible situations under the foster system. The constant bullying and abuse that he suffered from the other kids that picked on him just because he was so small. He was trapped in a hell that he couldn't escape from, at least until the Venjix Virus had broken out and nearly destroyed the world. He was so terrified as he wandered around the desert alone, hiding from Venjix's killer robots. In this nightmare though, Venjix's forces had captured him and dragged him back to their lair for experimentation.

His mind returned to the near present as he found himself on the carpet of the shitty house. His foster father was beating him something fierce, to the point of near death. He had never felt so afraid before in his life, the pain was utterly unbearable, but it finally stopped. The boy struggled to life his head up when he saw his friends standing over him, laughing at his misery before walking away.

In the shadows, Barbas knelt down to him. "They'll betray you in the end," whispered the Daimon. "You are utterly alone in this world. This cruel, dark world will drown you in eternal suffering until the moment you die. And when Death finally takes you, only more suffering will be yours."

The Daimon left the Black Ranger screaming in terror as he felt his body being ripped to pieces.

Black Ranger's mind returned to reality as he twitched with pure terror. The Daimon's powers exploded all around him, leaving him a quivering mess as he collapsed to the ground. His Ranger powers abandoned him as a swirl of black feathers left his form. The boy cried as the images of his fears…his nightmares began to pop up around him.

"No!" cried Connor. "No! No! NOOOO! Get away from me!"

Connor sprang to his feet, running as fast as he could away from the Daimon and the other Rangers, trying to outrun everything as his sanity quickly melted away.

The Daimon laughed as the boy fled. It didn't matter to him if Connor ran away now that he had what he needed. Barbas had dined on the boy's fears and was now relishing in all the power that it gave to him. Connor's fears felt simply divine to him as he devoured the last of them. Every nerve in his form skyrocketed as he felt a new surge of power coursing through him.

Barbas looked at the other four Rangers who were now beginning to rise up against him. They were armed with their Angel Swords, which he knew would be nowhere near enough to help them win. "One angel gone," laughed Barbas, "only four left. Goodbye Rangers!"

A bolt of explosive energy escaped the Daimon as he tossed it over at them, easily defeating the already beaten Rangers.

* * *

><p>Connor was shaking uncontrollably as he returned to the Command Center, sitting beside Alpha 8 who was checking over the extensive injuries. Alpha believed that most of the injuries that the boy had were gained from the battle and previous training exercises. The robot remained unaware of the true origins of his wounds, which Connor didn't give a damn about right now though. His mind was focused solely on the horrors that Barbas forced him to go through once more.<p>

The Daimon of Fear had gotten the better of him. Connor had completely surrendered as he arrived returned to the Command Center as a coward. He didn't care though that he abandoned his friends during the fight, they were probably better off without him there. The things that Barbas could do once he absorbed the energy from Connor's fears gave him far too much power. Connor would only be a liability to the team if he stayed even a moment longer, at least that's what he rationalized himself to believe.

Alpha was busy working on healing the boy just as four other beams of light arrived to the Rangers' base of operations. They both looked up to see that the other Rangers had arrived, each one looking horribly beaten by the latest Daimon. Alice completely fell to the ground with Ric not that far behind her. It took everything that Landon and Haley had not to fall apart before them.

"What the hell, Connor!" Ric shouted without mercy. "You totally just ditched us back there and left us to clean up the mess."

"So you won then?" Connor asked, his voice drained of any emotion.

"Of course not," Alice said, dragging herself to a healing bed. "We got our asses handed to us. That Daimon was just too strong. I don't see why he was so much stronger than the rest of them."

Connor sighed as he allowed Alpha to finish working on him. He looked at the others, seeing the confused and hurt looks on their faces. "The Daimon gets stronger from our fears," said the boy. "He absorbs our fear to make himself stronger. I guess my fears were like an all you can eat buffet for him…"

"Great," Ric said, flopping down on his back. "You made him invincible! Great going, Con."

"Shut up, Ric," Landon snapped at his roommate. "Connor did what he had to do. It was probably best that he left before the Daimon could've gotten any stronger."

"Like he was so weak to begin with," Haley said, sarcastically as she sat down.

Landon glared at her too, causing her to raise her sore arms up in surrender.

Connor just sat there, taking the verbal abuse that his friends sent his way. Why wasn't he surprised that they would turn on him too the first chance that they got. It was just like back at the fight. Barbas had shown him that fear of his friends betraying him. Connor prayed that his fears would be wrong, but it looked to be true.

It was then that something inside of Connor just snapped. His sanity melted away as he jumped to his feet, pushing the innocent Alpha 8 away from him.

"Ay, yi yi!" said Alpha 8. "Connor, you're not done being healed yet."

"Connor!" shouted the other Rangers.

"Leave me alone!" Connor screamed at them. "Barbas is right…I deserve to suffer, I deserve to be alone." The boy was shaking more so now then he did before. It pained him so much to admit that the Daimon had been right about him, about everything. "You have no idea how difficult it is to be me. You have no idea the Hell I've been through, what I go through every single day!"

"Then talk to us, Connor," Landon said, calmly. "We want to help."

"Go to Hell!" Connor screamed, losing it completely.

Connor began to teleport out of the Command Center in a stream of black light. Landon was the first to respond as he attempted to follow the trail the boy left behind. His pushed down on the teleportation sequence on his Communicator, chasing after the boy in a stream of red light.

The other Rangers just stood there with shock present in their eyes.

* * *

><p>It took a few moments for the Rangers to regain their composures as well as their health.<p>

Alice had just finished healing herself up, while Ric was just getting started and Haley was almost done. Alpha 8 stood around them as he went over the damage report that Barbas had done to Angel Grove so far. The damage was bad, many people had been hospitalized for panic attacks across the city. The Daimon was currently inactive, but who knew for how much longer that would last before the next attack.

Haley pushed herself up from the bed, looking over to Alice and Ric. A soft sigh escaped her as she looked over the spot where Connor escaped to. The fear in the boy's eyes was heart breaking, she could tell it took everything he had not to cry at that moment.

"What do we know about Connor?" Alice said, sitting on a chair.

"He has a whole football team that likes to bully him," Ric said from the healing bed, "and he's good about running away. The kid really needs to toughen up some. I don't know what his parents are thinking about, raising him the way they are."

"Ric," Haley said, not bothering to look at him, "Connor's parents are dead, remember?" At that point, Ric felt like a complete ass as he looked away. His silence told Haley that he had forgotten, which made her shake her head at him. "He told us that they died protecting him from monsters when the Dino Thunder Rangers were active when we all first met. He's an orphan."

"Isn't he adopted?" Alice said.

"Foster care," Haley corrected her. "You know, I don't even know what Connor's life at home is like. I barely even noticed him at school if it wasn't for the fact that he was constantly picked on. He's just one of those kids you never give a second glance to."

"We're bad friends," Alice said, slumping down on the chair she was sitting on.

"Oh, don't say that, Rangers," Alpha said to them. "You are all good people, it's just this Daimon that is taking advantage of all your weaknesses, Connor's especially. He is forcing out every fear that Connor has just to make himself stronger and your unity weaker. You have to overcome all of your fears if you are to defeat the Daimon."

Haley nodded her head and so did the others. Haley and Alice jumped back to their feed, while Ric continued to lie down on the bed. The quicker he got healed then the quicker he could go back to kicking ass and apologizing to Connor.

They all needed to apologize to Connor, they all behaved badly to the boy.

The sirens in the Command Center began to go off, alerting the Rangers and Alpha of the pressing danger. Alpha immediately went to the put up the attack on the screen. Everyone could see as Barbas attacked the downtown area once more, exposing the people to their fears. There was panic everywhere as everyone rushed off to find somewhere safe to hide from the Daimon.

"Looks like we're needed," Haley said, eyes glued to the screen. "Ric, worry about recovering as quickly as possible. Alice and I will hold off Barbas for as long as we can."

"Crank up the healing juice, Alpha!" Ric said, cheerfully. "I'm just itching to kick this monster's ass!"

Alpha nodded his head as he slowly increased the healing properties of the machine. He couldn't turn it up all the way since Ric's life wasn't in immediate jeopardy. Ric relaxed into the machine as he allowed the healing to repair his injured form.

Alice held up her Crystal Morpher while smiling over at Haley. "Ready to show this ugly freak a little girl power?" asked the dark-skinned woman.

"You know it!" the pale-skinned girl said, cheerfully.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Alice and Haley.

Yellow and pink feathers swirled around them as the girls transformed into Rangers before teleporting to the city.

* * *

><p>Barbas could be seen attacking the city again from where Connor was hiding. The boy thought he was safe, but the Daimon had already resumed the attack by the time he found a quite place to hide. Connor hid in the alleyway with his back against the wall, squatting down to the concrete. Barbas was too busy attacking people to even see the boy who was hiding in the alley. The boy was safer for a little while longer.<p>

Who knew for how long that would last though. Connor gulped as he heard the fearful screams of the people of Angel Grove. He was far too terrified to do anything to help them though. The fear of what the Daimon would do to him was too great. Everything still stung from the last attack he suffered from the Daimon. The memory of all his worst fears manifesting to life still stung away at his mind.

Connor was shivering as he heard the cries of his friends joining the battle. He briefly turned his head to the side to see the Pink and Yellow Rangers attacking the Daimon. They were armed with their Angel Swords, attacking the Daimon with everything that they had. But where were Ric and Landon though? Did he really care though? He pretty much gave up on being a Ranger so it's not like it really mattered.

"Running away never helps anyone," said a deep voice. By now, tears were flowing down Connor's face when he found himself looking at Landon. The team leader stood off to the side, facing the battle that was going not even half a mile away from them. "Everyone is afraid of something. Whoever tells you that they're fearless is a liar. Even I'm afraid of a lot of things." Landon dropped down beside Connor, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's not the same though," the boy whispered. "You didn't have to live through all your worst possible fears. The Daimon only creates an illusion, but with me he brought memories to life. That's what is so terrifying. He brought my past back to life, haunting me with everything awful that's ever happened to me."

There was a loud yell in the distance. Landon briefly looked back to see that the Blue Ranger had finally joined the battle against the Daimon. He sighed as he looked back at Connor who continued to shake with his eyes drowning in fear.

"You can't let your fears control you though, Connor," said Landon. "You can't live your live letting your fears decide everything for you."

"You don't understand," Connor hissed. "You haven't been through my pain."

"But you can talk to us," said Landon. "We're your friends."

Connor started to laugh at Landon. It was a dark, sarcastic laugh though that escaped the crying boy. "Friends?" Connor said, laughing. "We're hardly friends. We barely know each other with the exception of you and Ric. If it weren't Power Rangers then we'd never be involved with each other's lives, not in a million years. Save your friendship speech for someone it will actually be meaningful."

Landon sighed as he felt the wall rising up around the boy. He straightened himself out as he took a few steps away. It hurt to hear the boy talk that way, but Connor did have a point. What were the chances that they would actually be friends if they had never become Power Rangers? If they all hadn't been at the park that day when the Putties attacked, what could've been their lives?

"You're right," Landon said, "we'd probably never be friends, but you still shouldn't give up. Connor, like it or not, understand it or not, we'll always be there for you. Being Rangers makes us close. I'll be there to help you, Connor, whenever you need it. We all will."

Landon took out his Crystal Morpher, holding the red feather in his hands. "Right now, I have a Daimon to destroy," he said, smiling at him. "I'll overcome my fears. I'll destroy the Daimon so you won't have to be so afraid any longer."

Connor wiped his tears away as Landon morphed into the Red Ranger, taking off to fight Barbas. Connor watched him running off into battle and began to think about what Landon said.

* * *

><p>"Hurricane Glory Rang!" shouted the Blue Ranger.<p>

Tossing the Glory Hammer after the Daimon, the Blue Ranger attempted to defeat him with a single blow. Barbas caught the hammer though in the midst of the hurricane before redirecting it back at the Rangers. The crushing winds crashed into the Rangers, blasting them away from the Daimon's presence.

Pink Ranger pushed herself up with the aid of her Angel Sword. She glared at the Daimon underneath her helmet as she tried to come up with a way to defeat him. "I won't let you win!" she shouted. "I'll defeat you!"

Barbas could only shake his head as he raised his hand up once more. "You clearly haven't learned from your mistakes," laughed the Daimon. His palm began to glow once more as he saw another one of the Pink Ranger's fears. "Let's see if this will stop you."

Darkness shrouded the Pink Ranger once more, transporting her to a place of her fears, her own home. Trapped by her fears, she pushed the door open when she saw blood all over the place. The fear gripped at her as she drew closer into the living room where she could see the bodies of her parents. Their blood stained the walls with their chests cut open to expose their guts.

A man appeared from the shadows, a mutant by the name of Thrax who was covered in their blood. He laughed at the Pink Ranger as she dropped to her knees, crying for her parents.

Outside of the world of fear, Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger tried to strike the Daimon once more. Their latest attack was less than successful as he struck them both down with a bolt of lightning. An explosion went off, causing sparks to fly off them as they crashed into the Pink Ranger, knocking her down as well.

"Pathetic," said the Daimon of Fear. "Simply pathetic. You Rangers can't seem to overcome your own fears, and that is what makes you weak."

"Flaming Aurora Strike!"

A snake made out of fire began to coil around Barbas, but was quickly snuffed out. The Daimon grabbed onto the fiery snake and crushed it before it could harm him. Barbas looked off to the side to see the Red Ranger, armed with the Aurora Sword.

Barbas's hand began to glow once more as he fired a blast of light at the Red Ranger.

The Rangers were struggling to return to battle against the Daimon, while Connor continued to watch the battle from the alley. His dark, brown eyes were misty as he watched everyone throw themselves against the Daimon of Fear. He just couldn't understand why they kept on fighting against a Daimon that they didn't stand a chance against. Connor clung onto his shirt, turning his head away just as Barbas attack the Blue and Yellow Rangers.

A part of him was regretting not doing anything to help his friends. But he just couldn't bring himself to do anything about it. Connor just couldn't go up against a Daimon who grew stronger by devouring your fears. He didn't have the strength to overcome a villain so strong, not one who could use his own nightmares against him.

But there had to be something he could do!

The Daimon knocked all the Rangers down, easily defeating them for the final time. A smile was plastered onto his aged face as he walked over their beaten forms. "It seems that we're short a Ranger," Barbas said, taking count. "Did our last battle put an end to his life? I was so hoping to see him again." He kissed the tip of his fingers before spreading them apart. He still smiled as he looked down upon the beaten Rangers. "The fears locked away in his heart were so delicious. You have no idea just how much the boy suffers with every breath that he takes."

Barbas laughed as he said that this would be the end of the Power Rangers. However, as the Daimon was preparing to deliver the final blow, a group of arrows landed against his back. The Daimon stumbled forward and howled briefly in pain before turning around to see who dared attacked him.

A heavy exhale escaped Connor as he stood a few feet away with the Heaven Bow in hand. His face was riddled with fear, but his desire to protect the other Rangers overruled all of that. "You won't hurt anyone else again!" shouted Connor. "I will not allow you to use my fears to hurt anyone else!" The boy dropped his bow to the side then held his Crystal Morpher up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" Black feathers began to swirl around the boy as he transformed into the Black Ranger.

Once the transformation was complete, the Black Ranger held his Heaven Bow up once more. Barbas was prepared this time and fired off energy balls that exploded around the boy. The Ranger didn't submit though as he gathered his rage, he gathered the power locked away deep within him to stop the Daimon.

"Landon, you were right!" shouted the Black Ranger. "We're all friends. I have to overcome my fears at some point. I can't be afraid forever!"

"Foolish boy!" yelled Barbas. "Fear is forever! Fear can never be vanquished!"

The shadows gathered around the Black Ranger as he prepared to use his new power. "Shut up!" said the Black Ranger. His shadows coiled around in his fingers, creating a lengthy arrow. Barbas fired another energy blast, but it wouldn't be enough to stop him. The Ranger released the power for a powerful attack against the Daimon. "Shadow Heaven Arrow!"

Releasing the arrow, the Black Ranger used his new power against Barbas. The arrow shot across the street until it pierced the Daimon's chest. Barbas gasped suddenly, unable to believe that the Ranger's attack had done so much harm to him as he looked upon the boy with enraged eyes.

"Everyone, let's end this!" the Black Ranger said as he pulled out his Angel Sword.

The other Rangers forced themselves back on their feet, armed with their swords as well. They pulled their powers together to deliver their finishing blow at the Daimon. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers. Five slashes of light escaped from their Angel Sword and crashed into Barbas, putting an end to the Daimon.

A massive explosion went off as they overcame the power of the Daimon of Fear.

With him gone, the Rangers gathered together to praise the Black Ranger for his rescue. The Red Ranger even hugged the Black Ranger as the boy whispered a thank you to the elder. The Rangers were about to leave when a bolt of lightning crashed into the spot where the Daimon once stood.

It was far from over though with Barbas returning to the world of the living. The Daimon took a new, monstrous form to replace the old man persona he had. Now, the Daimon appeared in a draconic form with green scales all over his body, a lengthy tail, sharp claws, and large wings. "Fear shall never be vanquished!" shouted the Daimon. "Die, Power Rangers!" The Daimon began to spew fire from his mouth, down to the Rangers that stood below him.

The attack failed though as the Rangers called upon the powers of their Zords at that exact moment. The energy created by the summoning was enough to squelch the flames before they could make contact. The Rangers leapt up into the air and entered the cockpit of their Zords, ready to combine to form the Angel Force Megazord.

Black Ranger led the team in the combination sequence, inserting his Crystal Morpher into the slot. The other Rangers followed him and inserted their Crystal Morphers into the slot to activate the Megazord. The Angel Force Zords followed the commands of the Rangers as they began to form the Megazord. The Zords combined as one, completely the Megazord sequence.

The Daimon howled once more as the Megazord entered the battle. "You can never defeat me!" howled Barbas. "Fear is infinite! I will show you the true meaning of suffering!" The Daimon fired lightning from his claws while spewing fire from his mouth. The attacks crashed into the Megazord, quickly overwhelming the Megazord's mechanics.

"He's too powerful!" shouted the Pink Ranger.

"Everything is overheating!" said the Blue Ranger.

"The Megazord won't be able to take much more of this!" said the Yellow Ranger.

Black Ranger shook his head though as he grabbed onto the controls. He wasn't about to let the Daimon beat them now, not with so much anger boiling up inside of his heart. "This should slow him down some," said the Ranger. He activated the power of the Unicorn Zord, taking control of his personal Zord. He fired a blast of energy from the horn on the Zord's head to neutralize the attacks of the Daimon. The blast crashed against the Daimon's draconic chest, putting an end to his assault on the Megazord.

"Great job, Connor!" said the Red Ranger. "Let's put an end to this nightmare! Angel Power Sword, activate!"

The Megazord raised its arm into the air as the Angel Power Sword appeared in hand. The Ranger shifted controls of their zord, swinging their ultimate weapon into the air before aiming it at the weakened Daimon. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers. The gems on the Angel Power Sword began to glow as it took in the power from the Crystal Morphers. The Megazord swung its sword forward, delivering the fatal blow to the Daimon.

Barbas howled in agony as he swore to return to finish what he started before exploding into nothing.

* * *

><p>Beelzebub stood on the rooftop, watching as the Rangers cheered within their Megazord. The Master of the Daimon's squinted his eyes at the Megazord as he hid a growl of frustration. Instead, he simply slammed his fists against one another to release his pent up anger.<p>

"Those Rangers are really starting to get on my last nerve," said Beelzebub. "That Black Ranger though…he is an interesting specimen. He might be useful in the future. He might be the one I need to free the King. Yes, the boy just might be a pawn in the grand puzzle."

With that in mind, Beelzebub disappeared from sight as he returned to the castle on the moon.

* * *

><p>The courage that he had built up to face Barbas had diminished once Connor went home that night. His foster father's truck was parked in the driveway. It was almost like the Daimon had returned just like he promised at that moment. His feet weighed a ton as he dragged himself to the raggedy house that he was forced to live in.<p>

How could Child Protective Services put him in such an obviously, dangerous setting was beyond him.

Connor managed to open the door with his backpack hanging off of him. He stepped into the dark house cautiously as he kept his eyes open for a sudden attack. His nerves ran at a million miles an hour with every step that he took, trying to get closer to his bedroom.

No one should have to come home to this. It wasn't right for a boy to be so afraid to go home, to go home to this kind of nightmare. This fear wasn't fair, no one should have to go through this. What had he done so wrong to deserve to live like this?

Once Connor passed the seventies-styled living room, the boy saw the man passed out on the couch with bottles of beer littered around him.

The boy shook his head at the drunken man as he went into his room and locked the door behind him.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Lightning devises a trap to kill the Rangers. Drawing inspiration from a novel, she creates a dark, twisted version of Wonderland to trap Alice in. With Alice kidnapped, the Rangers must race against the clock to save one of their own from execution. Find out what happens in **Yellow in Wonderland!**


	6. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Well, I'm exhausted from writing this chapter. I hope you guys like it. Haha. So, please leave some reviews! More reviews equals a happier me. Plus, those of you interested, I started up my X-Men Evolution fan fic again so you should give it a read! Haha. Well yayness! Read and review.

**Yellow in Wonderland:**

The light flashed everywhere as the heavy music made the club shake with every beat.

A crowd was cheering Alice on as she slammed down her fifth shot like it was nothing. In a tight, black dress, she dropped the glass on the bar counter with the small crowd still cheering. Landon barely survived his fifth shot; he already had the burns in his stomach and throat driving him crazy. He surrendered to the might of Alice as he pulled away from the bar.

"That's right!" Alice shouted at Landon. "You're my bitch now, Samuels. Bow down to the King!"

"Don't you mean queen?" asked the hunky bartender. He leaned over the bar to refill Alice's main drink now that she was done playing shots with the guys. She easily out did them all, which impressed the bartender who seen men twice her size go down like babies. Landon was included on those lists of failures.

Alice though just shook her party girl head as she grabbed her drink. She raised it up a little before looking back to the sulking Landon. "My last name is King," she told him. "Hence why I'm the King and Landon is now my bitch!" She didn't bother to include the fact that the people in her family had a high tolerance for alcohol or that she learned her limits back in college.

"Quit rubbing it in!" Landon shouted back, holding down the liquor in his system. The alcohol was burning to the point where he needed to unbutton the buttons on his shirt and untuck from his pants.

Ric was just laughing behind him as he took pictures of how fucked up his friend looked. He didn't even register the girls who were checking his ass out. He just enjoyed taking pictures before he got shoved in the face by Landon who took off running to the restroom. The young man followed his roommate just to make fun of their fearless leader some more.

Alice was perfectly content with sitting at the bar with all her new friends. Well, they weren't really her friends. They just admired how well the girl could drink without getting completely trashed. But Alice knew she needed to quit if she was going to get Ric and Landon home in one piece. Ric was sneaking a few drinks in despite the lovely black crosses he had marked on his hands.

The liquor tasted so sweet though as it ran down her throat. Victory was even sweeter for Alice though, which is why she loved taking chumps and their pride from them. Alice left her empty glass and a generous tip for the bartender who had been treating her so well. She went over to the dance floor to enjoy the rest of her Friday night out with the boys. As her small-time, computer business blossomed to actually pay off her credit card bill; she decided it was the perfect time to celebrate.

The partygoers of Volta felt the same way as they partied the night away.

Landon managed to return from the bathroom without throwing up. He sobered up a little too, but not much so he was stumbling around a little. Ric wasn't much help as he let his roommate just fall all over the place like an idiot. Ric was too busy laughing his ass off as the alcohol already began to fuck with his young mind.

When they reached Alice, she grabbed onto the two men and started to dance with them both as the morning drew near.

* * *

><p>The palace on the Moon was quite for a change now that Thrax wasn't yelling at anyone. The quietness gave Lightning the perfect opportunity to formulate a plan to defeat the Power Rangers. She had been doing her research on the Earthlings long enough and managed to identify each of the Rangers. It would only be a matter of time before she could have her revenge on the travesty that was done to her family.<p>

Lightning closed the book and tossed it on her bed. She rose up from the mattress with a grin gracing her beautiful face. Looking out of the window in her bedchamber, Lightning already had a plan in mind to slowly destroy the Power Rangers. To think that the inspiration for this came from a children's book, but what an excellent book it was.

"A suitable end for the Power Rangers," Lightning said, not bothering to hide her joy. "My trap will put an end to them. I will finally have vengeance for you, mother and father."

She made her way out of her chamber, leaving behind the copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" on the mattress.

The Silent Commando began to make her way down the corridors of Castle Pandemonium to get ready for her master plan. She gathered a few Putties to make her trap succeed, while she worked on arming herself for battle. Once she felt that everything was ready, she was about to make her way to Earth when another presence disturbed her.

Pulling her Gunblade from its sheath, Lightning pointed the blade at the shadows until she could see the armor of the Dark Knight. The knight remained still as Lightning put her weapon aside from her companion. "It is late, Lightning," said the knight. "What could you possibly be plotting at this hour?"

"Destroying the Power Rangers, what else is there, Knight?" asked Lightning.

"You mean revenge," said the Dark Knight. "Vengeance is a slippery slope, Lightning. If you continue to chase after what you've lost, you will only lead to your own destruction."

"And how is this any different then what Thrax wants!" Lightning shouted at him. "He is trying to avenge his family as well! He is after the Rangers for destroying him in the past."

Dark Knight briefly nodded his head with his hand placed on the handle of his sword. He knew that Lightning was no fool, but he was surprised to see that she understood so little about their leader. Vengeance had truly blocked her vision.

"Revenge isn't the only thing that Thrax craves," said the Dark Knight. "He wants to control all things. By defeating the Power Rangers then nothing can stand in his way for total domination." The knight circled around Lightning with the commando on her guard. They both trusted each other, but not enough to drop their guard. "The Rangers are the only beings in the universe with the power to stop Thrax, nothing and no one else can."

With that said, Dark Knight vanished into the shadows to leave Lightning alone with her thoughts of vengeance. She didn't care what the knight had to say as she left the palace to do something about the Rangers.

As all of this happened, Beelzebub stepped out from the shadows with a small smirk on his devilish face. He laughed at the naïve thoughts of both the Dark Knight and Lightning; however, they would both be useful to what he was planning. The arrogance though. If only they knew that something far more powerful then the Rangers existed, the ancient powers that have been around since Creation began.

Beelzebub knew that their time would come soon enough as he left to retire in his own chamber.

* * *

><p>It was already three when Alice finally got the boys home after sobering up considerably. Alice parked her car outside of their apartment complex which was about ten minutes away from her own place. Ric let out a ghastly yawn as he stumbled out from the car like a drunken idiot, while Alice and Landon watched.<p>

With Ric stumbling to the door, Landon started to make his slightly sober way out as well. He briefly turned to Alice though, a grin plastered onto his handsome face. "I had a lot of fun, Alice," he said, softly. "Next time though, let's leave the kid home. We can go bar hopping."

That was a pleasant thought that popped into her head. Alice wouldn't mind spending some time alone with their leader, especially since she would have his muscles all to herself. "I like that idea," she said, giggling a little. "Make sure that Ric doesn't kill himself." She threw Landon a farewell wink and a smile. "I'll see you later, Landon."

A slight blush formed on Landon's face as he pushed the door open. "Goodbye Alice," Landon said, finally leaving the car.

He pulled the passed out Ric from the grass and carried him to the door until they both disappeared from Alice's sight.

Now that she got them home in one piece, Alice was able to leave with a clear conscious. She gave out a heavy sigh as she started her engine up again and made her way home. The roads were pretty much empty at this point since it was officially Saturday, most people didn't work and those who partied Friday night were mostly home by now.

The ten minutes went by slowly, but Alice made it to her apartment and parked the car on the curb. As she was getting her things though, a chill crept up her spine. It was too dark to see and the streetlight above her just happened to have gone out the night before. With a gulp, Alice turned her headlights on where she saw a woman standing perfectly still.

It only took but a second for her to recognize just who that woman was.

"Fucking shit!" Alice said as she jumped out the car.

Lightning pulled the trigger, firing where at the driver's seat that Alice was sitting at a moment ago. Alice rolled on the ground with Lightning jumping on the hood as she shifted the Gunblade into its sword form. Lifting the weapon above her head, Lightning smirked down at the frightened, young woman in the moonlight.

"Look what I found," smirked Lightning, "a little Ranger out in the middle of the night. Did you have fun whoring yourself around town?"

Alice could only shake her head as she removed the yellow bracelet from her wrist. "Screw you bitch, I was having such a good night too until you ruined it!" shouted Alice. "I'm not even going to bother asking why a psycho like you is here either. I'm just going to kick your ass!" The bracelet became her Crystal Morpher, which she held forward. "Angel Force, Power Up!" Yellow feathers began to circle around her body until she fully transformed into the Yellow Ranger.

Removing her Angel Sword from its sheath, the Yellow Ranger armed herself for battle against the commando. Lightning jumped from the hood of the car and took that as an opening to strike. Yellow Ranger managed to avoid the initial blow before charging after Lightning with an attack of her own. Their blades crossed together with a few sparks flying upon impact of their weapons.

The two women leaned towards each other, Lightning with a scowl on her face as the Yellow Ranger had a similar look underneath the helmet. The two parted ways briefly, but Lightning jumped to the wall of the building before using her legs to propel herself back after Yellow Ranger. The Ranger threw her body into the air, twisting herself to land on another car to avoid Lightning's Gunblade.

"You've gotten faster," Lightning laughed.

"No, I just know what to expect from you," said the Yellow Ranger.

A huff escaped Lightning as she straightened herself out. "Don't kid yourself," said the commando. "You know nothing of me. I'll beat you in less than five minutes."

"Bring it!"

The two collided together once more, crossing blades upon their impact. Yellow Ranger was thrown back though by the sheer strength of Lightning. She pushed the Ranger back and while she stumbled, a sharp kick crashed into the Ranger's chest. Yellow Ranger flew until she landed on the rough of a car with Lightning chasing after her.

Recovering quickly and thinking quicker, Yellow Ranger touched the car with her gloved hand to bring the car to life. Upon communicating with the car, the headlights of the car came on with the engine roaring with life. Yellow Ranger threw herself of the car and told the vehicle to start driving. The car moved on its own until it crashed into the incoming Lightning. The warrior woman was thrown a few feet back as the car died from the lack of contact with the techno path.

Yellow Ranger pulled out her Holy Pistols and fired at the fallen warrior. Lightning recovered though from getting hit by a car. With her alien strength and speed, Lightning easily blocked the bullets by slashing at them with her rotating Gunblade. As the last bullet came after her, the commando gave a final slash that released a blast of energy that propelled towards the Yellow Ranger.

The impact knocked the Ranger back until she crashed into the brick wall of a building. Her consciousness faded away as the attack instantly took all her strength from her. As she collapsed to the ground, Lightning made her approach to the Ranger and laughed as she grabbed onto her.

"Four and a half minutes," said Lightning. "I was getting worried there for a minute, but down the rabbit hole we go, Alice."

Darkness surrounded the two of them as Lightning took the Yellow Ranger to someplace she'd never escape from.

* * *

><p>The chirping sound alarmed Alice, forcing her to waken from her unconscious state. It was all such a haze to her as she barely remembered anything that happened. She couldn't remember a thing at all. The last thing that came to mind was her own battle against Lightning, but even that she could barely remember.<p>

Alice lifted herself up from the blackened ground she once laid upon. The young woman looked around and saw the horrific forest that she found herself in. Everything looked dead to her, devoid of all semblance of life. With the first step she took, she noticed something off. She looked down to see her clothes had changed into a raged, blue dress and black flats. This dress did not decent at all which made Alice want to rip it off if it wasn't for the fact that she'd be naked then.

"Where the hell am I?" Alice asked herself.

So she found herself wandering around these dark woods until she came across a sparkling object. Her curiosity got the best of her as she leaned down to retrieve the object. It turned out to be a golden, pocket watch that seemed to be fairly old. Alice simply shrugged her shoulders as she held onto the pocket watch and continued to walk onward.

At least now she could tell the time.

That was how she spent the better part of an hour, wandering around the dark forest until she could find anything that would be remotely helpful. But she had no idea where she even was as she looked at the very foreign flora. Large plants were everywhere despite the dead look they bore from lack of sun and water. She's never seen vegetation like this anywhere not even from the pictures she's seen in books and on the Internet.

This was a foreign world to her. In fact, it was almost like she was in a whole other world. Alice seemed to think that was a likely case since it's already been proven that there was life on other planets from bacteria, plants, and actual animals. Maybe she somehow got taken to one of these other worlds, but she couldn't remember being transported to one.

How else could she have gotten sent to this strange world, unless it was Lightning that did this? But how could the alien woman have accomplished this though?

"I'm late! I'm late!" screamed a loud, high-pitched voice.

Alice stopped her wandering as she finally heard another person in the woods. The minute she turned around, she saw something emerging from the woods. It was a girl, but she appeared like a bunny. This girl had bunny ears coming from her brown, curly hair. She wore a tight, pink vest with fishnet stockings as her little bunny tail was exposed from backside.

This bunny-girl looked very familiar, but Alice wasn't certain until the bunny-girl spoke again.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late," she screamed, frantically. "Damn me for losing my watch. Now the Queen will surely have my head for this!"

"Haley?" asked Alice. "Is that you, girl?"

The bunny-girl turned to Alice with a startled look on her face. She backed away from the unexpected company, frightened by the appearance of the stranger. "My name isn't Haley," said the bunny-girl. "I'm the White Rabbit."

A smile crept up Alice's face as she recognized that name. This had to be someone's twisted joke, she must be dreaming. "White Rabbit?" Alice said, laughing a little. "This has got to be a joke. Next, you'll tell me that this is Wonderland."

"Correction," said the White Rabbit, "this is Underland. Now, excuse me, I'm very late. And I still haven't found my pocket watch."

"This one?" Alice said, holding it up. "I found it about an hour ago."

The White Rabbit hopped for joy as she took the pocket watch from Alice. "Thank you, young lady!" said the bunny-girl. "I must be going now. The Queen will not be pleased with me for being so late."

She left Alice alone after that, disappearing deeper into the forest.

Alice gave of a heavy sigh as the White Rabbit disappeared. She knew that this had to be someone's trick. She must've drank a lot more then she thought if she was dreaming about being in Wonderland.

"I'm high as a fucking kite," said Alice, "or I drank way too much. This can't be Wonderland."

"Silly girl, didn't you listen to the White Rabbit? This is Underland, not Wonderland."

Alice held a scream as she turned around to see a boy leaning against a tree. Except like the White Rabbit, the boy bore features similar to that of a cat as well. The boy had cat ears on top of his orange-red hair with a long tail poking out from behind. He wore black and purple leather pants with a matching shirt. The shirt was two sizes too small so half of his chest was exposed to Alice.

"Connor!" Alice screamed. "Why are you dressed up like some Japanese man's perverted fantasy?"

The cat-boy shook his head at Alice as he gracefully approached. He briefly vanished from sight until Alice felt body heat radiating from behind her. The cat-boy was now standing behind her with a wide grin plastered onto his youthful face.

"Cheshire Cat at your service, Alice," said the cat-boy. "Do you know what you're after? Do you know what waits for you in Underland?"

"Drop the act already, Connor," said Alice. "I already know I'm dreaming. Quit fucking with me."

The Cheshire Cat simply raised his hand up to the girl, revealing his claws. The smile that graced his lips frightened Alice to the point where she needed to back away from him. "We are not a dream, Alice, this is real," he told her. "Or we might be an illusion. A fantastic hallucination born from the dreams of a silly girl, one can only wonder what we are. Either way, Alice, you'll find what you're looking for at the garden. If you excuse me, I'll be taking a cat nap."

He vanished once more, but Alice saw him above the dreams and he was…napping.

Alice just shook her head as she became very aware that she lost all traces of her sanity as she kept on walking.

* * *

><p>Ric was completely miserable as he was recovering from his hangover. The bright lights of the Command Center bothered him to no end as he used his sunglasses to hide behind these lights. His heart was throbbing with vengeance though despite the half a bottle of Tylenol he took to alleviate the pain. Not even his father's famous hangover remedy didn't work as well as it normally did.<p>

It didn't help that he had Connor and Haley picking on him as he sat on a chair. Haley was constantly asking him moronic questions, while Connor purposely bumped into his chair with his own. Ric wasn't sure which one bothered him more; Haley's questions or Connor's bumping. A nice bumping did sound good, but only if it involved nudity.

And that's when Ric decided that Connor was his biggest annoyance. The awkwardness of having the boy bumping his skinny legs against his own made him feel uncomfortable. Ric finally had to push the boy away to the point he actually sailed across the Command Center on his chair. Haley ran over to help him when he crashed and fell off the chair, making Ric regret his actions only a little though.

Landon swatted Ric in the back of the head though, forcing his headache to get worse.

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Ric. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, but you nearly killed Connor," said Landon. "Did you forget that the two of us have superhuman strength? You're lucky you didn't throw him out the building."

Connor stumbled up from his chair, waving until he got Landon and Ric's attention. "I'm okay," the boy said, a little dizzy. "Really, I'm fine. No trouble at all…is the room spinning for anyone else?" At that point, Connor collapsed towards the ground, but Haley managed to catch him before he hit his head.

"Easy hun," said Haley. "We already got one hungover idiot."

"Has anyone else notice that Alice is missing?" Connor suddenly asked.

Alpha 8 entered the main part of the center just in time to hear Connor's question. The robot approached the Rangers after finishing the maintenance on the Zords. "She hasn't been here since yesterday afternoon," said Alpha. "Do you think she decided to sleep in? Isn't it customary for Earthlings to sleep in on Saturday?"

"For everyone except Alice," Ric said, burying his face in his hands.

"I'll give it another hour," Haley said with Connor's head on her shoulder. "She could just be sleeping in for a change."

Landon nodded his head, but couldn't help but to worry about Alice. He wouldn't have even noticed had Connor not brought up just a minute ago. Normally, he wouldn't be so concerned, but he couldn't help but to think that something may have happened to her.

Connor seemed to think so too as he tried to reach Alice with the Communicator.

* * *

><p>A dried up garden lurked in the distance. Alice made her approach to the garden with hopes of finding someone else there. After the madness with the White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat, she wondered just what else that Wonderland had in store for her. If she remembered the story correctly then she was about to experience a Mad Tea-Party.<p>

She quietly approached the garden until she could see a small table with two figures sleeping on top. A tea set was scattered about, old and broken, but still steaming from the tea. Little pastries were scattered about, but they looked disgusting which made Alice's stomach curl with disgust. So she went up to the table to see that the two figures were oddly dressed in strange vestments.

When Alice reached the table though, the figures picked their heads up and began to laugh like a pair of madmen. They were both men who Alice recognized as Landon and Ric, but she knew better then to assume that they were them. The Landon double was dressed raged but extravagant, red suit. A large, top hat was placed on his head with his dark hair turning flaming red. As for the Ric double, he was dressed up like a hare in a blue suit. A pair of rabbit ears grew from his head along with a large pair of teeth sticking out from his mouth.

"Time for tea!" shouted the two men. "Tea Time! Tea Time!"

The Landon double grabbed onto Alice and began to drag her to the table. "Hurry Alice," said the young man, "you've kept the March Hare and I waiting for such a long time. You are such a naughty girl."

"Naughty girl!" laughed the Ric double. "Get her a scone, Hatter. I'll fetch her a glass of tea."

The men grew silent for a moment, while the Hatter had Alice sit on a half-broken chair. She looked at them curiously when they both began to burst with a fit of laughter. "Tea Time!" shouted the men. "Tea Time! Time for tea!"

Alice just rolled her eyes as she prepared to deal with the insanity of The Hatter and the March Hare. At least they were fitting personalities, which made Alice wonder just who the Queen of Hearts was supposed to be.

"You're both completely mad," Alice said, sniffing her tea.

"No!" March Hare grabbed the tea from her hand and threw it at The Hatter. He ducked passed the projectile just as March Hare began to fill her a second cup. Alice tried to take the tea from him, but he constantly pulled it away from her so she couldn't get it.

It got to the point where Alice just had to smack the hare in the head to get her damn tea.

The idiots began to laugh once more, while Alice drank the spicy tea.

"You know, Alice," laughed The Hatter, "the Queen has been searching for you. You two apparently have some business to attend to. Naughty girl, it'll be off with your head if you're not careful.

March Hare started to laugh as well, while Alice gulped and reached out for her neck. She could only hope that this crazy version of Wonderland would stick to the story. She was too pretty to lose her head to some psycho version of the Queen of Hearts.

Still, she wondered who this Queen was.

"They're here!" laughed the hare. "The Queen's Putty Cards are here."

"Putties!" Alice shouted, jumping to her feet.

It was as the March Hare had said. A group of Putties emerged from the forest with the T's on their chests replaced with playing card symbols. They were also armed with spears and other weapons that made Alice a little nervous. She didn't like how things were looking and since she didn't have her Morpher with it she decided to do the only smart thing.

Alice took off running with The Hatter and March Hare laughing as the Putties began to chase after her.

* * *

><p>The hour hadn't passed, but the others were worried as they got no word from Alice. The most alarming being her cell phone that went straight to her voicemail. So Connor and Alpha got to work on trying to track Alice down with the Command Center's computer grid.<p>

Alpha had placed a tracking devices into each of their Morphers and their Communicators in case of an emergency. It was a smart thing since it meant that the Rangers had a chance of finding each other in case trouble came after them.

Connor wasn't as big of a computer expert as Alice, but he was able to work the system to his advantage. Alpha did most of the heavy lifting though as they performed their city-wide search for Alice. The tried searching for both her Communicator and Morphers, however, they soon learned that the Communicator wasn't admitting a signal of any kind.

"It must've been broken," said Alpha.

"Does that mean she was in danger?" asked Haley. "Why didn't she try to contact any of us?"

"She probably thought she could handle it on her own," Ric said, waiting impatiently.

A smile crept up Connor's face as he finally got a hold of Alice's signal from her Morpher. It was a very weak signal though, but it was good enough for him. "I found her," he told everyone. "She's…she's by water plant. There's a lot of interference with the signal so I think this is going to be a trap."

"We'll have to be on our guard then," said Landon. "Ranger up everyone."

The Rangers gathered together and held the Crystal Morphers up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. Feathers of their individual colors began to circle around them as they morphed into their Ranger form.

Alpha 8 immediately teleported the Rangers to the plant where the Black Ranger tracked Alice down to.

They arrived to the plant within seconds only to see a group of Putties guarding a small warehouse. You didn't have to be a genius to know that Alice was somewhere within the warehouse nor was it difficult to see that there was some evil energy circling around it. Knowing that they had to get through these Putties to save their friend, the Rangers got to work and charged after the grunts.

Red Ranger led the others into a skirmish against the Putties. He easily knocked down a couple of Putties with a nasty tackle. His elbow dug into the large T on one of them, causing it to burst into nothing. He sprang back up on his feet and took the other down by stomping on it with his foot.

Pink Ranger and Black Ranger tag-teamed a group of Putties. Armed with their Angel Swords, the duo sliced through the Putties to keep them down. Black Ranger sped through the Putties to cut them apart, while Pink Ranger jumped high into the air to finish off the remaining clay freaks with her sword.

Blue Ranger kept it simple as he punched and kicked his way passed a crowd of Putties. His fist smashed the insignia on their chest and he got the others with a swift kick. He grabbed a Putty and smashed them against another to finish them both off at once.

With the Putties cleared out of the way, the Rangers made their way to the warehouse to find Alice.

* * *

><p>Lost during her run through this insane Wonderland, Alice eventually arrived to a lovely garden where strange creatures were painting the white roses red. She froze when she remembered this part of the story and knew just how much trouble she was about to be in. She tried to think of a way out of this, but it was too late as the Putties had already caught up to her.<p>

The Putties grabbed the girl and dragged her away from the garden to the courtyard of the Gothic palace. As they made their way there, Alice saw the Wonderland version of her friends scattered about. The Hatter and March Hare were standing beside a guillotine. The White Rabbit stood on top of a podium, looking at her watch and holding onto a clipboard. As for the Cheshire Cat, he was laying on a nearby wall and licking his gloved paws.

"Court is now in session," said the White Rabbit. "Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts and Underland will now pass a sentence upon Alice King."

"What am I being charged with!" shouted Alice.

"You are being charged for the murder of my parents." The Queen of Wonderland appeared through an open doorway, Alice gasped when she recognized the woman. It turned out to be none other than Lightning herself, disguised as the Queen of Hearts. She wore a red dress that was covered with various hearts. "All murders must be punished, don't you agree?"

"I don't even know who your parents are!" shouted Alice. "I've never killed anyone."

The Queen shook her head as she approached the guillotine. The Putties pushed Alice to the device with The Hatter and March Hare strapping her in. White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat remained silent to Alice's panicking as the Queen circled around her.

She ran a hand through the curls on Alice's head before drawing herself away. "The Power Rangers murdered my parents," said the Queen, "and you are a Power Ranger. Even if your generation wasn't responsible, you are still guilty for being a Ranger. Therefore, you must be punished. You must die so that my parents may be avenged!"

"You are completely insane!" growled Alice. "You make a perfect Queen of Hearts. Speaking of Queen, why the hell are we in Wonderland? How did you pull this off?"

"Dark magicks, how else?" said the Queen. "I read the book and thought it would be a perfect fit, don't you think, Alice?" She leaned in and whispered the name into her ear. Lightning began to chuckle when she saw the fear in Alice's eyes. "I've been tracking you Rangers down with hopes of finding out your identities. You really shouldn't morph in public; it only makes it easier to find you. That's how I found your friends, Connor and Ric, too. That's how I put my Wonderland together. And this is where you shall die, Alice King!"

The Queen of Hearts left the podium where the Guillotine was and raised her Gunblade up into the air. The courtyard was completely silent as the Queen struck with terror upon the denizens of this twisted version of Wonderland. "Off with her head!" shouted the Queen.

Alice closed her eyes, bracing herself for the very worst as she heard the Guillotine being released.

"Alice, wake up!" shouted a group of voices, sounding like her friends.

She luckily listened to the voices and opened her eyes just before the Guillotine sliced her head off and shattered the magicks of Lightning's Wonderland.

* * *

><p>Yellow Ranger woke up to find herself tied to a chair with Lightning lying on the ground and the other Rangers circled around her. Black Ranger quickly rushed towards her and cut the Yellow Ranger free from the chair. She was too confused to really understand what was happening, but Black Ranger was able to get her back on her feet easily enough.<p>

"What?" asked Yellow Ranger. "I was in Wonderland though."

"Sounds like you were more on a bad acid trip, girl," laughed Black Ranger.

"It's true," said Yellow Ranger. "Lightning, I fought her and lost then she used dark magick to create this wacked out version of Wonderland where she tried to kill me."

Red Ranger glared at the kneeling alien woman with his fists clenched. "We'll teach you for attacking us!" shouted the Rangers' leader. "You won't get away from us without punishment."

Lightning just huffed though as she pulled herself back onto her feet. She moved faster than any of them could've anticipate and was now armed with her Gunblade once more. The Rangers had snuck up and attack her while she was still weaving her magicks, but now she was ready for them. She wouldn't allow herself to be so easily beaten by these foul idiots, vengeance was on her side after all.

Red Ranger and Blue Ranger tried to attack Lightning together, but not even with their super strength could they best her. She weaved through them both then slashed with her Gunblade to send them down to the ground. Blue Ranger tried to get her back by tossing his Glory Hammer at her, but she was able to dodge that one too. Red Ranger got back on his feet and went charging after her with the Aurora Sword.

Their blades crossed together, however, Lightning was able to overpower him. She pushed their blades upward then brought hers down to slash him across the chest. Sparks flew as the Red Ranger was thrown back towards Blue Ranger.

Pink Ranger attacked while Lightning still had her back turned. With her Sacred Claws, Pink Ranger slashed at the commando but she too came in contact with the Gunblade. The Ranger was able to hold her ground though as she used both of her claws to keep Lightning at bay. Lightning glared at the girl though as she brought her leg up to knee her in the chest. Pink Ranger stumbled back which gave Lightning the opportunity to strike.

Lightning brought her Gunblade down once more to finish the Ranger off. As the Pink Ranger went down to the ground, a group of arrows snuck up from behind Lightning. She reacted quickly and slashed away at the incoming arrows that she soon learned came from the Black Ranger. Armed with his Heaven Bow, Black Ranger fired another group of arrows after the alien, but Lightning was easily able to stop the incoming arrows. Switching her Gunblade to its gun form, Lightning pulled the trigger and shot the Black Ranger in the shoulder with a spirit bullet.

Black Ranger fell down with his bow no longer in hand either, leaving Yellow Ranger on her own.

"Evil hag!" shouted the Yellow Ranger. She grabbed her Holy Pistols as she finally recovered enough from her trip to Wonderland. "Like seriously, what is your damage! You keep saying how you're after revenge yet we still don't know what you're so angry about! So what the Power Rangers killed your parents, they were probably evil monsters if they met such a cruel fate."

Yellow Ranger probably shouldn't have said that to Lightning because the woman was glaring viciously at her. She drew her Gunblade back into its sword form as she charged after the Yellow Ranger. "How dare you insult my parents!" screamed Lightning. "I will kill you all! I shall avenge my beloved mother, Scorpina, and my loyal father, Goldar!"

A few bullets escaped the Yellow Ranger's pistols, thus distracting Lightning and giving her a chance to escape. Yellow Ranger ran out of the warehouse with Lightning casing after with a bloody vengeance. She knew that she couldn't run indefinitely so she was going to take her stand now to stop Lightning and save her friends.

Skidding across the grave, Yellow Ranger came to a stop as she held her Holy Pistols up once more. Lightning jumped after her, but the Ranger gathered her strength to stop her foe. "Gaia Holy Trigger!" shouted Yellow Ranger. She pulled the trigger to her pistols, releasing bullets encased with earthly powers. The bullets shattered apart into jagged shards that cut against Lightning's flesh.

The Silent Commando came crashing to the ground, dropping to one bloody knee with her head looking down.

By then the other Rangers finally made it out from the warehouse to join their friend in battle. They were all armed with their weapons, ready to form the cannon if necessary. It didn't seem to be necessary though as Lightning seemed to have been defeated by Yellow Ranger.

Yellow Ranger dropped her arms with the pistols dangling at her side. "Now I know why she's so bitter against us," she told the others. "Her parents were killed by previous Rangers. They were apparently Scorpina and Goldar."

"You're joking!" said the Pink Ranger. "Lightning is their daughter!"

"Obviously you know of them," said Black Ranger. "Can you fill the rest of the class in on them?"

"Scorpina and Goldar were Rita Repulsa's strongest warriors," said the Pink Ranger. "They constantly fought against the Rangers, when they worked together then not even the Rangers stood a chance against them. They were destroyed by Zordon's Energy Wave during the United Alliance of Evil's attack on the galaxy."

"And it looks like their daughter inherited their legacy," said Blue Ranger.

"That doesn't matter," said Red Ranger. "This just means we have to stop her, more than ever."

Lightning started to laugh at the Rangers as she slowly got up from the ground. She was a little shaky, but she didn't give up her strength. "You really think it will be that easy?" said Lightning. "I haven't even shown you half of what I'm capable of. There is a reason why Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd relied on my parents so much." Lightning regained her balance as she raised her Gunblade high into the air. "It is why their son asked me to join him in the destruction of this miserable planet!"

Dark energy erupted from Lightning's body, pushing the Rangers back a few feet. Before they knew it, Lightning grew to a monstrous size with her appearance change as well. Her clothes were replaced with golden armor that covered her chest, legs, and arms. The bit of exposed skin was covered in a silver crystal with only her hair and weapon remained normal.

"That's a huge bitch!" said Blue Ranger.

"We're going to need our Zords for this one," said Yellow Ranger. "Angel Force Zords, power up!"

The Zords came to their aid upon the Rangers' call. They immediately jumped inside the cockpits and inserted their Crystal Morphers to combine the Zords. Angel Force Megazord was fully activated the minute that the Megazord head replaced the Angel Zord's head. The Rangers appeared in the Megazord cockpit, ready to battle against the giant Lightning.

Despite the bulky armor, Lightning was able to move with a remarkable amount of speed. She zipped across the field, away from the planet, to slash at the Megazord's armor. The explosions that were trigged by the impact caused the Megazord to stumble back as it became difficult for the Rangers to maintain control.

The Rangers were shaken within their own Megazord, getting dizzy from all the damage inflicted by Lightning.

"Is it just me or does she seem stronger now?" asked Black Ranger.

"No, she's stronger all right," said Blue Ranger.

"We're going to need a lot more power to knock her down a peg," said Pink Ranger.

"Then we're going to need our sword!" said Red Ranger.

Summoning the Angel Power Sword, the Angel Force Megazord marched after Lightning once more. The warrior woman met the Megazord blow for blow as they swung their swords after one another. The two forces struggled to overpower the other, but the battle looked like it would be in favor of Lightning. It was amazing just how strong she was, they lost all doubt that Lightning wasn't the lovechild of Scorpina and Goldar.

A thought popped in Yellow Ranger's head as she pulled up an image of the ground. She noticed that Lightning's foot was dangerously close to her Wolf Zord. "This should help us out a bit!" said Yellow Ranger. "You could use a Wolf Bite!" Pushing down on a button, the Wolf Zord opened its robotic mouth and took a bite out of Lightning's armor. The crushing impact squeezed the woman's foot, causing her a bit of pain.

Lightning stumbled back a bit and lost the dual against the Megazord. She lowered her sword, which led to the Megazord crushing the Angel Power Sword against her armored chest. The sparks that flew off her were large and she let out a grunt of pain as she fell back away from the Rangers.

"There's your opening!" said Yellow Ranger. "Let's finish her now!"

"Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers.

Angel Force Megazord charged its power cells, empowering the Angel Power Sword. The gems on the sword began to glow as the Megazord delivered a crushing swing towards Lightning. But as the Heaven Mega Power Slash neared her head, another sword interfered with the attack. This new sword blocked their attack, but still trigged a nasty explosion.

When the dust cleared, the Rangers saw a giant-sized Dark Knight with a hand on Lightning's shoulder. "I told you your quest for revenge would be your downfall," said the Dark Knight. He looked over at the Rangers and their Megazord. The Rangers braced themselves for a fight, but the knight merely returned the sword to its sheath. "You have won this battle, Rangers. Do not think you won the war though."

Dark Knight grabbed onto Lightning and the two disappeared from sight.

The Rangers gave out a sigh of relief, grateful for the fight being over and happy to know that they didn't have to battle the knight as well.

* * *

><p>The battle was over and so the Rangers gathered to the Command Center to hear Alice's frightful tale in Wonderland. She told them briefly of her fight with Lightning before being captured by the alien woman and pushed down the "rabbit hole". The others were disgusted when they heard of how they were included into this psychedelic trip that Alice was caught in. Well, everyone except for Connor was disturbed by this.<p>

"Cool," Connor said, stressing the syllables. "I was the Cheshire Cat."

"I was the White Rabbit?" said Haley.

"Why was I the Mad Hatter?" asked Landon.

"Screw you, dude!" shouted Ric. "The Hatter is badass. Why was I the damn March Hare in your fantasy?"

Connor just patted Ric's head who was sitting down beside him in the Command Center. "Maybe it's because you're as mad as a March hare," he said, laughing at Ric. The Mexican boy got his vengeance though as he pushed Connor's chair away from him again. Once more, the oriental boy when flying across their base, this time nobody was there to rescue him as he crashed. "I'm okay!"

Haley just shook her head as she went over to help the boy up once more. Landon didn't bother to swat his friend in the head since he thought Connor kinda deserved that one. Not even Connor was going to complain since he knew he provoked that response out from Ric.

Alice could only roll her eyes at her dumb friends, while Alpha continued to ask questions about Wonderland. "I can never watch the movies the same way ever again," said Alice. The Rangers laughed together as Alpha tried to understand what the joke meant.

* * *

><p>Lightning pointed her Gunblade out to the Earth, glaring at the blue planet that the Moon orbited around. She vowed her vengeance against the Rangers, but this vow had to be upgraded. Not only did she fight for her parents' honor, she was going to fight to reclaim what the Rangers stole from her on this day.<p>

"My honor has been stolen from me," said the warrior woman. "I will have my revenge on you, Angel Force Rangers. Your lives shall be mine."

With her vow in place, Lightning disappeared into her bedchamber, unaware of the two figures watching her.

Dark Knight only shook his head as he vanished into the darkness. He thought about the blind vengeance that the woman was losing herself in. He was well aware that she was slowly sending herself to an untimely demise.

Beelzebub huffed as he watched Lightning and the Dark Knight leave. It seemed that things could only get more interesting for him at this point. Now that he's seen what they were both capable of, he was more than certain that they would prove themselves useful for his "divine" scheme.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Haley must find harmony between her family life and her duty as a Ranger. Things only grow more difficult as Beelzebub decides to attack the Earth personally, forcing Haley to find a way to keep her secret hidden from her parents. Can Haley help the other Rangers before Beelzebub destroys them all? Can she keep her secret from her former Ranger parents? And just who is Beelzebub? Find out in **Balancing Pink!**


	7. Chapter 6

Author's Note: So I managed to finish this chapter before my surgery! Yay me! It's nothing major though, I'm just having my last three wisdom teeth taken out. However, I'll be jacked up for a bit so updates will be a lot slower depending on how bad I am and how long it takes to recover. That's it though. Haha. Enjoy the chapter and leave me a lot of nice reviews so that I will be inspired to get better so I can get back to writing for you all. P.S. I might write a Glee fan fic with a Marvel universe type deal that has Sam's geeky superhero fantasy come true! Not sure yet. Oh! And I started up my X-Men Evolution fan fic so if you care to read that then do so and leave pretty reviews. Ha. Anyways, read and review! Forgot to mention, thanks everyone for supporting the story so far! I'm glad you enjoyed the Wonderland chapter too, I was a little worried that you might not like it or think it was like too weird. Okay, I'm officially done now! Start reading.

**Balancing Pink:**

It was just another day at Angel Grove High School for Haley Scott.

She breezed through the motions as she went through her first four classes of the morning. As usual, she dazzled her teachers with her perfection and gained adoration from her classmates as well as inspiring jealousy. Yes, many people believed her to be this perfect little girl who happened to be the daughter of two of the world's greatest heroes. It was a life she lived through for seventeen years, but it always felt so hallow until she became the Pink Ranger.

Life finally had a purpose for her now that she was a Power Ranger. It was no longer about pleasing her parents or following everyone else's expectations of her. Now, she could finally do something that completed her that made her feel so alive for a chance. This was her time to do something bigger then herself, something that truly made a difference.

So Haley continued to push herself onward, but even then she was stretching herself thin. There were many things that revolved around Haley's life. Family, friends, and school took up a lot of her life before becoming an Angel Force Ranger. Now, she had to find a balance between the four sides to her soul. She struggled to find perfect harmony between being a daughter, a friend, a student, and a heroine. It took a lot out of her and she left completely exhausted by the end of the day, but she thought she found balance between the four.

At least that's what she tried to convince herself to believe.

Moving through the crowded halls of the school, Haley finally made it to the cafeteria. She went to the lunch line and picked up her tray before picking out the dismal options for a meal today. It looked like today would be another salad day since the meat looked dry and horrid. At least the vegetables were fresh for a nice change, which made her stock up on some.

Sarah and Amber were waiting for her at their usual table. Haley had to admit that she hadn't been the perfect friend lately since being a Ranger was eating up a bit more of her friend-time. She was gonna make up for that though since they had a major trip to the beach planned for the weekend. Hopefully, Thrax would hold of sending an army of monsters until next week so she could soak up some ultraviolet rays.

Her friends were an interesting bunch of conflicting personalities. Sarah was just a total sweetheart; the girl would give you the shirt off her back if you just asked for it. She was a tiny little thing too with brown hair, blue eyes, and caramel-colored skin. Amber, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of both Haley and Sarah. She was a bit of an attitude that screamed not to mess with her. That seemed to work well with the outrageous manner in which she dressed, her pitch black hair, and dark brown eyes.

Nonetheless, Haley loved them both to death and enjoyed all the time she spent with them.

"You ready to party it up this weekend?" Amber asked Haley. "I'm dying to get out of this monster-infested town."

"Don't joke like that," said Sarah. "Almost ten people have died since those monsters started attacking. More would've died too if the Power Rangers hadn't stopped them."

Haley tried to stray away from the Rangers topic though. The main reason was that she didn't want to say anything that would let it slip that she was a Ranger. Everyone else believed it had to do with her parents being former Rangers themselves. It was a great distraction tactic that spared her from getting into a lot of trouble.

"So my mom is checking me out early today," said Haley. "We're going to have a mother-daughter day since she's been running back and forth with my dad. I can probably con her into buying me a couple new outfits for the beach. Is there anything in particular that you guys want? I can get her to buy them, thinking they're for me."

Amber and Sarah's eyes lit up from the prospect of getting some free clothes. They already had a few outfits that came to mind, which they quickly scrolled through to get the perfect ones. It worked nicely to have friends who could fit into your clothes. It opened your closet up to a million more possibilities and it made getting rid of your clothes a little easier. Just tell your parents that one of your friends borrowed it and hasn't given it back yet.

That one worked everytime.

"There's this bathing suit at Agaci," said Amber.

"There are these cute sandals at Gap," said Sarah.

Haley made mental notes to pick up what her friends wanted while she was out. They were just about to decide who's car they were about to take when cheering caught their attention. A familiar scream made Haley's skin crawl as she snapped her neck back to see that the dumbass jocks were at it again.

In the defense for the jocks, not all of them were jerks. Only the more narrow minded ones were who you needed to worry about. The sad thing was that the decent ones wouldn't go up against the jerks. A lot of bad things could've been avoided if people just stood up for the poor underdog, which is what Haley had to do.

She stormed across the cafeteria before it was too late. Two assholes from the football team were about to dump Connor into the nearest trashcan. Unfortunately for Connor that security or the administration weren't inside the cafeteria, which she was going to have her mom bring up at the next PTA meeting she went too. Going back to saving her friend, Haley elbowed one of the football players, sparing Connor from getting thrown into the trash.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave Connor alone!" shouted Haley. "If this happens one more time then I'll show you what my dad taught me. Trust me, it won't be pretty either. There's a reason why he's one of the greatest Red Rangers, you don't want to see why."

It seemed like they finally took the hint. The jocks took off running in the opposite direction with more cheering filling up the cafeteria as Haley saved the day once again. She helped Connor back on his feet, relieved to see that her friend was safe.

"I owe you one," said Connor. "Thanks for saving me again."

"That's what friends are for, Con," said Haley.

She locked her arm around Connor's then dragged him over to her table where he'd be safer. She introduced him to Amber and Sarah who seemed a little surprised to see Haley being nice to the school's resident gay kid. Then again, it wasn't all that surprising so they, more or less, welcomed him with open arms.

* * *

><p>The lights of the Command Center were going off as Alice once again worked on another one of her projects. This time though, it was solely dedicated to helping the Rangers, and not part of some insane freelance work she was trying to accomplish. She was working with Alpha 8 to reprogram the defense system around the Command Center to make sure it was still functional.<p>

A minor quake had gone through their end of the state. There was no significant damage or any causalities, but since the Command Center was underground, it was worth making sure the structure was intake. Alpha 8 knew the inner-workings of the Command Center inside and out so this took no time at all from his schedule. Alice was just an added bonus, he showed her how everything worked to make certain that she'd know everything in case something happened to him.

"So I just type in these key and scroll down to that icon?" asked Alice.

"Exactly," said Alpha, "then you'll need to type in this sequence. It will open up everything for you and you can monitor the system or edit as necessary."

"That's too easy then," Alice said, resisting the urge to reprogram the entire base.

Alpha had a feeling he was going to have to watch Alice a little more closely now just as two beams of light entered the center.

Landon and Ric showed up, finally done with their shifts at work, but were still dressed up in uniform.

Alice turned around then shot a wink at the guys. "If it isn't the sexy busboy and waiter," she said, laughing. "What are you guys up to today? Anything exciting?"

"We're just going to train a little," Landon said, walking over towards her. "Care to watch?"

"Playing with computer programs or watching guys get all hot and sweaty?" Alice asked herself. "Which would be a lot more fun?" She pushed Landon away from her just as he was beginning to unbutton the black dress shirt. She ignored the hard muscles as she returned to the computers and Alpha. "Computers are better than boys. At least when a computer breaks, it's your own fault."

Landon just shook his head as he dropped his shirt on the nearest table. Ric followed his lead, both of them revealing the wife beaters they wore underneath. They made their way into the training room to beat each other up, while Alice and Alpha focused on making sure everything was running smoothly.

Speaking of smoothly, Alice fought the urge to swoon as she remembered how Landon's muscles felt underneath her fingertips.

* * *

><p>After lunch, Haley was checked out by her mother so that their mother-daughter day could finally begin. There was no doubt which parent Haley looked more like. She was almost the sitting image of her mother, Kimberly. Though the years have passed since she was her daughter's age, Kimberly had aged very gracefully since her days as the Pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger.<p>

Her hair was cut a little shorter, she had a little more meat on her bones, and she was no longer as naïve as she had been. Kimberly had matured into a beautiful, strong woman who would die to protect her daughter from any harm. Being a Ranger had changed Kimberly in so many ways, it molded her into the woman that she is today.

"Did anything interesting happen at school today?" Kimberly asked, playing the part of a concerned mother.

Haley fought the urge to laugh as they passed the fence of the school. It would take about ten minutes before they'd make it to the mall where shopping awaited them both. Today would be a bit stressful since her mother was here, but she had learned to humor her and her crazy ways.

"Nothing too interesting other than saving my friend, Connor, from getting thrown into the trash," said the young brunette. "I think the football players listened to me this time. If not, well, I made Amber and Sarah have their boyfriends watch out for him. They learned their lesson since I kicked them both in the privates that one time in freshman year."

"You're such a violent girl," said Kimberly. "I sometimes regret letting you watch all those Kung-Fu movies with your dad and Zack."

"Uncle Zack's movies were the best!" laughed Haley. "The cheesy dubbing and the outrageous blood shots, it was more of a comedy then action movie."

Kimberly could only roll her eyes at her daughter. If only she knew, she couldn't blame her for being so young.

To distract them both, Kimberly turned the radio up as the local DJ came on. They were going to play some new singer from the latest Britney Spears incarnation when the DJ mentioned the Power Rangers. "So just last week, these new Rangers fought this giant, armored woman by the water treatment plant," said the DJ. "Then this giant knight showed up too and they escaped before the Rangers could finish them off. I don't know about anyone else, but these monsters seem to keep getting worse. If these Rangers managed to defeat this Big Bad, I'm afraid who might attack next. What is next?"

The DJ calmed himself down then played an upbeat, danceable song.

Haley felt the air in the car getting thicker as she turned to her mother. Kimberly's knuckles were white as she clung onto the steering wheel, still on the way to the mall. The Rangers had always been a sore spot for her mother. Her dad avoided speaking about his glory days around her, but Haley never understood the why behind it all.

"I pity those poor things," Kimberly finally said.

They pulled into the parking lot of the mall, Haley's face burning by her mother's words. She got out of the car and noticed a tear escape her mother's face. "I always wanted to be a Ranger," Haley told her mother. "I think it would be kinda cool to do the work that you and dad did when you were young. The Rangers make a big difference, they fight the evil that blackens our world."

"The power comes at a great price though," Kimberly said, leaning against her BMW. "Being a Ranger can become a death sentence if you're not careful, Haley. It is not the life I wish for you. I'd die to keep you from becoming a Power Ranger."

Haley felt her heart tightened up as she looked her mother square in the eye. How could she say something like that? Kimberly Ann Hart was one of the most famous of all the Power Rangers. She was an idol for countless girls out there. She's a hero, a champion of goodness.

"I don't understand," said Haley. "I don't see why me being a Ranger would be such a bad thing?"

"Because Rangers die," said Kimberly. "Innocent people are killed in the crossfire, even Rangers aren't immune to death." A soft sigh escaped Kimberly's chest as she got away from the car. She locked it up then took her daughter's hand as they continued to stand in the parking lot. "I lost my best friend, Trini, because she was a Ranger. The original Yellow Ranger, she was killed during the United Alliance of Evil's attack on earth. I nearly lost another good friend too, Billy, he was a Power Ranger too, the first Blue Ranger. He lives on Aquitar now, it was the only way to save his life.

"I never told you this, Haley, but being a Ranger nearly killed me too. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa did horrible things to me, it nearly cost me my life and destroyed the planet. My friends, they risked their lives just to save me. The only way I could live though was to quit being a Ranger. I had to give up my powers to another girl, to someone else who would risk her life to fight all these monsters that never seem to stay away for long. Now do you understand me, Haley? It's not the life I want for you. I'd rather you be just a plain, ordinary girl then a superhero. At least this way I won't have to worry about you so much."

Kimberly kissed her daughter on the head before walking over to the entrance of the mall, wiping away the last of her tears.

Haley blindly followed her mother, knowing that she could never tell her mother the truth.

* * *

><p>While the people of Angel Grove focused on their daily lives, Castle Pandemonium was brimming with plots to destroy the Power Rangers. Thrax and Beelzebub looked out to the balcony of the castle to see the Earthlings as they lost themselves in their menial lives. It was all so horrifically pathetic that had to be done about them. The Earthlings needed to be destroyed, but first their champions needed to be killed.<p>

Beelzebub lessened the intensity of his focus before turning away from the balcony. He placed a hand on the shotgun strapped to his hip, toying with the trigger a little. "It never ceases to bother me just how the Earthlings behave," said the sharpshooter. "They act like their lives have some great significance when they are really nothing more then ants in the cosmos of the Star Ocean."

Thrax turned his head towards Beelzebub, striking the ground with his staff. "You speak as if you know it all," said the mutant. "Just who are you really? What gives you the authority to claim you understand more?"

"I was a part of something greater long ago," said Beelzebub. "And that is all you need to concern yourself with, Thrax." He pulled his twin shotguns from their holders then pointed them out the balcony. Pulling the trigger, a few shots escaped the palace and scattered throughout the stars, doing no significant harm to anything. It was just for show. "I will deal with the Power Rangers myself. I have grown tired of letting the lesser beings fight against one another. It is time for me to see what the Rangers are truly capable of."

Thrax didn't bother to argue with Beelzebub for a change. He just watched as the man disappeared in a flash of dark light, a few black feathers gently falling to the ground as he left. The mutant snatched one of the feathers and felt something strange that made his exposed flesh crawl. It was the feeling of death and power, something he knew all too well.

A great power was within Beelzebub, more than just the ability to control the Daimons.

Snapping out of this trance, Thrax tossed the feather aside to join Lightning and the Dark Knight. He disappeared into the depths of the castle where their great project was waiting for them. In a matter of moments, he descended into the dark, dreary space to find his two companions waiting for him with a group of Putties at their side.

Before them was an archway made of pure stone that stood in the middle of this darkness. The archway was broken with several bricks missing from it. A monstrous head was at the top of the stone that served as a beacon to the darkness that it contained. This was going to be their weapon against the Rangers, it was part of their grand plan for them.

"Is the Nexus complete yet?" asked Thrax. "It has been a year."

"We've had the Nexus for a year, but it is only recent that we've been giving it the proper nourishment, my lord," said Dark Knight.

Lightning nodded her head in agreement as she touched the arch. Her rough, yet delicate hands graced themselves against the hardened stone. "It is near complete though," she said with a smile. "We've been very proficient as of late. Beelzebub's Daimons have been very useful in gathering what the Nexus needs."

"How much more is necessary though?" asked Thrax.

"It won't be much longer," said Lightning. "Only a few more if that. I'm certain that Beelzebub will get what we need by the end of the day."

"All the Nexus needs is a few more lives," said the Dark Knight. "Their blood will supply the Nexus with the life-force needed to summon the monsters from throughout the cosmos."

Thrax began to smile with the skeletal structure cracking from the pleasure he felt. He slowly approached the archway, touching the brilliant creation of his grandfather that was lost in a struggle against him and Dark Specter. Master Vile's ultimate weapon now belonged to Thrax, and would soon serve him in blackening the stars in darkness.

Only a few more sacrifices were needed.

* * *

><p>Connor got tossed on his ass after getting into a rumble with Ric and Landon in the training ring. The boy was drenched in his own sweaty, yet he still kept getting back up to throw another punch or two at the older boys. To keep it from getting too brutal, Landon and Ric would only take him on one at a time. Their enhanced strength was reason enough for concern, but they also had to acknowledge the fact that Connor was much younger than they were.<p>

For the last round, Ric locked Connor by his waist then dragged him down to the ground. Connor managed to wiggle his way out by using some dirty tricks. The boy pinched Ric's arm, causing enough pain to distract him for but a moment. That was all that Connor needed to squeeze his way out before smashing his foot against Ric's rib.

"Son of a—" Ric shouted, biting down on his tongue.

Landon could only applaud Connor for a job well done, while he watched as his roommate held onto his injured side. He helped the boy back up and left Ric alone to wallow in shame. "You got your ass kicked by a fifteen year old," laughed Landon. "Dude, you lost a couple respect points."

"Don't make me kick your ass, Landon!" shouted Ric.

"I don't think you have it in you, big guy."

Ric threw Landon the finger before realizing that was a bad move. He clenched onto his rib against as the pain came back from the sudden movement. Connor had left the training room by then to retrieve one of the healing guns that Alice finished creating. They were for the more minor injuries that didn't need the full bed.

"I'm sorry about hitting you like that," Connor said, pulling the trigger.

"Don't be," said Ric. The healing rays brought nutrition to his body, allowing the healing process to be quicker. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he patted the boy on the head. "You got me good. You've gotten a lot tougher, my Padawan."

Connor rolled his eyes. "Fuck you, Master Jedi," he said, poking the still healing rib.

Ric cried out in pain once more, making Landon laugh yet again.

Meanwhile, in the main chamber, Alice was scrolling through some files located deep in the archives. She hadn't intended to dig this deep into the Command Center, but she was curious in finding more about the technology that put it together. However, Alice had gotten more then she bargained for when she found a hidden file.

Her eyes darted across the screen as she read the name. "The Celestial Initiative," whispered Alice. A curious eyebrow was raised as she felt the urge of opening the file to see what it contained. Finally deciding to just open it, Alice checked to make sure that Alpha 8 was still gone. She opened the file and a video began to play with an ethereal looking head appearing on screen.

"I am Zordon of Eltar. If you are viewing this message then it means I have perished in my battle against the forces of evil. You, I hope, are continuing the noble battle to protect the universe from evil. This is a message to the Power Rangers, to all Power Rangers. After the recovering the Zeo Crystal, I was visited by a group of beings who called themselves the Celestials. They gave me information which I have encrypted onto to this disk for protection. The Celestials told me that one day the greatest forces of evil shall rise and bring the universe to its demise. These entities are called the Seven Dark Lords. With this disk holds the key to saving the universe from the Seven Dark Lords. I pray that whoever is listening to this will do what is best for preservation of all life. Within the disk is the data to create a team of Power Rangers who draw their power from the Celestials, this power is the only thing that will save our universe from doom. I have one more gift left. The keys to awakening the power of the Celestials are hidden on Earth, I left them hidden with a former Power Ranger for safe keeping. His name is Adam Park. Take this disk to him, he will know what to do. Good luck, Rangers, and may the power protect you."

Alice immediately shut the file when she heard the doors opening. She turned back to see Alpha returning just as she finished watching the video. She pretended that everything was just fine, but her mind was storming with thoughts.

She unlocked the real reason why they were chosen to become Rangers. Thrax wasn't even their real enemy, he was just the tip of the iceberg. He was only the beginning of something horrible. It made her wonder just who were these Dark Lords and why wasn't Adam Park around to guide them?

* * *

><p>Keeping their early dinner simple, Kimberly took Haley out to Olive Garden. They stuck with some soup, salad, and breadsticks since neither one was too hungry, but were seriously craving some breadsticks. The trip to the mall had been fine, Haley seemed to recover despite her mother's strong distaste for her ever becoming a Ranger. If only she knew that she already was a Ranger that her fate was sealed.<p>

Haley would either stop the forces of evil or she would die battling them.

"When is dad coming back from his trip?" Haley asked, picking at her breadstick.

"Tomorrow morning," said Kimberly. "He might make it tonight if he managed to sneak away early enough. I doubt it though. You know how much your father loves his karate tournaments, even if they aren't for his students."

Haley let out a light laugh from her mother's joke. It was true, her father did have an insane obsession with karate, but it kept a roof over their heads so they couldn't complain. Was it really any different from the gymnastics studio that her mother opened up? Haley fought the urge to laugh at the thought since her mother was very proud of the studio that she opened after getting her Olympic medal.

"So, are there any cute boys at your school?" asked Kimberly.

"Mom!" Haley shouted.

"What?" Kimberly asked, trying to play it cool. "A mother has the right to know somethings. I just want to know if there is any potentially special someone in your life."

"There isn't anyone special, mom," said Haley. "The guys at my school are either really immature or they are jerks or a combination of the two."

"There are other schools in Angel Grove," said Kimberly. "Plenty of other teenage boys too."

Haley just rolled her eyes at her mother. There was no way she was going to let her mother set her up on another date. She had a feeling that's where this was going. The last time that happened to she had to change her phone number, twice.

"Do you know remember the Jeremy Debacle?" said Haley.

Kimberly bit down on her lip then looked down at her salad. "Moving on then," she said, stabbing her vegetables. "Tell me about this Connor boy you mentioned earlier. You said he was gay? Please tell me you're not his beard."

"Everyone at school knows he's gay or suspects it," Haley told her. "But Connor is a total sweetheart, he's had a real tough life though. He's a foster kid. His parents were killed a few years ago by some monsters and he was rescued by the Dino Thunder Rangers." Haley gauged her mother's reaction. There were certain teams of Rangers that she didn't seem to fond of, the Dino Thunder team being the biggest one. Haley never understood why though, she heard they were really nice people and she even had all of Kira Ford's albums.

"The poor thing," Kimberly said, sincerely. "He must've been really young when that happened too."

"Yeah, he's only fifteen now," said Haley. "I kind of took it as my responsibility to look out for him at school. Some of the guys there are far crueler then they should be to him."

"All because the Venjix Virus broke out the day after gay marriage was made legal," Kimberly said, shaking her head. "People claimed that to be an act of God, punishing us. I can't believe how stupid some people could be, but the Venjix Virus was just a terrible thing. A lot of innocent people were killed before it was destroyed."

Haley nodded her head in agreement as she went back to her soup and breadsticks.

Some people were just really stupid.

* * *

><p>People were fleeing and he had yet to do anything to him. Their fear was intoxicating though, which was more than enough to make him laugh at their suffering. Their suffering had yet to begin but still they panicked like a bunch of rats.<p>

Beelzebub did not bother to hide his smile as he walked along the road. Cars swerved away from him, nearly crashing into buildings and streetlights. People ran in the opposite direction of him, some even prayed for mercy as he passed by them. If only these insignificant apes knew of the true chaos he could bring upon them in a matter of minutes. He had more than enough power to decimate the entire city, if not the country, but only if he wanted to.

That wasn't what he wanted to do today.

He just wanted to lure the Power Rangers out of hiding so that he could test them for himself.

But first though, Beelzebub pulled out one of his shotguns and shot head of the nearest person. The bullet ripped through the man's skull, spilling his blood all over the street. Even his brain began to ooze out from his ears, which made the people's panic rise to new levels. Soon enough, the streets would be empty for the game he was about to play.

"Perfect," Beelzebub whispered as the blood touched his boot. "Come out, Rangers. I have a game I want to play with you."

* * *

><p>The alarms were practically screaming in the Command Center, making the Rangers spring to action. They flocked around the monitor with Alpha 8 pulling up the screen. They witnessed firsthand as Beelzebub murdered a man with his shotgun. The leather-clad biker was smiling as the man's life faded from his eyes.<p>

Connor covered his eyes to hide his tears as he buried his face against Ric's chest. Alice had to fight the urge not to vomit. Landon and Ric tried to remain as stone-faced as possible, but even they found that difficult. An innocent man had been murdered, they couldn't allow the killer to walk away unpunished.

"I'm guessing that's another Daimon," Ric said, angrily.

"Let's take him down," said Landon. "Alpha, call Haley and tell her to meet up with us. We're going to battle."

Alpha 8 nodded his head as he stepped aside to give the Rangers space. The four of them removed their bracelets to summon their Crystal Morphers. With the crystal feathers in hand, the Rangers raised them up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the quartet. Dozens of colorful feathers began to circle around the Rangers as they morphed.

The minute the transformation was complete, Alpha had them teleported to Beelzebub's location. Quickly, the robot got to work on making contact with Haley. If the Rangers were going to overcome this monster then they would need to be together to do so. It would take a great deal of teamwork in order to beat Beelzebub.

* * *

><p>After just finishing washing her hands, Haley was about to leave the restroom when her Communicator began to go off. Her eyes widened with fear as she slammed her hand over it with hopes of silencing the device before anyone could hear. She did a quick check of all the stalls, while the Communicator continued to ring. Nobody else was in the women's restroom, which was good for her.<p>

She walked towards the door, putting her foot against it to keep anyone else from coming in. As she was stretched into an awkward angle, she finally answered the call. "What is it, Alpha?" asked Haley. "This isn't a good time for me."

"I'm sorry, Haley, but a monster is attacking the city," said Alpha 8. "The other Rangers have already gone to battle him, but they're going to need your help to defeat him."

Taking a deep breath, Haley had a feeling this would happen to her today. "Alright, give me a few minutes, Alpha," said the girl. "I'll get there as soon as possible."

"Hurry Haley," Alpha said, ending the call.

Haley pulled her leg away from the door once more, grateful that no one tried to come in during the call. She went to the mirror and ran her hands through the hair as she tried to come up with an excuse to bail on her mom. There was no way that her mother would let her go without a damn good explanation, especially since they were going to get some ice cream after this.

She didn't like lying to her mom, but there was no way in Hell she was going to confess that she was a Power Ranger, not after everything she told her.

Haley returned to their table with her cell phone in hand. "Sorry about that, mom," she said, softly. "I just got a call from Connor. He really needs some help right now. He was crying when he called me, I think something really bad might have happened to him."

"Oh," Kimberly said, retrieving her credit card from the checkbook. "Alright. Do you want me to drop you off at his house?"

"I'll just take the bus," said Haley. "He's actually not that far from here. I'm really sorry for bailing on you like this. I was having such a nice time too."

Kimberly nodded her head as she gently took her daughter's hand. "It's alright, sweetie," said her mother. "I know that you wouldn't do this to me unless it was really important. You're a good friend, you just want to make everyone feel better." A smile crept up her face as she looked her daughter in the eyes. "You remind me so much of myself when I was your age. Just be careful, hun. I don't want you to get hurt in case there's a monster attack."

Haley tried to ignore that last part as she told her mother goodbye. With a hug and a kiss, Haley ran out of the restaurant to find the nearest alleyway to hide in so she could morph.

It took about a minute for her to find one that was clear. The streets were full of people which could only mean that the latest Daimon was attacking on the other end of the city. She heard a few people talking about a monster attack by the City Hall.

Removing the pink bracelet from her hand, Haley raised her Morpher into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Haley. Pink feathers began to circle around her body as she transformed into the Pink Ranger. The second that the transformation was complete, Pink Ranger had Alpha teleport her to where the other Rangers were waiting for her backup.

As she disappeared in a pink flash of light, another pair of eyes were watching her.

Kimberly stayed at the edge so that Haley wouldn't have been able to see her. She knew when her daughter was lying to her, but this wasn't what she was expecting to see. She was expecting to see her take off on some boy's motorcycle not see her daughter morph into a Power Ranger, much less the Pink Power Ranger.

"She's more like me then I thought," Kimberly said, sadly. "She'll tell me when she's ready."

The former Ranger placed a hand over her heart, praying for her daughter's safety as she entered the fray.

* * *

><p>Beelzebub waited for the Rangers to appear at the footsteps of City Hall.<p>

People flocked to get away from him and the building, while the poor monkeys who worked in the building were all but trapped. They were forced to escape around back in order not to risk provoking the unnecessary wrath of the biker. It was downright insulting to Beelzebub though that these insignificant creatures claimed themselves worthy to be killed by him.

Not even the miserable bastard he shot was worthy. The man was but a tool to lure the Rangers out into the open so that he may challenge them himself. He loathed battling those who were weaker than him, but the Rangers had a great deal of potential that he wanted to see with his own eyes. He wanted to see if they would be a threat to their plan for their Great Revival.

It took only a few minutes before he felt a wave of foreign energy. Four streams of light came down from the sky, which soon took the form of the Angel Force Power Rangers. Beelzebub didn't bother to hide his smile as he slowly began to come down the steps. The Rangers stood on the opposite end of the street, towards the park.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Rangers," said the imposing figure. "I have heard so much about you from Thrax's minions."

The Rangers looked surprised to hear that bit. They had apparently thought him to be but a servant of Thrax, which was almost insulting. Beelzebub could practically see the expressions underneath their helmets, human fear was just so fascinating to him. Red Ranger was the one who straightened himself out as he stared at the leather-clad man.

"Are we supposed to be afraid of you?" said Red Ranger. "We've taken down all those other freaks. You'll go down just as hard as the rest of them."

Beelzebub raised an eyebrow, which was hidden by the blue mask he wore. "Oh, is that true?" he said to the Rangers. "Should I be shivering in my pretty, steel-toed boots? Don't make me laugh, Red Ranger. I have nothing to fear, it is you who will be defeated." Armed with his twin shotguns, Beelzebub raised his weapons up to pull the trigger. An array of bullets escaped from the nose of his guns and would soon tare the Rangers apart.

However, Yellow Ranger responded quickly to the incoming attack. She grabbed her Holy Pistols, spinning them around in her hands before taking aim. "Not so fast!" she shouted. "Gaia Holy Trigger!" Firing a group of bullets, Yellow Ranger succeeded in blocking most of Beelzebub's attack. A few bullets, however, had escaped and were still coming in after them.

Blue Ranger raised up his Glory Hammer to smash apart the remaining bullets. He swung the heavy weapon quickly and efficiently, blasting the bullets apart into powder. "What was that now?" asked the Ranger. "I thought you were going to defeat us? I'll show you what we can do. Hurricane Glory Rang!" Blue Ranger swung his hammer around in hand, creating a powerful vortex of wind. He threw the vortex after Beelzebub with the hopes that it would tear him to shreds.

Beelzebub simply huffed as he jumped into the air as the vortex was inching closer. He gathered a bolt of dark energy in the palm of his hand then zapped the attack before it could do any damage. The vortex was torn apart and Beelzebub landed gracefully back on the ground. A smile was planted on his face as he raised a shotgun over his shoulder.

Black Ranger took out his Heaven Bow, pulling the string as he took aim. A shadowy arrow took form in his hand as the youngest Ranger charged his attack. "Try and dodge this!" he shouted. "Shadow Heaven Arrow!" The large arrow rocketed across the street only for Beelzebub to take it head on. Beelzebub's boots dragged against the concrete as he snatched the arrow with his claws, ripping it apart with his superior strength.

Red Ranger waved his Aurora Sword above his head, summoning his flames. The fire coiled around his weapon and slowly began to grow with heat. "This will be the end of you!" shouted Red Ranger. "Flaming Aurora Strike!" He flung the wave of fire after Beelzebub, hoping that this would be the end of him.

The man only laughed as he held his hand up as the fire came closer. As the fire erupted in a deadly flash, a wall of energy was erected to protect Beelzebub from any harm. The flames died out with not a single scratch anywhere on him. He couldn't even say that this "fight" had yet to cause him to break a sweat.

"What kind of Daimon is this freak?" said Blue Ranger.

"He's way stronger than all the others," said Black Ranger. "Not even Dark Knight and Lightning were this bad."

Beelzebub heard their fearful words and began to laugh as he took a few steps closer to the Rangers. He strapped his shotguns back into place with his heavy footsteps created more fuel for the fire of terror. "It is because I'm not a Daimon nor am I just some lowly being," said Beelzebub. "I am beyond the life that inhabits your space. I belong to an entirely different food chain."

"What the hell are you supposed to be then!" shouted Red Ranger, swing his sword around.

"Hell being the keyword," laughed Beelzebub. "You can say I came from the pit, but that's not where I'm from originally." He retrieved only one of his shotguns and took aim at the Rangers. They all took a stance, ready to attack him the moment that he pulled the trigger. "The Daimons you've been fighting are under my control, I am one of their masters."

"So there are more beings out there like you?" asked Yellow Ranger.

"There are six others like me, in fact," said Beelzebub. "I am one of the Seven Dark Lords. My name is Beelzebub."

"What's a Dark Lord?" said Blue Ranger.

Red Ranger and Black Ranger were just as confused, while Yellow Ranger was shivering in her boots. She instantly remembered the message she uncovered back at the Command Center. If what Beelzebub said was true then that meant he was one of the beings that had the power to destroy the entire universe. She wanted to piss her spandex pants at that moment, but chose to fight through her fears in order to stay strong.

Beelzebub could smell her fear and the uncertainty of the boys. It was so delicious that it made him laugh as he finally pulled the trigger. "You will never know now," said the Dark Lord. The bullets flew across the street, crashing into the Rangers before they had the chance to defend themselves. The bullets exploded on impact, sending each of them flying until the landed rather roughly.

The smile remained on the Dark Lord's face as he stuck the shotgun back into its proper place. He slowly began to approach the whimpering Rangers, which made his smile grow wider. It was then that he noticed that one of them was missing. He felt foolish for not realizing that sooner, but it was too late to change that.

A sharp pain ripped through his back, forcing Beelzebub to throw his body aside. His feet dragged against the concrete as he dropped down to one knee. He picked his masked face up to see that the missing Ranger had finally decided to show up to the little gathering they had. A sharp growl ripped through his mouth as he found himself glaring at the Pink Ranger.

"You're a little late," said the Dark Lord. "I've already beaten your friends."

Pink Ranger briefly glanced in the direction of her friends. They all looked like they were in bit of pain, but they seemed like they would recover quickly enough. She just needed to buy them a little time to recover, which would be easy enough with her Sacred Claws.

She waved her arms around, pointing her claws over to the Dark Lord. "You'll soon find out that we're not that easy to beat!" shouted Pink Ranger. "It'll take a lot more than some cheap bullets to finish us off. Let's see how you can fight one-on-one!"

"There's no way you're serious, little girl," laughed Beelzebub. "I am one of the Dark Lords. There is almost nothing stronger then I am!"

"Well, it sounds like you have nothing to fear then," Pink Ranger said with a cocky voice. She prayed she knew what she was getting herself into. She had no idea what a Dark Lord was, but if it was as powerful as Beelzebub was making it seem then it was something worth to fear.

Beelzebub huffed as he straightened his jacket. He then raced across the street to smash his fist into the Pink Ranger's chest. However, Pink Ranger already took a step back to avoid the attack. She slashed at the Dark Lord's arm with her claws, leaving a nasty scratch on his armor. Beelzebub's red eyes narrowed with his claws soon reaching out for the Pink Ranger.

This time, he managed to get hold of her and scratched the front of her uniform. Pink Ranger was knocked back, taking a landing that her friends didn't envy. Oddly enough though, she managed to get herself back on her feet in no time flat. Pink Ranger charged after Beelzebub once more, waving her clawed arms around to scratch, pull, and rip something of the Dark Lord's.

Beelzebub had to move quicker than he expected to as he danced away from her attacks. He dove his body around to grab her from behind, but Pink Ranger's heightened agility gave her a brief window to save herself. She tossed her body into the air, flipping backward to have her heel smash into his jaw the minute he came within range. Beelzebub was pushed back from the impact of the attack, feeling a stinging sensation race throughout his body.

"Bitch!" shouted Beelzebub. "I am going to kill you now!"

Pink Ranger had to disagree as she crossed her claws over her chest. She knew her friends needed just a little more time then they'd be ready to fight again. She focused her thoughts of protecting all those that mattered to her, while trying to find a perfect harmony between all of them. She immersed herself with tranquil thoughts until she felt something rush throughout her being that gave her more than just a moment of clarity.

Feeling a new power inside of her, Pink Ranger ready herself for the incoming Beelzebub. As he came after her, the Sacred Claws gained a faint glow which she decided to use to her advantage. "Tidal Sacred Cutter!" shouted Pink Ranger. She swung her clawed arms around, creating waves of watery energy. The mystical water was propelled forward by her movements so that it crashed into Beelzebub, causing a significant amount of damage.

Beelzebub was pushed aside just as the other Rangers finally had the strength necessary to fight once more. The other four Rangers gathered around Pink Ranger, still armed with their weapons. They quickly congratulated the girl for holding her own against the Dark Lord before bringing their weapons together to form the Heaven Power Cannon.

With the cannon complete and Beelzebub slowly rising once more, the Red Ranger decided it was time to pull the trigger. "Heaven Power Cannon!" shouted the Rangers. "Fire!" Red Ranger pulled the trigger with Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger at his sides. Pink Ranger Black Ranger had a hand on the others' shoulders, steadying them as the powerful attack raced across the path.

The blasts of light crashed into Beelzebub's being, only adding more pain to the injuries he sustained while battling against Pink Ranger. An explosion seemed to rip Beelzebub apart, but the Rangers knew better then to assume that. They stood beside one another and waited as the smoke settled and Beelzebub began to rise up once more.

"Not bad at all," laughed the Dark Lord. "The test isn't finished yet though."

"You're joking," said Pink Ranger.

Beelzebub continued to laugh, but was far from joking with the Rangers. Dark energy began to surge around his being until he finally grew into a monstrous size. He raised his steel-toed boot up and attempted to stomp on the Rangers with it. They were able to jumped out of the way though as they summoned their Zords and soon teleported into those cockpits.

Inserting their Crystal Morphers, the Zords combined into the Megazord to battle Beelzebub. Angel Force Megazord appeared in the middle of the wide road with Beelzebub standing on the opposite end. The Dark Lord quickly armed himself with his shotguns and began to take fire at the Megazord.

The countless bullets were too quick for the Rangers to have the Megazord guard against. The trigger happy fool was quickly depleting the power within the Megazord, making all the more difficult for the Rangers to defend against.

Eventually though, the bullets were gone and Beelzebub didn't feel like wasting the energy to reload. He re-strapped the guns to his waist and leg before jumping at the Megazord. His steel claws sank into the torso of the Megazord, creating shocking explosions from the inside out.

Inside of the cockpit, the Rangers were being shaken all over the place as they struggled to keep it together.

"Damn, he's so damn strong!" shouted Blue Ranger.

"You've been saying damn a lot," said Yellow Ranger.

"I call this a damn worthy day," said Black Ranger.

"We can't give in yet, guys!" shouted Red Ranger. "We have to keep it together if we're going to win."

"Allow me then!" said Pink Ranger. "I think I got a trick up my sleeve." Fighting the rocking of the Megazord, she was able to input a few keys with only minimal difficulty.

The keys that the Pink Ranger imputed caused the laser gun on her Dolphin Zord to activate. So she took control of the arm and aimed the gun at Beelzebub's arm. Pushing down on the trigger, pink bullets began to shoot into Beelzebub's arm, forcing the Dark Lord to relinquish his hold on them.

The Megazord was still in horrid shape though, despite getting out of that sticky situation.

Beelzebub was holding onto his injured arm with steam slowly rising from the laser wound. "You little insignificant monkeys are starting to get on my last nerve!" shouted the Dark Lord. He was just about to grab his shotgun when Red Ranger summoned their Angel Power Sword.

"We have to make this quick!" shouted Red Ranger. "We only have enough power for one attack."

"Then let's make the most of it!" said Pink Ranger.

"Right!" agreed the other Rangers.

"Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers.

As Beelzebub was about to pull the trigger, the Rangers activated the Angel Power Sword's full power. The gems on the front of the blade began to glow as the Megazord charged up for its attack. Before he could do anything to stop them, the Megazord unleashed the attack to have it race across until it crashed into him. Beelzebub howled with pain as his body erupted before the Rangers and their Megazord.

The Rangers cheered for their victory as they believed that they defeated a Dark Lord.

However, Beelzebub was very much alive as he disappeared into the shadows to recover from this battle. He hadn't even used half of his full strength against the Rangers yet he had still been defeated. The next time they met in battle, the Dark Lord wouldn't underestimate the Rangers. The next time, they would be the ones to be defeated and not him.

That was what Beelzebub swore as he disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Lightning was laughing as she watched as Beelzebub was defeated by the Power Rangers. She closed the monitor and walked towards the Nexus that was generating an ungodly amount of dark power. If only Beelzebub had known what they were planning, what they had been using him for since he joined them.<p>

She touched the Nexus, feeling the dark power around it respond to her touch.

"It is complete," Lightning said as Thrax appeared behind her.

"Excellent," Thrax said, striking the ground with his staff. "Beelzebub is gone now too. He served his purpose though, the blood his Daimons spilt reenergized the Nexus into an operational state."

"I will continue to monitor the Nexus, Lord Thrax," said Lightning. "I will make sure it is without flaw when you decide to use it."

Thrax nodded his head at Lightning before leaving the basement, leaving Lightning and the Nexus behind.

Everything was going accord to his plans.

* * *

><p>Haley walked into her home with a smile on her face. Parked out in the driveway was her dad's car, which could only mean that he was back early from his trip. The adrenaline rush she still had from the battle was running through her as she ran for the kitchen to see her dad sitting on a stool with her mother beside him.<p>

Jason Lee Scott changed a little more then Kimberly had. His dark hair had a few more grays in it, he wasn't as buff as used to be, and he had a few more worry lines on his face. However, Jason managed to retain his youthful smile and intensely handsome stare. The years may have not been as kind to him as it was for his wife, but he was still a very attractive man.

"Dad!" Haley shouted, running towards her father.

Jason quickly put down the takeout Chinese food he bought before it was too late. Her tackle nearly knocked Jason off from his stool. He wrapped his arms around his daughter, squeezing the life out of her for a moment. "How are you, baby girl?" asked Jason. "Did you break the bank for your mom?"

"Of course," Haley said, stealing his egg roll. "So how soon are you leaving us again this time?"

"Don't worry, I'll be home for a long time," Jason said, returning to his late dinner. "Nothing is going to take me far for another three months. Everything else is pretty much local."

"Great because mom and I missed you," Haley said, getting off from her dad's lap.

"That's true," Kimberly said, leaning in to kiss her husband.

Haley fought the urge to vomit as she opened the freezer to steal some ice cream.

* * *

><p>Leaving warp-space, a ship appeared in the Sol Solar System. The large ship moved at a slow pace as it scanned this solar system for the nearest planet that inhabited life. The scans picked up a planet not too far from their current location around the moons of Jupiter.<p>

Inside the vessel, a group of three looked out into the darkness of space. The smiles on their faces were all utterly terrifying as they hide themselves behind their black cloaks. They turned to the side to face their leader and his companion. The companion remained silent as he sat at the leader's side, all of them waiting for his command.

"Earth is our destination," said their leader. "We will go down to the Blue Planet and destroy the Power Rangers."

"Yes, my prince!" said his men.

The man remained in his chair, watching as they slowly progressed to the Blue Planet. He sat with his hands on his lap and a clear head as they got near to their destination. It was all going just how he planned that it would. The last of Zordon's Rangers had finally taken an active role. It was finally time for them to rise and finish what was started over a decade ago.

The best part was that the Power Rangers were completely unaware of the calamity that was coming for them.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

GASP! Just what might Beelzebub do when he returns? And just how bad is this Nexus? And GAGAGAGASP! Who are these mystery aliens that are going to attack the Rangers?

On the next chapter, Thrax unleashes the power of the Nexus by summoning an infectious monster to attack the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Rangers talk about their first loves, while Connor is left feeling horribly uncomfortable by the topic. The fun ends badly though as the monster attacks Connor, putting his life in jepready as the remaining Rangers race against the clock to save Connor and the rest of ill people in Angel Grove from death! Can the Rangers save the day without Connor or will he and many other citizens take their last breath? Find out in **My First Kiss!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: You should all be so happy that I like you so much that I keep writing all these fantastic chapters for you. Haha. So, I survived my surgery and I came out perfectly fine...other then being a high mess from all the meds they put me to sleep with. Anyways...I appreciate all the reviews I've been getting so far, but the longer ones are better! I like getting reviews that say more then just "good job" or "can't wait until next update". So please, put a little more effort into the reviews that's all I ask because the more you put into the reviews then the more I feel motivated and inspired to write better chapters! We finally see some action as in romantic action, hint hint. P.S. Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are on Netflix so I'm watching them like right now to get all Ranger uped! I just finished watching Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa's very evil wedding! Haha. Read and review!  
><strong>

**My First Kiss:**

Thrax stood with a prideful smile on his face as he stared at the Nexus before him. The powerful relic was the key to bringing about the end of the Power Rangers. Once it had all the power it needed to fully energize it then Thrax knew he would be unstoppable. There would be no power in the universe greater than him; nothing would be able to stand in his way.

At least that's what he believed.

The lost treasure of Master Vile was his ultimate doomsday weapon. The Nexus contained a power great enough to control and summons monsters from beyond the Fade. What the Fade was is a mystical realm beyond the reaches of the universe. It was an entire realm separated by a powerful veil that was created long ago to keep the realms from crossing over. The damage that would be done to this universe had the monsters of the Fade been allowed to roam free would've been disastrous. These were the types of monsters that Thrax needed in order to defeat the Angel Force Power Rangers.

Nothing would be able to stop him. Thrax smelt his victory as he touched the large archway, just itching to summon the monsters of the Fade.

The discovery of the Nexus would prove itself to be the tipping point of his war against the Power Rangers. With the Nexus under his control, Thrax possessed a power greater than the combined strength of the United Alliance of Evil during Dark Specter's reign. Now, all he needed to do was give the Nexus what it so desperately craved.

"I will give you the blood you need, Nexus," Thrax whispered, pressing his head against the cold stone. His staff scratched against the archway as the Nexus's power slowly radiated from the deadly arch. "The more human lives that I extinguish then the stronger you become. I know this, Nexus."

The Nexus hummed in response to Thrax's promise to continue its feeding. The space within the arch began to glow a faint glow as the power that lurked within it began to stir. Thrax could tell that the Nexus was ready to release a monster; a monster that he knew would be able to feed the Nexus with the blood necessary to reinvigorate it.

"Yes," laughed Thrax. "Everything is coming together swimmingly."

* * *

><p>Two days had passed since their battle with Beelzebub, but Alice was still having difficulties processing everything that happened.<p>

Alice sat on her queen-sized mattress with a pile of papers scattered across her bed. They all contained files on the Power Rangers that she had retrieved from the Command Center the day before. While Alpha 8 was busy doing a system scan, Alice had gotten to work on uncovering details of the history of the Power Rangers. She just had a feeling in her gut that the mystery to the Dark Lords would be lurking in these files.

Nothing seemed remotely useful to her research though. She figured that trying to uncover more information about Adam, the former Ranger who had them chosen, would be able to pave the way to something useful. The message she saw from Zordon and their encounter with Beelzebub was more then enough to shock Alice's system. She knew that there was something bigger going on, they were stuck in a maelstrom with no clue of a way out.

Picking up the files on Adam, Alice tried her best to find out where he was hiding. Everything she had though pretty much turned out to be completely useless. Nothing gave out a direct location or even a hint. The only she saw was that he had apparently regained his Black Mighty Morphin Ranger powers, temporarily, to battle against Thrax with a team of Veteran Rangers and the Operation Overdrive team. Other than that, it was almost like he had completely dropped off the face of the Earth.

"Last scene in Angel Grove, 2008," Alice said to herself. She dropped the folder on top of the other papers and folders then dropped down flat on her back. A soft growl tore out from her mouth as she buried her face into one of her fluffy pillows. "This is so frustrating! I know Alpha isn't going to give the details we need either. He probably has all the good shit encrypted deep within the Command Center's network."

"I need to think of a way to outsmart Alpha then," Alice said, calmly. "How though? Alpha was programmed specifically to assist the Power Rangers and work on the protection of the Command Center. He knows a lot more then his childish mannerisms suggest."

"What I really should be focusing in on is trying to uncover just who are the Dark Lords," said Alice. "Beelzebub…the name is familiar enough. He's supposed to be the Lord of the Flies, another variation to the Devil. I doubt there's a connection between the two though. Maybe the name is just a coincidence, a title he took just to appear extra frightening."

"Great!" Alice shouted, in her apartment, throwing her arms up in the air. "Now, I'm going to have to do more research. I have no idea where to begin and where this will end. I just wish I knew where to begin!"

For the rest of the night, Alice continued to ramble with herself as she tried to find any information that would be remotely useful. She crossed through every bit of information she had on the Power Rangers, hoping to find something in one of their files. Mindlessly, she went through every single detail about the previous teams until she became an expert on them.

It was then that she decided on a source that might be remotely useful in finding Adam. The guilt she felt for even contemplating using a friend like this made Alice want to rip her hair out. Not that she would since she had just got it done yesterday, but it was something she contemplated for a moment.

But she had no clue to go through this without raising up too many red flags.

The best chance at finding Adam might be going through his former teammates. The closest ones to Adam were none other than Jason and Kimberly Scott, Haley's parents. They had both worked as a team with Adam in the past. They might know something about the Celestial Initiative, where Adam was, and just who these Dark Lords were supposed to be.

How would she be able to get through to the former Power Rangers though without risking blowing Haley's secret in the process?

"Fuck my life!" Alice said, surrendering to the overwhelming amount of papers.

This was a problem for another day, at least she managed to get somewhere today.

* * *

><p>School was cancelled Monday due to a busted heater so Haley and Connor were free to do as they pleased. It turns out though that they weren't entirely free to celebrate their temporary freedom from the halls of Angel Grove High. The others had made plans to meet up at Skull and Bones for an early dinner so they were obligated to show up to eat with their adult friends.<p>

It actually ended up being a lot of fun for the both of them.

As usual, Bulk was arguing with Spike about being a lazy punk who he'd fire if he wasn't his nephew. The shameless banter between the two was like a free movie for all the customers of Skull and Bones. Bulk was practically throwing Spike around in the kitchen, which was exposed due to a window like point at that counter. His face was so red and his veins were so angry looking that everyone worried that the owner might pop a blood vessel.

"And another thing, get out of the kitchen and start cleaning some tables!" roared Bulk. The large, angry man practically made the dining area shake by the raw power of his voice. Spike stumbled out of the kitchen, avoiding the plate of hot fries that were thrown at him. "Clean those fries up too, you lazy bastard. I ought to throw you out on the streets."

"Why do you have to be so mean to me, Uncle Bulk?" asked Spike. "Did somebody forget to take his cranky-be-gone pills?"

"SPIKE!"

The young man immediately got to work before his uncle threatened him with a knife for the third time this week. Everyone in the restaurant tried to pretend that they weren't listening or laughing, but it was so hard to do. Even the Rangers, at their booth, couldn't help but to laugh as they munched on the food that they had ordered.

When things slowly began to quite down some, everyone was able to refocus on the conversations that they were having before.

"Like I was saying," said Landon, "do any of you remember your first kiss?

Alice took a sharp bite of her carrot from the chicken salad she was having. Although, last night was still fresh in her mind, she recovered enough where she could be a level-headed human for the day. "Why are you so noisy, Mr. Samuels?" she asked, nudging him a little. "You want to know about everyone's personal, dirty laundry."

"Maybe some of us don't kiss and tell," Ric said, before taking a bite out of his burger.

Dropping his fork back into his bowl of pasta, Landon shot Ric the dirtiest look he could muster up. Alice thought the look was priceless as she picked up another stray carrot. "Ric, I know for a fact that you kiss and tell," Landon snapped back. "You don't just kiss and tell, you publicize it so that the whole world knows your business."

Haley shook her head at the dirty Ric, while nibbling away at her plate of chicken strips. Connor just remained silent as he took a bite out of his veggie burger. He really hoped that nobody would try to pick on him to talk this time. He wanted nothing to do with this conversation, he even glanced to the men's room, which wasn't that far of a dash away.

"Well, my first kiss was from Bobby Wilkins," said Haley. "It was in middle school. I remember he had the cutest dimples in the entire sixth grade. He wasn't that bad of a kisser either. He had these super pouty lips." A content sigh escaped Haley as she remembered her first kiss. It had been a really good first kiss too, one that she wished she could have again. "I wonder where Bobby is."

"The girl I had my first kiss was Selena Gomez," Ric said with a big grin on her face. Everyone in the booth shot glances at Ric along with a raised eyebrow. He figured that it sounded kinda funny so he needed to do a quick explanation. "No relation to the actress. She was my next door neighbor, we went to school together too. I was a grade above her, but I remember that every guy in middle school wanted to go out with her. I was the lucky bastard who won her over though. We dated for like a month and we made out all the time. I even almost made it to third base with her"

"She sounds catch," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't judge," Ric said to his friend. "She was a great girl though." There was a frown on his face as he pushed his half-eaten food aside. He remembered the beautiful brown-skinned girl with dark eyes and rich, honey colored hair. "She died though when New York was attacked by Venjix. The buses they were evacuating the city with, hers was attacked by the bots. There were no survivors."

"Oh," Alice said, feeling guilty for bringing that one up.

The others shared the moment of silence as Ric remembered his first love.

"Her name was Kylie Hawk," Landon said, shifting the focus. "She lived across the street from me. She was practically in love with me, but I never paid much attention to her. She was such a sweet girl too. We were at a party back in eighth grade, of course we were playing spin the bottle. I had to kiss her for five seconds. I remember it being very awkward…I was such a bad kisser. She didn't talk too much to me after that."

"Burned!" Ric shouted, cheered up by his friend's ordeal.

Alice just rolled her eyes as she pricked Ric with her fork. "Ignore him, Landon," said Alice. "There is nothing wrong with confessing your first kiss was bad. Mine wasn't that great either. His name was Martin Hayne. He had a real pretty face for an eleven year old but the boy was as dumb as dirt. I still to this day don't know why I kissed him. He was such a bad kisser, he tried to make out with me and like attacked me with his tongue. I was so grossed out, I didn't kiss a guy again until I started college."

"I'm sorry, girl," Haley said, laughing as she placed her head on Alice's shoulder. Alice laughed too now that the event was no longer as traumatizing as it used to be.

Ric nudged at Connor with his elbow, pulling the boy out of his daze. "What about you, Con?" asked Ric. "What was your first kiss like? Was it great like mine and Haley's, or was it shitty like Landon and Alice's?"

Connor gulped as he put down the fry he was about to eat. His throat went dry as he looked at the rest of his friends who all had curious looks on their face. He could just lie, but where would be the point in that? His life was already surrounded by so many lies, why would he need to throw another one into the pit?

"Actually," Connor said, softly, "I…I haven't had my first kiss yet."

"No way!" said Ric and Landon.

"Shut up!" Haley said to the guys. "It's no big deal, Connor, that you haven't had your first kiss yet."

"That's right, Connor," Alice said, agreeing with her. "You wait until that special someone comes a knocking just like with your virginity."

"Let's save the sex talk for another day, Alice," Haley said, pointing a chicken strip at her.

"Sorry, got a little ahead of myself," laughed Alice. "My point though, Connor, is just save those precious moments until you're ready. Don't go rushing into being a whore like these two."

"Hey!" shouted Ric and Landon.

Connor just blushed as he tried to not be so embarrassed amongst his older and only friends. It was so embarrassing being the kid whenever they had these types of talks. He didn't like sharing all this personal information, yet he felt so forced all the time by the other Rangers. Sometimes, he just wished he could retreat into his shell where he was safe.

Trying to get out of talking as much as possible, Connor kept his mouth stuffed with food and drink.

* * *

><p>Gathering before his throne, Thrax assembled his forces to welcome the awakening of the Nexus.<p>

Lightning, Dark Knight, and the Putties drew close to the magnificent archway that once belonged to Master Vile. Thrax's warriors were exceptionally interested in the power of the Nexus, which they had been gathering power for their master for some time now. They were finally going to witness the power of the Nexus with their own eyes.

Now that everyone was there, Thrax began to present the archway to his servants. He would show them the power that he spent a year recovering and reenergizing. "My grandfather sought the Nexus to compete against the lost Zeo Crystal," said Thrax. "It was taken from him by that damn wizard, Zordon, before my mother sealed him away. Not long after that, the Zeo Crystal was hidden on the moon. No matter though, we have the Nexus and it is ready to display the power contained within it."

"But what of the greater power that is sealed deep within the Nexus?" asked Lightning. "When will be able to use it to destroy the Rangers?"

"Once the Nexus has fully feasted on the vast amount of blood necessary," laughed Thrax. "That will come soon enough. Until then, we shall supply the Nexus with more blood by summoning a monster from the Fade itself!"

Thrax ignited his Z-Staff with lightning as he began to perform the summoning. He raised his staff up to strike, which caused the archway to glow brightly before his assembled forces. The Nexus opened up, creating a shimmering portal of light to the very Fade that the monsters made their nest.

A clawed hand touched the stone of the archway as something began to emerge. Thrax, Lightning, and Dark Knight waited anxiously, while the monster took form before them. The light began to dim down until the monster had completely broken through from the veil between the worlds.

The monster that Thrax summoned didn't seem too frightening or powerful just by appearance. Aside from the golden, clawed hands, the monster looked rather plain. He stood about average height with pitch black skin that had toned muscles covered by a layer of white silk that wrapped around his body. Golden buckles clipped all around him with a Loral leaf draped around his head.

"You summoned me?" said the monster. "Why have you woken me from my slumber?"

Thrax struck the ground with his Z-Staff, not terribly impressed by this monster. He could only hope that this appearance was deceiving and there was something powerful hidden behind the silk toga. "I, Thrax, have brought you to this universe to bring forth destruction," said the mutant. "I want you to wreak havoc upon the Earth and destroy the Power Rangers!"

The monster tilted his head up and stared at Thrax. He turned to look at the others before feeling the presence of the Nexus behind him. "You need blood to refill the Nexus," said the monster. "Alright, I will assist you as a token of my gratitude for bringing me from the Fade. The humans will all perish before me."

"And what can you do?" asked Lightning. "What is your power?"

"I am Morpheus," said the monster. "I have the power to put people into a deep sleep, one that they will never wake from. It is like a virus, they slowly wither away as they're trapped in a never-ending nightmare until they finally perish."

"You are a useful one," said Dark Knight. "Start your attack with Angel Grove, put the Rangers to sleep too if you can."

Morpheus nodded his head before disappearing within a dreamy cloud to begin his attack.

* * *

><p>Their plates were cleared and the bill was paid so the Rangers left Skull and Bones with smiles. Even Connor had a smile on his face, despite being dragged to divulge one of his plethoras of secrets. The others were laughing it up as they went on about the horrors of their previous dates, knowing better not to ask Connor about his nonexistent experience in the dating scene.<p>

"He actually dressed up as a pirate to our first date," said Alice. "It wouldn't have been so weird if we were going to see Pirates of the Caribbean, but we were watching Harry Potter."

"Did he have the puffy shirt on and a bandana?" asked Ric.

"And a braided up pirate's wig," Alice said, remembering the horrifying experience. "He smeared dirt all over himself. Not to mention, he wouldn't shut up about those damn pirates while I was trying to watch Harry get ass kicked. It's safe to say that he was the worst date ever!"

Landon could agree with that, grateful to hear that someone else had a worse dating experience then he did.

The Rangers just kept on laughing and making fun of each other as they went to their cars when their Communicators started to go off. Landon's truck was the closest so the Rangers ran over there so that they could answer the call. Landon lifted his Communicator up to his lips with the others surrounding him closely so no one else would hear.

"What is it, Alpha?" asked Landon.

"Rangers, Thrax has sent a monster to attack the city," said Alpha 8. "You must hurry. The monster is using his powers to put the people of Angel Grove into a deep sleep."

"We're on our way, Alpha, "said Haley.

The call ended and the Rangers looked around to see that the parking lot was completely empty. No other cars were crossing the road at the moment, they were at a secluded spot too so they would be safe. They each removed the colorful bracelets which soon transformed into their Crystal Morphers.

With their crystal feathers in hand, the Rangers raised the forward to transform. "It's Morphing Time," shouted Landon. "Angel Force, Power Up!" The others followed his lead, saying the transformation phrase as well. Quickly, feathers circled around each other them and transformed them into their Rangers forms.

Once the transformation was completed, the Rangers teleported to the spot where Thrax's monster was attacking.

* * *

><p>Teleporting across the city, the Rangers arrived just in time to see Morpheus surrounded by a pile of bodies. The monster sat on top of the Founders Statue with a bored expression on his face and a small harp in hand. Those who hadn't fallen under his spell were trying to evacuate the area as quickly as possible. The few who caught sight of the Power Rangers looked relieved to see that their heroes had finally shown up to stop the monster.<p>

Morpheus just remained silent and bored as he continued to strum a few cords on his harp.

The Rangers gathered together and armed themselves with their Angel Swords as they took a look at the monster. He didn't seem too intimidating yet he already had all of these people down for the count. Black Ranger bent down to examine one of the bodies and informed everyone that they were just sleeping.

"You won't be able to wake them up," said Morpheus. "My spell is far too powerful to be broken by a simple slap to the face or cold water." The monster leaped off from on top of the statue and gracefully landed on his feet. He continued to hold his harp as he slowly began to approach the Power Rangers. "Their nightmares will slowly kill them and their blood shall be mine."

"What kind of Daimon are you?" shouted Pink Ranger.

"I am no Daimon, you silly girl," laughed Morpheus. "I am Morpheus, a monster from beyond the Fade! Now Rangers, prepare to die!" The monster held his harp into the air, causing the Super Putties to appear before them. Thrax's foot soldiers began to swarm around the Power Rangers, while Morpheus continued to play his sleepy music to infect the fleeing civilians.

The Rangers quickly began to spread out to finish the Putties off before taking care of Morpheus.

Red Ranger jumped across the street and took down three Putties with the full weight of his body. The pressure was enough to smash into the T on their chests, breaking the Putties apart into nothing. While they crumbled, the Ranger got back on his feet and kicked the heel of his foot into the nearest Putty.

Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger tag-teamed a group of Putties. Yellow Ranger jumped on top of Blue Ranger's shoulders then used her Holy Pistols to fire distraction bullets while Blue Ranger smashed them to pieces with his Glory Hammer. Their teamwork proved to be quite effective against the swarm of Putty Patrol.

Pink Ranger flipped around, using the hard ground as a spring board. She kicked a Putty in the chest then used the crumbling Putty to give her another boost to help Black Ranger out. Black Ranger was busy taking down two Putties at once that he failed to see one sneaking up behind him. He slashed the two apart with his Angel Sword just as the sneaky one latched onto him from behind. Pink Ranger swooped in just in time to help him out. She smashed her elbow into the Putty's back, forcing it to relinquish its hold on him then she kicked it with the heel of her boot.

"Nice save," said Black Ranger. "I owe you one."

"It was my pleasure," said Pink Ranger. "The others are still fighting the Putties, help me take down this monster and I'll consider us even."

"Right!"

The duo raced after the sauntering monster with their Angel Swords in hand. Pink Ranger fired a Heaven Power Slash in his direction to gain the monster's focus. Black Ranger used his super speed to race behind the monster to strike from behind. His sword made contact and pissed Morpheus off as he stumbled around a little.

Morpheus gave out a sharp growl before turning back around to face the Black Ranger. The monster dropped his harp on the ground and began to strike the Ranger with his fists. He pummeled the young Ranger a bit and tossed him around the street without any trouble.

Pink Ranger joined in just as Black Ranger went sailing across the street. She tried to strike the monster with her Sacred Claws, but Morpheus would twist his body around to dodge each attack. It was downright frustrating for her so she knew she had to kick it up a notch. She poured more into her heightened agility with hopes of actually landing a blow on this guy.

Using both her claws at once, Pink Ranger succeeded in delivering a powerful blow. Morpheus flew back until he wasn't too far from the beaten Black Ranger. Just in time too since the other Rangers had finished off the last of the Putty Patrol. The trio reunited with the Pink Ranger and were quickly about to go after Morpheus when he did something that surprised the quartet.

Morpheus latched on Black Ranger and lifted them both up from the ground. Black Ranger tried to struggle free from the monster's grasp, but he was much stronger then he was. "Damn it!" shouted the Black Ranger. "When did you take steroids?"

"Sarcasm, I hope your friends won't miss it too much, Ranger," said Morpheus. He placed his claw hand on top of the Ranger's helmet, holding onto him with one arm now. "Sleep tight, Black Ranger. And don't let the bed bugs bite." The other Rangers were just about to charge in for the rescue when Morpheus blew a misty cloud out from his mouth. The mist entered the Black Ranger's helmet, forcing him to take it end.

Feeling a little woozy now, Black Ranger started to go limp in the monster's arms. Morpheus laughed as he relinquished the Ranger and pushed him in the direction of the others. The boy completely collapsed to the ground, breaking the focus of the other Rangers as they circled around their fallen companion. Morpheus looked pleased with the work he did so far as he retrieved his harp then disappeared to finish off the rest of the city.

Blue Ranger picked Black Ranger up in his arms, while Pink Ranger slowly undid his helmet. They all kept close so no conscious person would see and the Rangers look to see that Connor's eyes were completely closed. Soft, silent breaths were escaping him, showing the only signs of life.

"Shit, Connor," said Blue Ranger. "Wake up! Come on, kid, wake up."

"We need to get him to the Command Center," commanded the Red Ranger. "Alpha might now how to help him."

The all agreed as they left for the Command Center.

* * *

><p>With his helmet off, Connor was placed onto one of the healing beds where his vitals were being examined by Alpha 8. Ric and Haley sat beside their slumbering friend with their helmets perched on top of a table. Alice was at the main computer, doing a scan of the city to keep a track on Morpheus as well as to see just how much damage he was doing. Landon stood beside her, carrying onto both of their helmets in his arms.<p>

Alpha 8 pulled up the results of the scan to see if he could find a way to help the boy. It already wasn't looking good just by the few reports he got from the analysis. This also showed what the future had in store for the other slumbering citizens of Angel Grove.

"Ay, ay, ay!" shouted Alpha 8. "This is not good at all, Rangers."

"I hate it when he says that," said Haley. "Why can't you tell us good news for once, Alpha?"

"I'm sorry, Haley," said Alpha, "but this is truly upsetting. I'm afraid that the monster, Morpheus, used a unique virus to put Connor and the others to a deep sleep."

"The monster mentioned that," said Ric. "He said they would die in their nightmares. Please tell me that he was exaggerating with that last part."

Alpha could only shake his head, making this all the more depressing for the Rangers. "I'm afraid not, Ric," said the robot. "Morpheus's virus is slowly killing the people who have fallen under his sleeping spell. They are trapped in nightmares that is slowly draining their lives."

"Is there a way to wake Connor up now, Alpha?" asked Landon. "We can't beat this monster without him. We can't do this one Ranger short."

"You will have to, Landon," said Alpha. "Connor cannot be woken up by normal means." The robot started to walk over to the computer with Alice scooting aside. Alpha got to work on trying to find a cure for this sleeping spell that the city was being killed with. "Here we go. If the four of you can manage to destroy Morpheus before dawn then Connor and everyone else will be able to wake up."

"That's the best lead we got," said Alice. "What time is it now?"

Haley joined the others by the computer with her helmet in hand. She looked over to the world clocks that they had scattered on the wall. "Half past nine," said Haley. Her tone of voice was drained from its usual cheeriness as she grew far too concerned about what would happen to Connor and everyone else if they failed.

"We only have seven and a half hours to save the city," said Landon. "I think that's more than enough time to finish him off."

The girls seemed to agree with their leader, while Ric knelt at Connor's side.

Ric brushed the orangish bangs out of Connor's face with his gloved fingers. He's always been picking on the kid for his fake ginger hair and constantly telling him to dye it a different color. He remembered beating the kid to a pulp too whenever they trained together until that one time he got him good. A deep sigh escaped his lips as ran his hand against the pasty skin of the boy who was slowly dying before him.

"Don't worry, Connor," whispered Ric. "I'll kill this monster for you. You won't die today. Then we can work on getting you that first kiss."

The others didn't hear, but they watched Ric's concerned face for the slumbering Connor.

"How can we use the Megazord without Connor?" asked Haley. "No one else can operate the Unicorn Zord."

"I've already thought of that, Haley," said Alpha. "Since we have his Crystal Morpher, we can put the Zord on auto-pilot. Just worry about defeating Morpheus, Rangers, I will take care of the rest."

"Thanks Alpha," Ric said, joining the others. "Let's get to work and finish off this son of a bitch."

"Right," agreed Landon. Everyone took hold of their helmets and placed a hand on the cross on their belt buckles. "Back to action!"

* * *

><p>Laughter filled Castle Pandemonium for a change as Thrax and the others watched Morpheus put an end to the Black Ranger. Thrax was overjoyed to see that one of the Rangers had fallen under the spell of the monster from the Fade. It wasn't exactly planned out that way, but the results were nonetheless perfect in his book.<p>

With one of the Rangers unable to battle, it meant that the others would be severally weakened as they grieved for their fallen companion.

"This is perfect!" said Thrax. "The Rangers do not stand a chance at defeating Morpheus."

"Still, Lord Thrax, we shouldn't tempt that Fates," said Lightning. "We should do everything we can to ensure that victory is impossible for the Rangers. I suggest that the Dark Knight or myself should go down to Earth to assist Morpheus."

Thrax thought about it for but a moment. He knew the reputation of the Power Rangers quite well. Just when you'd think they were done for the count, they would pull off a miracle. Yes, what Lightning said was very true. He needed to do his best to ensure their victory against the Power Brats.

"My Knight," said Thrax, "go down to Angel Grove. Help Morpheus to destroy the Power Rangers."

"Yes, my lord!" Dark Knight said, vanishing in thin air.

Lightning smirked, but felt a little disappointed that she couldn't directly kill the Power Rangers on her own. At least a few more of them would perish today. She could always go on a hunt for the other generations of Rangers, slaughtering every single one of them until they were all extinct.

Thrax was booming with laughter as he stared at his precious Nexus, knowing that he finally had what he needed to destroy the Power Rangers, once and for all.

* * *

><p>The sleep spell took its effects on everyone in the city by midnight. Everywhere sleeping bodies could be seen scattered throughout Angel Grove. Morpheus had practically won already, but the Rangers knew that they couldn't surrender so easily though. The problem now though was trying to find where Morpheus was hiding.<p>

Alpha lost track of Morpheus so the Rangers were left searching the entire city for the monster.

For hours, the Rangers tried to track the monster down as dawn was quickly approaching. With only an hour before the sun rise, Alpha finally managed to track Morpheus's signal. Their robotic friend sent the Rangers to the monster's location, so that they could quickly put an end to him before it was too late to save Angel Grove.

The Rangers arrived to the park to finish the monster off before it was too late. They found Morpheus lounging by a bench with a group of Putties basking in his magnificence. He was strumming on his harp, playing a beautiful melody for them.

"It's about time that you found me, Rangers," said Morpheus. "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't show up."

"You should be worrying about yourself!" shouted Red Ranger. "We're going to crush you and save the city!"

The other three agreed with their leader as they geared up to fight Morpheus. The monster just huffed at them as he stood up from the bench he was sitting upon. The Putties flocked around him, ready to do battle with the Rangers as well as the monster from the Fade.

But just when the Rangers were about to spring into action, bolts of lightning attacked all around them. They jumped away from the electrifying attack as the Dark Knight appeared before them all.

The knight drew his blade and held it forward to threaten the Rangers. "Foolish Power Rangers!" said Dark Knight. "You will not be able to save your precious city! I will bring you all down to your knees."

"Great, this is exactly what we needed!" said Blue Ranger.

"Don't worry, guys," said Yellow Ranger. "We can do this! We have the Power!"

"That's right," said Pink Ranger. "Alice and I will take care of the Putties. Ric and Landon, you can take care of Morpheus and Dark Knight."

"Sounds like a plan to me!" said Red Ranger. "Spread out and fight!"

The Rangers sprang into action, splitting apart to fight the monsters that were gathered before them.

Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger went after the dozen Putty Patrol soldiers. They quickly got to work in decimating their numbers, not wasting any time by going straight for the kill. Yellow Ranger dove herself after the nearest Putty and threw it to another before kicking a third in the chest. The collision of the other two caused the Putties to burst apart, putting an end to that threat. Pink Ranger flipped around on the grass and struck while the iron was hot. She punched two Putties back to back until they exploded then went after two more. Throwing herself between them, Pink Ranger finished them both with a single kick by knocking them into one another.

While they handled the Putties, Red Ranger found himself going after Dark Knight on his own. Armed with the Aurora Sword, he fought bravely against the knight. They met each other blade for blade and as their blades crossed, sparks flew apart in every direction. Red Ranger tried to break the knight's armored chest plate, but Dark Knight defended himself well.

Dark Knight swung his heavy sword around thus forcing Red Ranger to get back. The wicked knight backed the Ranger into the nearest tree and blocked off his exist. As he raised his sword above his head to deliver the final blow, Red Ranger knew he had only a second to take advantage of the opening the knight gave him. He swung the Aurora Sword forward to slice into the knight's chest, forcing him to retreat for a second.

Blue Ranger went after Morpheus on his own. The Glory Hammer was his only companion as he rushed after the monster that dared to hurt one of their own. Blinded by his fury, Blue Ranger lost all control of himself as he stomped after Morpheus. The monster took advantage of the blind spots left opened by the Blue Ranger's assault to catch him off his guard. Glory Hammer constantly tried to take the monster down with every swing, but Morpheus managed to worm his way out of receiving any damage.

Slowly, the Ranger was becoming exhausted which presented the monster with an opportunity. Morpheus caught one of the Blue Ranger's attacks and held him in place. The monster stole the Glory Hammer from the Ranger then began to beat him with his own weapon. Laughter escaped the monster as Blue Ranger grumbled apart on the ground. Morpheus raised the hammer high above his head to deliver the fatal blow when a swirl of mystical water crashed into him.

"Tidal Sacred Cutter!"

The impact caused Morpheus to drop the hammer on the ground, while he stumbled back. Pink Ranger pulled the Blue Ranger back on his feet. She geared herself up with her Sacred Claws once more, itching to have her revenge on the monster. "I won't allow you to get away this time!" shouted the Pink Ranger. "You hurt my friend so now I'm going to hurt you!"

"That goes double for me!" Blue Ranger shouted, rearming himself with his hammer.

Morpheus huffed at them both as he rushed in after them.

Meanwhile, Dark Knight had Red Ranger on the ropes once more. Their blades were stuck against one another as they fought to overpower one another. Dark Knight was forcing all of his strength against the Red Ranger, trying to force him to submit before his power. Red Ranger knew he couldn't surrender though, not if he was going to save Connor and the rest of the city from Morpheus's spell.

Lucky for Red Ranger, Yellow Ranger came in just in time to help him out. She added her Angel Sword into the mix and helped her leader into pushing the Dark Knight back. With their strength combined, they managed to force the Dark Knight back for but a second.

Yellow Ranger charged after the knight, but soon found herself hit by a brick wall. She swung her sword at him only to have her attack blocked by the knight's sword before having a fist smash into her chest. The raw power was enough to send her flying back a little, leaving Red Ranger on his own yet again.

"No, Alice!" shouted Landon.

Yellow Ranger landed on her back and didn't move for a moment. She struggled to regain her composure as she tried to stand back up, alerting the Red Ranger that she was fine.

It was enough to piss Red Ranger off though as he went after the knight. Dark Knight blocked Red Ranger's sword though then countered with a slash across the chest. The knight's powerful blade slashed against the Red Ranger, sending him back to the ground. Red Ranger forced himself to get back on his feet as he clenched onto his sword with both hands.

Burning with anger, Red Ranger gathered his fire around the sword. The Aurora Sword ignited at once as Red Ranger went after the knight yet again. "Flaming Aurora Strike!" shouted Red Ranger. He brought his sword down, unleashing the powerful surge of fire that burned against the knight's heavy layers of armor. Dark Knight attempted to shield himself with his sword, but not even that was enough to protect him from the wall of fire.

Yellow Ranger threw herself into the mix as she armed herself with her Holy Pistols. While the knight's back was turned, she fired a few rounds to dig deeper into his armor until the knight was withering with pain. Dark Knight was forced into submitting against the two as he dropped his sword to the ground and knelt before them.

"This is far from over, Rangers!" shouted the knight. Dark Knight pointed up to the sky that was slowly growing brighter. The night brought upon by the moon was slowly fading as sunrise quickly drew near. "Sunrise is only minutes away now. Your friend and the rest of this city shall perish!" At least Dark Knight could take comfort in that, despite his shameful defeat.

The knight disappeared from sight, giving Red Ranger and Yellow Ranger the opportunity to rejoin the others in the fight against Morpheus.

Morpheus had his claw hands wrapped around the necks of both Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger. They were both dangling up in the air as the monster used his strength to his advantage. He kept them both up there as they thrashed about, trying to break free from his tight grip. He wasn't about to relinquish them though, he wanted them to suffer for as long as possible.

"Gaia Holy Trigger!"

Earthly bullets crashed against the chest of Morpheus, forcing him to release the two Rangers. He stumbled back with his hands over the marks no his chest that were put there by the sharp bullets. He growled as he watched the four Rangers unite together. This wasn't looking good at all for him.

Blue Ranger raised his hammer into the air before spinning it around on his head. He gathered all the power he could before flinging it after the monster. "Hurricane Glory Rang!" shouted the Ranger. He tossed his enchanted hammer after Morpheus, blasting him with a fierce gale of wind. Morpheus braced himself for impact as he was blown back a few feet.

Red Ranger had them gather their Angel Swords for the final attack. The four of them crossed their swords together, summoning all the strength that they could muster up without Connor there to back them up. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the four Rangers. They released their colorful slashes at the monster, which tore apart at his being.

Morpheus howled with pain as he landed to the ground, no longer able to do anything against the Rangers. They were about to celebrate their victory when a bolt of lightning came down from the sky, embedding Morpheus with a new source of energy. Cackling as he grew in size, Morpheus reached gigantic heights as he prepared for the final battle against the Rangers.

"Oh man!" shouted Red Ranger. "Alpha, send us the Zords!"

As Morpheus began his attack, the Rangers jumped into the cockpits of their Angel Force Zords. The Rangers inserted their Crystal Morphers into the Angel Zord, Bear Zord, Wolf Zord, and Dolphin Zord. Unicorn Zord joined them as well, which was activated by Alpha after teleporting Connor's Crystal Morpher into the cockpit. With this put into play, the Rangers were quickly able to form the Angel Force Megazord.

With the Megazord fully functional, the Rangers were ready to finish Morpheus off for good!

The Megazord stomped towards Morpheus who stood perfectly still as it drew near. When the Megazord was about to attack with its fist, the monster shimmered away from sight. Their attack missed and the Megazord stumbled around a bit as they tried to relocate the monster. This was a really shitty time for their radar not to work on them.

"Shit!" shouted Blue Ranger. "Where did he go?"

"The radar isn't picking up a heat signature at all," said Pink Ranger. "I'm switching the radar to mass signature."

"Too late!" shouted Yellow Ranger. "He's right behind us now!"

Morpheus reappeared behind the Megazord just as the Yellow Ranger had said. The monster slashed at their back with his clawed hands. It dug into the wings of the Megazord, shutting down its flight operations with a single blow. Morpheus vanished from sight yet again and left the Rangers puzzled into how they were going to track him down again.

"I hate it when the bad guys do this," growled Red Ranger. "Be ready for anything, Rangers."

The Megazord walked around the park, preparing itself for another attack from Morpheus. The Rangers didn't have to wait too long as the monster jumped in front of them for another attack. Morpheus slashed at the front of the Megazord this time, sending sparks flying out everywhere. The cockpit of the Megazord began to shake the Rangers that were inside of it as they struggled to regain control of the Megazord.

Morpheus jumped away from the stumbling Megazord with a sharp laugh escaping his lips. He summoned his harp to his side and began to play a soothing melody. "Perhaps I should put you to sleep as well, Rangers!" laughed the monster. "Say goodnight to your lives!"

The harp's music scrambled the controls of the Megazord, causing explosions to continuously go off. The Rangers fought to stop this, but Morpheus was far too strong.

"We can't give up!" Blue Ranger shouted, slamming his fist onto the control panel. "Everyone is depending on us! Connor and the rest of Angel Grove will die unless we do something."

"My parents will die if we can't stop him!" shouted Pink Ranger. "Ric, let's show this bastard not to play with us!"

"Let's do it, girl!" said Blue Ranger.

The two of them took control of the arms of the Megazord. Angel Force Megazord's fists came up with a glowing surge of electrical energy taking place. Fighting through Morpheus's attack, Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger had the Megazord release a blast of electricity from the two fists. The attack shocked the monster and managed to even break his evil harp.

"Now's our chance!" shouted Red Ranger. "We finish this now!"

Red Ranger pushed down on the finishing control, summoning the Angel Power Sword. The Rangers gathered their powers together once more to put an end to Morpheus and save the city before sunrise. With the gems glowing brightly, the Megazord used the finishing move, Heaven Mega Power Slash, to put an end to Morpheus's nightmare of a mess.

The sword came down hard on the monster until he exploded into nothingness, putting an end to the monster from the Fade.

Morpheus was defeated just in time too as sunrise came, rousing the sleeping city's inhabitants, allowing them to live for another day.

* * *

><p>The city was saved and dawn had arrived to break through the spell of Morpheus. The Power Rangers returned to the Command Center to check on Connor. The quartet rushed to his side, while Alpha was busy keeping the boy alive.<p>

They surrounded their friend, waiting for him to finally awaken from his sleep.

"Is he awake yet?" asked Landon. "What about the rest of the city?"

"Our system reported that everyone in Angel Grove has begun to wake up," said Alpha. "However, I'm afraid that something is preventing Connor from waking up. His vitals are too weak for comfort, something is wrong."

"What is that supposed to mean, Alpha?" asked Alice.

"You told us he'd be just fine!" said Ric.

Please tell us that this is just a joke, Alpha," said Haley.

Alpha sighed as he shook his robotic head from side to side. He began to walk away from the Rangers as he returned to his place at the main computer. "Connor…I'm afraid that the injuries he incurred from the fight with Morpheus is making it impossible for him to wake up," said the Alpha bot. "I'm sorry, Rangers. Connor's vitals with drop at any moment…he doesn't have much time left."

The Rangers closed their eyes and held their heads down in shame. They had fought so hard to save Connor and the rest of Angel Grove from Morpheus's spell. For what? Connor's life was over, there was nothing more they could do to save him from death.

The sun proved this to be all the more true as morning came.

There was nothing else that they could do to save their friend.

Landon, Alice, and Haley collapsed to the ground as they grieved for their friend. They listened to the beeping of the machine as the sound got weaker with each second that passed. Haley's face was covered with tears and her face began to get red and puffy. She covered her face with her gloved hands, looking at Connor's dying body.

Landon had his arms wrapped around both of the girls as he tried to comfort them. Alice tried to hide her tears, but she found herself completely breaking down and buried her face in her hands. It was impossible for Landon to keep his calm for any longer either. Tears began to run down his face, while he looked up to the ceiling of the Command Center, wishing that he could've done more for Connor. He was their leader, he was the one who was supposed to keep them all safe.

Ric dropped to his knees beside Connor. The boy was growing paler by the second and his breath only got weaker. A tear began to run down Ric's cheek as he took hold of the dying boy's hand.

A wave of guilt began to wash over Ric, more so then the one that attacked Landon.

It was the guilt of what could've been. As he watched Connor's life diminish, Ric couldn't deny that he cared deeply about the boy more so then was right. He clasped onto the boy's hand and felt foolish for not coming to this realization sooner. The way that Connor looked at him, smiled, and acted. It was more than obvious that Connor liked him, Ric was just too dumb to admit that he liked the boy too.

"You deserve better than this, Connor," whispered Ric. "This shouldn't be happening to you. It isn't right, it isn't fair." Ric just couldn't let it end like this. He had to do something to make things right.

The only thing that came to mind was to keep that promise true.

Ric leaned towards Connor's body and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. The contact lasted only a few seconds until Ric finally pulled himself away. Ric fought the urge to cry as he got up on his feet and thought about walking away from his body. At least Connor would die after having his first kiss, even if he probably wasn't even aware that it happened.

But as Ric was about to move, the machine only got louder. Everyone looked at Connor to see something surprising happening to him. Connor's fingers began to twitch and his eyes slowly began to flutter open until he was fully conscious. Taking in a sharp breath of air, Connor pried his back up from the healing bed.

Relived to see that their friend was still alive, the other Rangers swarmed around Connor. Alpha began to give out joyful cries as well as he joined the other Rangers. Connor just looked utterly confused while everyone was talking to him all at once.

"Someone explain to me what happened!" shouted Connor.

"Morpheus put you and the rest of Angel Grove to sleep," said Haley. "We defeated the monster and woke everyone else up, but nothing we could do was able to save you. All of us thought you were as good as dead."

Landon swatted Ric on the back with a cheery smile on his face. This seemed to worry Connor as he raised a confused eyebrow at them. "Then Prince Charming over here woke up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss," laughed their leader.

Connor slowly turned his head over to Ric. He was sure that this was a joke, but the look on Ric's face said otherwise. "You kissed me?" said Connor. "Why?"

"Yeah, why did you kiss him?" asked Alice. "Are you in love?"

Ric turned away, feeling utterly embarrassed, while Connor too began to blush.

Haley pulled Landon and Alice away, taking Alpha with them so that the others could be left alone to talk. The other two were trying to figure out what was going on, but Haley and Alpha kept them from doing so.

"So," Connor whispered, "it looks like you saved my life. I guess it's true what they say, love conquers all."

"Yeah…" Ric said, still holding his head down.

"Do you like me?" asked Connor. "Or was that just a pity kiss?"

Ric finally looked Connor straight in the face, seeing the painful look in his eyes. Connor looked crushed and confused and every other word in the human language. It hurt Ric to see Connor like this, which made him all the more certain of what was going on in that heart and head of his.

Well aware that actions speak louder than words, Ric showed Connor exactly what he meant. Ric leaned up and pressed his lips against Connor to keep him silent before he began to rant again. A smile broke on Connor's face as he surrendered himself into the kiss.

This wasn't how he imagined it would happen, but Connor was kind of happy that he almost died today.

* * *

><p>On the next chapter, Connor is inducted into the school's honor society as him and Ric try to understand what they exactly mean to one another. While preparing for the ceremony, Haley's parents meet the boy as well as his foster father. Connor's home situation is exposed just as Thrax has another monster attack the school. With their lives in danger, Haley must chose between either keeping her secret hidden from her parents or saving all of their lives. Find out what happens in <strong>Meet the Parents!<strong>


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **This will be my last update for a few weeks. I got on vacation soon to Puerto Rico, the land of my mother's people! Which means I won't have much (if any) time to write fan fiction. I hope this chapter will sedate your appetite for a little while. If not, well I have other stories you can read! Haha. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And if you review, please make it a full sentence! I really don't like one word reviews. Haha. So...read and review! **  
><strong>

**Meet the Parents:**

Alpha 8 was on shutdown mode to do some routine maintenance on his circuits. Alice helped the robot out by keeping up a vigilant watch on his progress. She sat at a chair and watched the screen to see how far Alpha was from being complete. Alice also had to keep an eye on the monitors to make sure that Thrax didn't try anything while their backs were turned.

The screen flashed as Alpha reached the halfway point that only took three hours to get to. She figured that another three hours would be needed so that Alpha would be fully operational again. So all she needed to do was just sit there and keep her eyes on the screen.

While her back was turned though, Landon entered the Command Center with a bag of burgers in one hand and a thing of drinks in the other. He handed Alice her drink and held out their lunch so she could retrieve her food. A smile formed on her face as she dug into the bag to get her double cheeseburger with bacon and her curly fries out of the bag. Normally, she wouldn't eat this, but she was incredibly starving and craving all those unneeded calories. Landon felt the same and since it was his cheat day, he felt comfortable with the triple cheese and bacon he ordered with the large curly fries and shake.

So what if they were both fatties?

They would burn it all off anyways when they got into a fight with whatever Thrax sent next.

Landon attacked his burger with gusto. He already had half the thing down and was working on his fries, while Alice was barely about to finish her fries. Landon dropped his food on his lap before looking over to the screen that had surveillance on the city. The camera briefly flashed to Angel Grove High, showing that nothing out of the ordinary was going on at the school.

"Do you think that Connor and Ric are ever going to have that talk of theirs?" asked Landon. "Ever since Ric kissed him, have you noticed how they've been kinda avoiding each other?"

"Only an idiot wouldn't notice that," Alice said, leaning back on her chair. "Besides, you're Ric's roommate. You should know what's going on in that big, dumb head of his. Why doesn't he just talk to Connor? He needs to man up if he's ever going to win over our little boy."

Landon couldn't disagree with that as he finished off his burger now. He was completely stuffed and here he was thinking about his teammates' love lives. "It's so annoying," he told Alice. "I hate how people are so attracted to each other yet they're too stupid to admit they like one another. I mean, look at how obvious it is that Ric likes Connor and Connor likes Ric! We've known this since Ric started raining the kid."

"I wonder what kind of ulterior motives Ric had with those training sessions," laughed Alice. She tossed her empty thing of fries into the bag before focusing on finishing her burger. It was so good too, which made her smile as she turned her chair to Landon. "I get what you mean though. Ric and Connor need to get their asses locked into a room so that they can have a nice, long chat…or something else."

"Yeah," Landon said, nodding his head as he turned to her. "They just need to admit they like each other."

For a moment, neither one said another word. Landon and Alice just stared at each other, embracing the comfortable feeling they had around one another. Before they even realized it, they both leaned their heads closer until they met in the middle for a brief kiss.

* * *

><p>The afternoon was slowly dying out, which meant that Connor was finally free from school.<p>

Connor gathered his books as he stormed out of his last class for the day. He ran over to his locker to get his backpack before taking off for that long walk home. It wasn't something he looked forward too since that meant he'd be going home to his crappy foster dad. The faster he got there then the faster he could make dinner and prevent himself from getting beat.

At least that's how it usually worked out. There were days that the rules didn't seem to work with that shitty man he was stuck living with.

While he was getting away from his school, a hand grabbed hold of Connor. He immediately thought that the football team was about to throw him into the dumpster when he turned to see that it was Haley. A sigh of relief escaped his lips but it got weird when Haley began to drag him outside of the building to the parking lot.

"Please explain to me what's going on?" asked Connor. "Why are you dragging me off to God knows where, woman!"

"I'm getting annoyed with you and Ric constantly avoiding each other!" shouted Haley. She easily dragged Connor to the end of the parking lot where a blue truck was parked on the curb. Ric was sitting in the trunk with a bored look on his face. Haley pushed Connor into the truck so that she could finally talk to Ric. "Now, start talking! We all know you like each other. And Ric, you totally Prince Charming your way into saving Snow White over here with a kiss. My job here is done; now start talking to each other!"

Haley ended it there and took off to her own car so she could go home.

Although, Ric and Connor could easily take off without anyone knowing any better. Yet they were well aware that their friends would drag them back into this type of mess. Connor stayed silent as he sat in the trunk, avoiding having to look Ric in the face. Ric tried not to look at Connor, but he couldn't help but to look at Connor's innocent beauty.

It was so awkward between them since that kiss. Ric never thought it would reach this point, but he felt really bad that he had been avoiding Connor. Even though he admitted that he liked the boy, he still couldn't bring himself to do anything at all about it. Now, he felt like a major ass because everyone probably thought he was playing with Connor.

Who knew what Connor thought too. Ric was afraid to know what kind of depressing thoughts were running inside that pretty, little head of his.

Finally growing some balls, Connor was the one who found the strength to speak up for once. He dropped his bag on the trunk and just faced Ric head on. "Listen, I get that you're probably just experiment or it's just a phase for you, but this is real to me," Connor said, bitterly. "I like you, Ric. I like you a lot. Just because I'm gay and young and stupid doesn't mean you can just take advantage of that! I don't deserve to be treated like that."

"You do deserve better than me," Ric said, sadly. He broke through Connor's rant so he could defend himself. It was only fair that he got his end out. "I can't deny that I don't know if I'm really gay, or bi, or just curious. What I do know is that I care for you. I like you a lot, and I'd be an idiot if I didn't at least try to see if I can make this work with you. I don't know what else to say to you, Connor."

It was then that Connor began to smile, an honest smile too.

Ric felt this feeling in his heart burn with joy as he leaned in to kiss Connor, out in the open too.

Neither on seemed to give a damn either and never before have they felt happier then right now.

* * *

><p>Ric was a very bad distraction for Connor. It took a half an hour longer to get home and that's because Ric was giving him a ride.<p>

Connor sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat of Ric's truck. The boy would sneak peeks at Ric but would shift them away. He still felt a little awkward about all of this, especially since it was pretty much out in the open too that they were together. Plus, Connor still had to deal with how he'd keep his home life hidden from Ric now that they had gotten significantly closer to one another.

For today at least, there was nothing to worry about. Ric pulled over at the curb of their trashy home. To say that Ric was shocked that Connor lived here was a bit of a bit of an understatement. Connor avoided the questions and told Ric goodbye with a brief kiss on the cheek before running inside his house.

It didn't take long for him to go away. Ric took off after a minute of just sitting there, probably going back to his own place.

With a soft sigh, Connor dropped his things off in his bedroom before running to the kitchen. He was fortunate enough to see that his dad was still at work or at least at the bar. That meant he'd have at least an hour to prepare dinner before the man-monster returned home. The boy rushed back to the kitchen to grab something to make a quick but good meal to avoid getting his ass beat.

There were still things to cook with in the freezer so that was a relief. He grabbed some raviolis and ground beef to make something decent for them both. He quickly put the pasta on the stove to boil, while he defrosted the meet as he gathered the seasoning. Every once in a while, he'd glance at the clock to see how much time he had left until his foster dad showed up.

So far, he was just about done and he was still in the clear.

The meatballs he made to go with the raviolis had seemed to come out pretty good. He threw all he sauce they still had left and added plenty of cheese to make it delicious. Steve Hill loves his cheese so the more cheese then the better chance Connor had of surviving the night.

The familiar roar of the car's engine alerted Connor to his impending doom. He quickly served a bowl for his foster dad just to avoid getting his ass kicked. The front door opened up as the middle-aged man stumbled inside, grumbling about how long his day was. The man was still sober, which meant that Connor just might survive the night.

Connor placed the man's bowl and a beer on the table just as Steve entered their tiny kitchen. The man sniffed the food for but a second then pounced on it with his fork. Steve already had half the food down his stomach, while Connor just got his plate together and drink.

"I got a call from that school of yours," said Steve. A chill crept up Connor's spine as he feared the worst might happen. The man didn't show his hand by keeping his poker face on, while he soaked in the fear that was radiating from Connor. "One of those counselor women called. They said you got accepted into the honor society and you're having a ceremony tomorrow."

"It's no big deal," Connor said, calmly lying. "I wasn't even going to go."

"Well, I already told the bitch I was going," Steve said, his voice cruel while he laughed. "Make sure you wear something nice to wear too, kid. I don't want people to think I'm raising a little bum."

Connor knew there was no way out of this one. He just smiled and nodded his head, pretending like he was thrilled by having him go.

Instead, Connor felt like he would die at any moment. This was exactly the type of situation he was attempting to avoid. Connor had planned on sneaking out to the ceremony since Haley blabbed and told the others. Fridays were Steve's bar days too, which meant he wouldn't be home until one o'clock anyways. Connor would've been safe and in the clear, now he was just completely screwed.

How was he going to hide this monster from everyone at school and his friends? This was a nightmare for Connor, this was his worst nightmare coming true.

Steve was done with his dinner and Connor wasn't too far away from being done as well.

Connor quickly got to work on cleaning the kitchen while thinking about how screwed he was now.

There was no way he'd survive after tomorrow. One way or another, something was bound to happen. Either everyone would find out his living situation, his step-dad would learn about Ric and murder him, or something else equally horrible would happen.

"Damn, damn," whispered Connor, "double damn."

* * *

><p>On the moon, Thrax sat at his throne with the others surrounding him. Lightning and the Dark Knight were at his side as they all worked to plot against the Power Rangers. They desperately wanted to put an end to those Power Brats that were making their lives so miserable. The Rangers had to die if they were ever going to succeed in destroying the Earth and taking over the rest of the universe.<p>

Everything that they had done so far seemed pretty useless though. None of their plots worked, the Rangers always managed to outdo them on every corner. Even when Beelzebub was around it wasn't enough to take care of the Power Rangers. The Daimons and their Fade Monsters didn't seem to be enough.

"Morpheus failed us," said Thrax. "All the Daimons and Beelzebub failed us too. What is there that we can do to strike the Power Rangers down!" By now, Thrax was glowing red with his anger as he slammed his fist onto his chair. "You two need to figure something out before I completely eradicate you all!"

Lightning rolled her eyes as she leaned away from Thrax's Z-Staff. It was annoying how Thrax blamed them for everything when he had yet to do anything to personal challenge the Rangers on his own. At least the Dark Knight and herself actually went down to the Earth to fight alongside their minions.

Either way, Lightning knew more or less what she needed to do. She stepped away from the throne and raised their computer pad. Gracefully, she used their sensors to find the location of the Power Rangers. Their sensors immediately picked up on the trail of the Pink and Black Rangers so she zoomed in on them. Their trail led Lightning to discover that they were at Angel Grove High School.

A smirk crept up Lightning's face as she turned to face Thrax.

"Summon a monster," she told Thrax. "I found the Rangers. We'll send a monster to attack the school. The Rangers will be too busy trying to protect the helpless students, making them easy targets for us to pick off one by one."

"How deviously evil!" laughed Thrax. "I love your thinking, Lightning!"

Dark Knight silently nodded his head in agreement as he appreciated the plot of his companion.

Thrax lifted his Z-Staff into the air to strike a bolt of energy at the Nexus that had been placed against the wall of the palace. The bolt struck the Nexus, causing it to glow as a monster was slowly pulled out from the Fade.

With a plan and a monster, Thrax knew that the Power Rangers' time was beginning to run out.

* * *

><p>At the high school, Haley and Connor were working on putting everything together for the ceremony. Haley was already an official member so she was doing this for the volunteer hours that were required by the club. As for Connor, he was getting volunteer hours with this as well, but he also had to do something else required by the club sponsor who just happened to be the choir teacher.<p>

Everyone was trying to make the gym look as presentable as possible for the ceremony. Considering that it was such a large space, it took a little more effort to cover up as much possible. They focused mainly on the stage though and the immediate space that was going to be used for the ceremony. It made it that much easier to fix everything, making everything look all pretty for the inductees' special day.

Haley worked on hanging up the streamers around the stage. The shimmering streams of blue and silver reflected the school's own colors, since they were the Angel Grove Warrior Angels. With the last of the streamers hung up, Haley got down from the ladder that some of the guys were holding steady so she could admire her handy work.

A smile formed on her pretty little face as she ran a hand through her curls. Now, she just needed to make sure everything else was finished before the lady president could take off to get dressed. As President of their chapter of the National Honor Society, Haley had the very important duty of making sure all of this went off without a hitch.

"Ally, move that about an inch to the right!" shouted Haley. "That's perfect."

While she was busy barking orders at the others, Connor was busy helping them put out all of the chairs. The other guys just grumbled at him, barking orders at what they needed the younger boy to do. They'd, honestly, rather not have the school fag there being inducted into their club, but it wasn't like they had the power to kick him out. What they could do was make his life a living hell, which wouldn't be too different from what they already doing to him.

Connor remained partly oblivious to this as he unfolded the last of his chairs. He scratched his forehead before looking down to see that he was still in his school clothes. At least he already had his clothes ready to go, he just needed to borrow a restroom to go change. He'd worry that after his practice though so that he'd make sure that he had everything down.

The boy breezed past his usual bullies, ignoring the mean things they said to him all together. He walked over to Haley who was standing beside their sponsor and the choir teacher, Mrs. Holt. Mrs. Holt was such a nice lady, she was always super helpful and would give you the shirt off her own back if you asked. Unfortunately for Connor, she also was a master of the guilt trip, which was why he got dragged into this mess. Had Haley never heard him singing at the Command Center then he wouldn't have been dragged into doing this.

"Alright, Connor," said Mrs. Holt, "are you ready to practice one last time?"

"Yeah," Connor said, trying to smile through it. He swallowed down the urge to vomit as he got on the stage and sat down on the stool they had for him. He adjusted the microphone and brought it down to his short, Asian level.

Mrs. Holt went over to the piano while Haley took out her acoustic guitar. They softly began to play the music to Connor's favorite song by The Beatles, which they slowed down for the ceremony. To make it through the song, Connor thought about the kiss he had with Ric yesterday, the happy feeling he had when he felt Ric's arms around him. That incredible feeling was more than enough to motivate him to get through this with his head held up high.

Connor took in a deep breath as he met the soft music with a soft voice.

"Oh yeah, I'll tell you something, I think you'll understand. When I'll say that something, I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand."

"Oh please, say to me, you'll let me be your man. And please, say to me you'll let me hold your hand. Now let me hold your hand, I want to hold your hand."

"And when I touch you I feel happy inside. It's such a feeling that my love I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide."

Midway through the song, Connor had everyone's attention on him. The students and the few adults there were focusing on him. The doors to the gym opened up as well as the club's biggest parent volunteers showed up just in time to hear the song. Kimberly and Jason dragged themselves over to the ceremony to help out and to support their president daughter. They made it just in time to hear the performance from one Connor Song.

"Yeah, you've got that something, I think you'll understand. When I'll say that something I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand."

"And when I touch you I feel happy inside. It's such a feeling that my love. I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide."

"Yeah, you've got that something, I think you'll understand. When I'll feel that something I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand, I want to hold your hand."

The song finished and Connor pulled himself away from the microphone only to have everyone there applauding him. Even the jerks that usually made Connor's life a living hell had to give him his props. Haley hugged her friend, telling him that it was perfect. Connor blushed as he made his way off stage with his fellow Power Rangers following behind him.

As they both were about to grab their things to change, Haley's parents intercepted them. Haley instantly ran up to both of her parents to hug them both. Connor was completely shell-shocked as he met Haley's parents with his own two eyes. This was by far the most exciting moment of his life, he was actually in the presence of two members from the original team Power Rangers.

"Mom and dad," Haley said, dragging her parents closer, "this is Connor Song. Connor, these are my parents: Jason Lee Scott and Kimberly Ann Scott."

"Haley's told us a lot about you," Jason said, shaking the boy's hand. He sized up the boy pretty quickly and saw that he was no threat at all to his daughter. This was just something a dad did whenever he met his daughter's male friends. Plus, he strongly was going on what Haley said about the kid being gay.

"What she failed to tell us that you have a beautiful singing voice," Kimberly said, smiling at the boy with her mother smile. She eyed the boy too, but where Jason saw a scrawny teen, she saw a kind-hearted soul. It broke her heart knowing that this was the boy that Haley told her about a few days ago.

Connor was completely immobilized as he stared at the two former Rangers for a moment. It took until Haley pinched his arm for him to snap out of this trance he was in. "Sorry," Connor said, shaking his head. "It's just…well…you're you!" He tried to fake laugh his way through this awkward mess, while fidgeting around with his hands. "I mean…you're Jason and Kimberly, the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. You're heroes, you saved the world countless times."

"Just in the hundreds," Jason said, pretending to be modest.

Kimberly rolled her eyes at her husband as she took his arm "Ignore him," she said, smiling at Connor. "That feels like ancient history though. It's been so long since we fought Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa's army of monsters. Now, we just worry about paying our bills and making sure Haley goes off to a good college."

Connor would've mentioned something about Haley's safety as a Power Ranger had he already not been well aware that it was a secret. He just smiled and nodded his head until he excused himself to go get changed.

Jason and Kimberly said goodbye to the boy, while he walked away and fought the urge to squeal like a little girl.

* * *

><p>It was inching closer to the evening, which meant that they all needed to hurry up.<p>

Landon and Ric were fighting over time for the bathroom. Ric was the first to get through the shower so Landon ran in to use what little hot water was left. Landon's naked body flinched as he got hit with the cold cascade of water, while Ric was grinning as he dried off the rest of his warm body. It was cruel, but Landon was going to let this slide since Ric finally strapped his dick on and talked to Connor.

After getting the rest of the soap off his muscular body, Landon jumped out of the shower then pushed Ric's naked ass out of the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him but only after throwing Ric's deodorant and comb at him. Ric shouted at his roommate and really felt like kicking the door down just for the hell of it.

Ric got his body up from the floor though then ran to his bedroom to get his clothes on.

Not too long after their usual bout, Landon went to the living room, half-dressed. There was a repeated, loud knock on their door that wouldn't go away. Landon only rolled his eyes as he threw on the red dress shirt and zipped up his black slacks. He already knew who was there so he was a little more worried about the formal presentation since he did, after all, kissed her at the Command Center.

The door swung open and Landon had Alice come in. She had her hair tied up in a bun and wore a plain, yellow dress with a black belt around her hips and killing it in a pair of heels. For an awkward second, the two smiled at each other as they processed just how they were supposed to greet each other. Landon just gulped down his nerves then leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Alice kept smiling as Landon returned to his room to get dressed.

They hadn't quite worked out where they were standing just yet.

Alice had came over Landon and Ric's apartment with a dress on and her hair all prettied up. She stole one of the mirrors from the guys, carting it over to the living room so she could finish up her makeup. She figured it would be just easier if they all left to the ceremony together.

Carpooling, after all, saved gas and the protect the environment. Every little bit helps when it came to saving the planet.

It took the guys a little while longer, but they didn't keep Alice waiting too long.

Landon entered the living room, fully dressed now. He had on a red, dress shirt with a black tie around his neck and a pair of nice, black slacks. His hair was flattened down without the use of heat or any unnatural products. His naturally, straight Native hair was easy to manage, which made getting ready a breeze.

Ric followed behind him after another couple of minutes. He was wearing a blue, dress shirt with a striped tie and tan colored slacks. There was nothing special about his hair since it was too short to really do any styling to. He looked rather nice, presentable even which made Alice and Landon applauded him just to embarrass the heck out of him.

"You guys are assholes!" growled Ric.

"Oh, quit your man-bitching," said Landon. "You know you loves us. I'm pretty sure that Connor will pounce on you the minute he sees you."

"If he doesn't then everyone else will, Mr. Sexy Latin Lover," laughed Alice. She briefly noticed the slightly, jealous look on Landon's face. There was nothing official between them so it would no doubt be awkward until they figured something out between them. To calm their leader down, Alice took his arm and leaned her head against it. "Anyways, come on, boys, we need to get going. We wouldn't be good friends if we were late to our friend's induction ceremony."

Landon seemed to have calmed down and Ric was completely oblivious to what was going on between the two.

The trio quickly got out of the house before they did end up late.

* * *

><p>Connor sat patiently at his seat with the other inductees into the honor society. He patted down the wrinkles on his black shirt and slacks. The white tie he wore would shift around a little, but other than that, the boy thought he looked very presentable. He made sure to have clean up nicely, especially since his foster father would show up. Connor prayed that this would be the one day that the man would be sober.<p>

Everyone began to flock into the gym to make it on time for the ceremony.

Haley spotted her parents sitting as close to the front that the parents were allowed. She was more than happy to see them here, despite seeing them earlier. They had split the rows by the middle to create a pathway for the official members to walk down. Haley stood at the stage, in her pink dress and white shall with her vice president, the principal, and their sponsor. So far, everything was going well, which was good news for her.

Running a little late, Landon and the others finally made their way into the building. They found seats at the very back and made themselves comfortable there. Landon waved to Haley who spotted the trio, while Ric had his eyes set on spotting Connor. Alice noticed this and decided that she would make fun of Ric later when they got some punch and cake.

What could Alice say, she liked getting free cake.

The music began to play and the official members made their way to the stage in a mini parade. They found their way to their seats, but remained standing as Haley made her way to the microphone. She gave a brief speech congratulating the inductees and welcoming back the other members and their families. She went on to say the Pledge of Allegiance that would be followed by the playing of the national anthem.

However, as Haley finished the pledge, the doors to the gym swung open rather loudly. That caught a few people's attention and even Haley lost herself for a moment as she saw this man stumble inside the building. Connor had a bad feeling about this and the minute he turned his head back, his worst fears came true.

Stumbling inside was Steve Hill who already wreaked of alcohol. He was still dressed up in his work clothes and a trucker hat was on top of his head. He stumbled down the walkway, making a spectacle of himself, which made Connor sink into his chair.

"Where's my boy!" shouted Steve. "Where's my little fagot?" He pushed himself into a row of chairs, frightening the juniors that were sitting beside each other. He poked his head around then brushed them all off before getting into the next row. "Connor! Where the fuck are ya, boy?"

"That's enough, sir," the principal said as she took the microphone from Haley. "Security, please escort this man off campus."

"Fuck off, bitch!" laughed Steve. "I just want to congratulate my monthly check. Where are ya, little Asian piece of shit."

Connor prayed for God to just take him now. Everyone would know what was happening now. He was as good as dead. Social Services would come then take him away and send him to who knows what kind of foster home or orphanage.

Ric felt himself boiling in his seat as he knew that this man was after their Connor. He nearly jumped out of his seat, but Landon and Alice forced him to sit back down as security came. A few of the men tried to get Steve away, but he resisted them all as he found Connor's row.

"Ah, I found you, boy!" laughed the drunken man. "Come over here, shit head. Why don't you give your pop a hug?"

Haley's jaw dropped as she saw that this man was Connor's foster dad. She always had a bad feeling about him since Connor was always hiding himself in a shell. It was then that everything began to click, it worried her just what this man might have done to her friend behind closed doors.

Jason had enough of this revolting display. He might not be a Power Ranger any longer, but this was something that no kid had to suffer through. He got up from his chair, despite Kim's protests, and pulled the man away from Connor and the other children.

"You need to go," Jason growled, angrily. "You're making a fool out of yourself. Pull yourself together, man."

"Fuck you, loser!" shouted Steve. "I ought to kick your ass. So what if you were a Power Ranger?"

There was nothing Jason wanted more then to cut him to bits with his Power Sword. Since he no longer had that weapon and murder wasn't an option, he pushed Steve towards security. They would know what to do with him. Hopefully now, this man would never come anywhere near Connor.

Connor just took in a deep breath, feeling utterly humiliated by what had just happened.

It was far from over though. Steve fought security again and pushed them all away. He jumped over them all, trying to get after Jason as his drunken rage completely boiled over. But something stopped him before he could make it. Or better yet, someone stopped Steve before he made it to even the back row of seats.

A blade was pointed at his throat with a woman holding onto it. She had literally appeared out of nowhere, but her armed presence was frightening enough. That only escalated worse as she summoned her golden, battle armor to cover her body now. A few rays of light followed behind her as the Putties jumped into the scene.

The last to show up was a monster from beyond the Fade. The monster wore an all gray suit with a large X over the front of her chest. A couple of spikes could be seen on her shoulder and knees. Her face was covered with a golden mask, but her black hair could be seen without any hindrance.

Everyone began to scream as they took sight of Lightning and the monster. The Putties circled around the crowd, cutting them off from escaping. Lightning huffed as she switched her Gunblade into its gun form a shot a bullet into the sky, which shattered a light bulb above them.

"Silence!" shouted Lightning. "Allow of shut up now or else every single one of you will die!"

That seemed to calm the people down enough, even the Rangers kept their tongues shut as they tried to figure a way out of this.

Steve collapsed to the ground, cowering before the might of Lightning and the monster. Lightning wasted no time in snatching the drunk up and lifted him up into the air. The monster circled around like a hungry lioness would stalk her prey. "What a drunken fool this one is," the monster laughed. She was cackling now as her own desires to watch this man bleed began to take control.

"He is utterly useless to us, not a good bargaining chip at all, Maya," said Lightning. "He won't make good bait at all for the Power Rangers. The only thing he'll be useful for is feeding the Nexus."

Before Steve could say or do anything, Lightning drove her Gunblade into his chest. She twisted the blade around which led to the main spitting up blood as she ripped apart his organs. Once that was one with, she dropped his carcass on the ground while the life faded away from his eyes.

Connor's eyes began widen in both horror and shock as he witnessed this. He always something horrible being the end of his wicked foster father, but never something so extreme. He clenched onto his chest, holding down the urge to vomit from such a horrible sight.

More screams filled the air as the people went hysterical. The Putties abandoned the crowd and flocked around Lightning. Jason took the liberty of telling everyone to leave now, which led to a massive riot as everyone tried to flee the gym.

Lightning just stood there as she allowed this to slide. She could see now that she had what she came for, which was perfect in her book. Maya and the Putties were just itching for a rumble and they would get that soon enough.

Once the crowd was gone, all that remained were her favorite Rangers and two special guests. Haley took point in front of her parents, while Connor scrambled to get back on his feet. Landon, Ric, and Alice had disappeared into the crowd so that they could morph in secret. Not that it mattered really, Lightning already knew who they were.

While they were busy, Lightning flicked the blood off of her weapon. She slowly began to make her approach where she kicked a few of the chairs out of her way in the process. "Jason Lee Scott and Kimberly Ann Hart," she said, smiling. "It is such an honor to meet you both. The original Red and Pink Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I wish I could've met you both back in your prime, it would've made killing you all the more enjoyable."

"Who are you?" asked Kimberly. "Why are you doing this? Why did you kill that man?"

"You're my bargaining chips," laughed Lightning. "I need the two of you to get to the Power Rangers. They'll do anything to save the two of you, that much I'm certain. When they show up, I'll kill them then I'll kill you."

"Did you know you're completely insane!" shouted Jason. "You didn't answer my wife's question, what's your name? Just how do you know us anyways?"

Lightning no longer laughed as she suddenly became very serious. She switched her weapon to its gun mode and pointed it at Jason's head. "My name is Lightning," she said, angrily. "You should remember my parents: Goldar and Scorpina." Jason and Kimberly were beyond shocked to hear that. They knew about how protective Goldar could be with Scorpina, but to have a child with her was just astonishing. "The Red Space Ranger destroyed them when he ended Zordon's life. I want my revenge and killing the Power Rangers is the best way to do that."

"You won't succeed," said Jason. "The Rangers won't be defeated so easily."

"Is that true?" Lightning said, tilting her head to the side. "You're an idiot then. There are two Rangers standing in this room right now. Why don't you show just who you really are, Haley and Connor. Show them that you're Rangers."

"What!" Jason shouted as he turned to his daughter and her friend.

Kimberly already knew about this, but she still was fairly shock to really know it was true. She slowly turned her head to Haley who turned her gaze away from her parents. Haley had her eyes closed, while Connor stood frightened behind her.

Connor was more than certain this would be the end of them both, while Haley was just afraid of what her parents would think of her now that they knew.

Before Lightning could speak her threats again, a hammer struck one of her Putties down. The Putty broke apart into nothing as the hammer went back to its proper owner. Lightning growled as she ordered her Putties to attack as the Red, Blue, and Yellow Rangers rushed into the gym. Maya joined the Putties in their battle, while Lightning set her sights back on the others.

This time though, Lightning was in for a surprise when her weapon was kicked out of her hand. Out of instinct, the warrior woman jumped back to reclaim it only to see that her attacker was Connor who had moved at super speed to disarm her. He removed the black bracelet on his wrist, which soon became his Crystal Morpher.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the boy.

He quickly transformed into the Black Ranger in front of Haley's parents. Arming himself with his Angel Sword, Black Ranger rushed into battle against Lightning. In a weird way, he wanted to thank Lightning for murdering his foster father, but he also wanted to see her hurt for threatening their lives and everyone else. He rushed out on his own to fight her just as Lightning reclaimed her Gunblade.

Meanwhile, Haley continued to just stand there while her friends fought. Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger worked on taking down the Putties. Red Ranger was taking on the monster on his own with the only thing at his side was his Angel Sword and Aurora Sword. Black Ranger did everything he could to hold Lightning back, despite being out-matched by her superior skill.

She slowly turned her head to the side to face her parents. Her hands held onto the pink bracelet on her face as she looked at the horrified looks on their faces. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," Haley whispered. "You two need to hide though…I don't want any of you to get hurt." She looked away as she soon held onto her Crystal Morpher. Raising it up into the air, she called out her morphing phrase and became the Pink Ranger right before her parents.

Jason and Kimberly both couldn't help but to smile as they quickly got out of the way, while their daughter took off to battle evil.

With the last of the civilians gone, the real fighting could begin.

The Rangers had no mercy for their adversaries as they took them all on at once.

Lightning nearly had Black Ranger beat when Pink Ranger came in to join the fight. Pink Ranger attacked with her Angel Sword, breaking Lightning's hold on her weapon. She tagged her friend out, allowing Black Ranger to go after Putties while she took on Lightning. The two soon went at it with their blades crossing paths.

Black Ranger briefly glanced at his foster father's corpse and nearly felt himself vomit. He held back the urge as he grabbed onto his Heaven Bow and fired a few arrows at the Putties. Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger had gotten themselves back up into a corner as the Putties swarmed against them. They might have been torn to shreds had Black Ranger's arrows not have left a good impression.

Now that they were free, the duo went back to work on crushing the foot soldiers. Black Ranger joined up with the both of them and did his part in taking them down.

Red Ranger dodged the claws that Maya brought out to fight with. A set of claws grew from her hands like Wolverine did in the movies, which was a little frightening. Red Ranger stood his ground though as he swung both of his sword around and blocked whatever blow was sent his way.

However, Maya soon managed to break through his guard with a powerful blow. As he left himself exposed for an attack, Maya deliver the heel of her foot into his chest. She easily kicked him across the gym until he crashed into the table that held all of the snacks.

Blue Ranger dove in after the monster, while Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger left to help their leader up. With the Putties gone, now all they had to focus on was Maya and Lightning. Blue Ranger swung his heavy hammer around with hopes of knocking the monster's teeth out. Maya, however, would use her sharp claws to prevent any rough blow to her pretty, masked face though.

As that went on, Pink Ranger found herself in a constant power-struggle with Lightning. The two met each other blow for blow, which was becoming a little frustrating. The training they had made them both far too evenly matched for one another, but neither one was going to surrender.

"You tried to kill my parents!" Pink Ranger shouted angrily.

"So?" said Lightning. "My parents were killed by Rangers! All is fair in love and war!"

Lightning, staying true to her name, moved quickly as she slashed her blade across the Pink Ranger's chest. The rapid attack took the Ranger down and left her completely vulnerable to a fatal blow. With a smile on her face, Lightning held her Gunblade up and was going to deliver the final blow to the Pink Ranger.

"Shadow Heaven Arrow!"

A powerful arrow surrounded by shadows raced across the gym to attack Lightning. The attack shattered her Gunblade apart into nothing, which left Lightning in complete shock. Lightning held onto the handle, the only part that remained, as she turned to see that it was the damn Black Ranger.

Black Ranger stood his ground, holding onto his Heaven Bow. He had another arrow ready to go, which he had aimed at the wicked Lightning. "I hated that man, but you had no right to murder him!" shouted Black Ranger. "Steve Hill deserved to suffer in a prison for what he did to me. He needed to be punished for abusing me, but you had no right to take his life. You had no reason to kill him."

"You're right, I didn't," Lightning said, laughing. "He's dead though. It's not like the world will miss him, but at least he served a greater cause. His blood will give the Nexus strength and soon, our weapon will be able to do more than just summon monsters from the Fade. It will destroy you Power Rangers, this planet, and everyone you hold dear to your hearts!"

Lightning disappeared from sight, abandoning the battle as she returned to base.

Black Ranger quickly hoisted Pink Ranger back up, who had heard everything he had to say. She was about to say something but he told her to forget about it. He ran towards the other Rangers who finally had Maya on the ropes.

The Rangers gathered together, while the monster was recovering from their last attack. Red Ranger called for them to use the cannon. Black Ranger tossed his Heaven Bow forward with Blue Ranger folding the Glory Hammer, somewhat. Yellow Ranger attached her Holy Pistols to the bow and Pink Ranger did the same with her Sacred Claws. Red Ranger finished their weapon up as he attached the Aurora Sword to the top.

Red Ranger held onto the Heaven Power Cannon up with Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger helping him to keep balance. Pink Ranger and Black Ranger placed their hands on their shoulders to provide support for the others. "Heaven Power Cannon!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers. They gathered their power together as the cannon became very active. "Fire!"

Powerful rays of light rushed from the Heaven Power Cannon, which soon tore the monster apart.

The monster from the Fade didn't stand a chance against them. She exploded into pure nothingness, ending the battle with victory going to the Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>Everything was a mess now that the battle was over. The gym became a crime scene with the media, police department, and ambulances rushing to the school. The Rangers had snuck off in the middle of all the chaos, only to return once they were back in their civilian forms.<p>

Landon and Alice took off with Haley to track her parents down. Ric followed Connor as he wandered off to find his foster father's remains.

It didn't take too long to find Haley's folks. Jason and Kimberly were waiting by their car with a few reporters surrounding them, trying to get information out of them about the Power Rangers. The former Rangers managed to beat off their questions as they soon found themselves reunited with their daughter, while the reporters left to bother someone else. Kimberly held her daughter as tightly as she could, while Jason patted her on the back and asked if they were all okay.

"We're all fine," Haley said, nervously. "It'll take more than a monster and a couple of Putties to beat us."

"Don't forget a vengeful lunatic who is trying to get retribution for the death of her parents," Alice said, throwing that into the mix. Haley shot her a glare, which made Alice shrug her shoulders as she took a few steps back. She wrapped her arm around Landon's arm to use him a shield. "Just trying to help, girl."

Haley turned her sights back to her parents, fearing that they would try to get her to quit. She was just waiting to hear them yell at her for being so reckless and whatever parents said when they found out their daughter was a Power Ranger.

Only, those words never came.

Instead, they were both smiling at her, which scared her to death.

"I always had a feeling you might be a Power Ranger someday," Kimberly confessed. "I know that my career as one didn't end that well, but I don't regret being a Ranger. I helped to save the world hundreds of times, I saved countless lives in the process."

"But you told me it was a death sentence," said Haley.

"Had I known you already accepted the Power, I wouldn't have told you that," said Kimberly. "I had hoped it would scare you from wanting to become one. You're already a Ranger, there is no changing that. I'm so proud of you, Haley. You saved a lot of people today."

"And you'll keep saving more people," added Jason. "You keep fighting, Haley. You always do the best that you can to keep this world safe from evil, but never forget that you are never alone. You have your friends to fight alongside you, and you have your family who will never stop supporting and loving you."

Haley couldn't stop smiling as she hugged both of her parents at once.

Landon and Alice felt the warm fuzzes as they watched this tender moment. When they began to break apart though, they suggested that they try to find Connor now. He would need them now more than ever since it was his foster father that Lightning ripped apart.

It only took them a few minutes to find Connor and Ric. They easily spotted Ric's big head who was standing by an ambulance that had no paramedics around it. They all got closer until they saw Connor by the deceased body of Steve Hill, his foster father. He was covered up by the body bag, preventing anyone from looking at the departed, but Connor could still see his face as clear as day.

"You never got to hear me sing," Connor said, sadly.

Ric felt guilt in his heart as he wrapped his arms around Connor from behind. He kissed the boy's forehead, while Connor just placed a hand on the pair of arms that held him. "I'm sure he would've liked to hear you sing," said Ric. "He didn't mean any of those mean things he said. He was just drunk."

"He says those things when he's sober too," Connor said, brushing his tears away. Ric's arms released him, allowing the boy to turn around so that they could face each other. "I wasn't talking about him though. I wanted you to hear me sing…I don't care about that abusive bastard. I'm actually glad that Lightning shoved her blade into his chest. Now…now I'm free of him."

"You mentioned that he beat you," Haley said, gaining their attention. "Was that all he did or is there more?"

Connor just nodded his head as he slowly began to unbutton his shirt to show them his war wounds. He stopped though when the cop he talked to only a minute ago went up to them. Seeing Jason and Kimberly made the cop smile as he greeted the former Rangers.

The cop turned to Connor, putting on a sad face for the boy. "We'll have to take you into our custody, Connor," the young cop told him. "I already called Child Services, they'll send someone in by morning then we can figure out how where to place you now. There's nothing else we really can do since your foster father is dead."

"That's not necessary, officer," Jason told the cop. "My wife and I, our has is a registered foster home. We'll take Connor in that way you don't have to take him away from his friends and his school."

Jason's generosity surprised everyone there, with the exception of Kimberly. The two just smiled as they glanced at the shocked look on all of the Rangers' faces. Connor was by far the most surprised by their kindness as he told them it wasn't necessary. Jason only shook his head, saying it was more than necessary.

The cop simply nodded his head as he informed the couple that he'd tell his superior that way they could leave with the boy. They'd also have to sign some papers at the station then they'd have to deal with Child Services in the morning. Jason and Kimberly were prepared for that as the cop disappeared for a few moments.

"It's really too kind of you," Connor said, softly. "You really don't have to take me in."

"We want to though," Kimberly said, firmly with a smile on her face.

"Do you mind showing us what he did to you?" Jason said, hissing that last part as he turned his head to the body bag.

Connor only nodded his head again as he finished unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled it down a little so that it hung by his elbows with his chest and arms exposed to them. The bruises and cuts that decorated his flesh could be seen by all. He turned around to show off the nastier of his still healing bruises that marked his back.

When he faced them once more, Connor shrugged his shirt back on. He didn't bother to button it, he just held himself in it as the cold began to attack him. Ric wrapped his arms around the boy, once more, keeping him warm as everyone fought the urge to cry for this boy. Jason was glad to see that the drunk bastard was dead now. In his book, it was unforgiveable to beat a child in such that Steve Hill did.

Kimberly held back her tears as she looked at the poor boy. It broke her heart to see that someone so young had suffered so much. What she found amazing thought was that he survived all of this, he made it through all of this and even became a Power Ranger to help others. Her heart wept for this boy, this remarkable boy who deserved so much more.

"Foster homes are never a permanent solution," Kimberly said. She sniffed her tears away as she began to approach Connor. She placed a hand on his soft cheek, wanting nothing more than to save this young man. "Child Services will sooner or later take you away and who knows what type of place they'll leave you in."

"I'll be fine," Connor said, sadly. "I survived this…I survived monsters."

"You shouldn't have to go through all of this though. What you need is a real home," said Kimberly.

"No offense, Mrs. Scott, but unless you know how to raise the dead then that's not possible," said Connor. "My family is gone thanks to Venjix. I have no home. And it's not like anyone would adopt me either. Nobody wants to adopt a teenager, let alone an abused teenager."

Jason knew exactly where his wife was going on this. He thought it was a brilliant idea too as he joined up with her and smiled at Connor. "Nobody wants to adopt a teenager, you say?" laughed Jason. "Well, I guess we're an exception to the rule. If you're willing, Connor, we'd like to make you a part of our family. We'd like to adopt you."

"You can't be serious," Connor said, trying to laugh. The look on their faces told Connor the truth, which made the boy smile widely. Ric stepped away to give him space as the boy practically exploded with happiness. "You really want to adopt me?"

"You deserve a good and loving home," said Jason. "Besides, we can't let the team split up. The world needs the Power Rangers."

"And we always wanted to have a son," said Kimberly. "We can give you a good and loving home. You won't have to go to bed afraid anymore. You'd be living with people who care."

It was at that point, Connor practically died and went to Heaven. He accepted their offer and was soon tackled into a hug by Haley. She had no idea that their parents had been planning this, but she was so excited to hear it nonetheless.

"I can't believe I'll finally have a little brother!" Haley said, laughing.

The others Rangers smiled as they felt happy for their friends.

Landon turned to Jason, mentioning that it was an honor to meet him. Jason eyed the young man and knew right away that he was a Red Ranger. A smile crept up Jason's face as he held out a hand and shook the rookie's hand.

"I'm relying on you to keep my daughter and soon-to-be son safe," said Jason. "I can tell that you'll be a great Red Ranger. If you ever need any help, my wife and I are a phone call away."

"Just because we can't morph doesn't mean we can't be there to help you out in other ways," Kimberly added. "Remember this, once a Ranger, always a Ranger."

The Angel Force Rangers thanked Jason and Kimberly for their support, while the stars twinkled above their head.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

The song Connor sang (in case you couldn't figure it out) was "I Want to Hold Your hand" by the Beatles. I was thinking of the Glee version while writing this chapter! Haha.

On the next chapter, a new threat arrives to Earth that is far greater then Thrax. Prince Zodiark, the last of Dark Specter's followers, arrives with his followers to destroy the Power Rangers in hopes of building a new empire. Tension escalates between the two forces until Zodiark attacks the Rangers personally. Will the Power Rangers survive this encounter? What hopes do they have against surviving against a warrior of such strength? And just what was Zodiark's relationship with Dark Specter? Find out all of this and more in **Calamity!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **So woo hoo! I am back from vacation and here is a pretty chapter for you all to read. See how much I love you dang people! Haha. I hope you guys like it. Read and review as always or I shall burn your homes down. Lol. JK!**  
><strong>

**Calamity:**

The last of his things had been unpacked in the former guest bedroom of the Scott family. Everything was pretty much neatly organized into its proper place, which was exceptionally odd to see from a teenage boy. This was to be expected though out of Connor who only wanted to make the best of impressions on his new family.

It was weird to call the Scotts his family; it was weird to have a family period.

But this was a welcome change though for both sides. The Scotts were more than happy to welcome Connor into their home as their son. Meanwhile, Connor was just thrilled to know that he'd be living someplace with a little stability to it. He wouldn't have to spend nights lying awake in bed, fearing the worst might happen to him. Connor felt safer then he's felt in the years since his parents were taken from him by monsters.

Connor joined the rest of his new family for dinner that late afternoon. As he sat down, Kimberly mentioned how they were rapidly pushing through Connor's documents through the adoption agency. It seemed that Connor's social worker was more then willing to rush Connor's adoption, especially since he would be under the care of Jason and Kimberly Scott. What more could a social worker dream for then to have her charge be adopted by former Power Rangers, the protectors of the innocent?

It seemed all too much like a dream for Connor as he took a bite from the fried chicken that Kimberly made. He was still expecting to wake up to find out that the night where his father was killed by Lightning had never happened. He would be back, trapped in a living nightmare that would never go away. Yet here he still was. None of it was a dream, for once; he was living in a pleasant reality where nothing could bring him down.

Plus, it didn't hurt to have a friend who would now be your sister and another friend who was now your boyfriend.

The Scotts had no complaints about Connor either. They were more than willing to have Connor become a part of their family. Jason and Kimberly were both unable to conceive another child due to all the injuries they sustained from their days as Rangers. Haley was already their miracle child, but they always dreamt of having another child to take care of.

Well, Connor wasn't exactly a child, but it was still something special. The boy represented that dream that Jason and Kimberly had always imagined to be nonexistent. It was safe to assume that they were thrilled to have a son now, even if he was gay.

As for Haley, well, she always wanted to have a younger sibling. What only child wanted to remain alone for the remainder of their years? They always dreamt of having a young sibling or wishing that they had an older sibling to look out for them. It was just a desire to know that they weren't the only kid in the family, plus, it helped with drawing away parental attention from themselves.

Oh yes, Haley was happy to have Connor as her (almost) brother.

All and all, everyone was adjusting quite well to the new addition to the family.

At the dinner table, there was nothing but laughter as they went on about what happened to them today. Haley and Connor pretty much did nothing at all since it was a Saturday. They mostly just lounged around the house, while occasionally putting away the last bit of Connor's stuff. It wasn't an adventurous day for them which was nice because that meant that Thrax wasn't attacking city today.

"Speaking of battling the forces of evil," said Jason. This caught everyone's attention as they half-expected him to announce he was a Power Ranger again. He had already been the first Red Mighty Morphin Ranger and the second Gold Zeo Ranger. What other color could this man possibly become? "Connor, Haley told me that you aren't as experienced in fighting like the others. I was thinking we could remedy this a little. How would you like it if I started training you?"

"But Ric is already training me," Connor said, softly. He was defending his boyfriend's honor, but he felt like an idiot for rejecting Jason's offer. Nearly the entire country was begging to become a pupil of Jason's at his karate school. "It would be an honor though for you to teach me as well. Haley is such an amazing fighter and so do the other Rangers."

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses," said Haley. "You have your own unique fighting style. You're better at sneaking up behind the baddies and stabbing them from behind."

"So then stealth is more of your game then?" said Jason. "I can respect that. Attacking from the shadows can come to your advantage in a difficult fight."

"Maybe I should show him a few techniques from my days as the Pink Ninja Ranger," laughed Kimberly. "That is, if you think you could keep up with this Olympic champion."

Connor blushed as he nodded his head, accepting both of their offers to help him learn to fight. It was amazing enough that the other Rangers were helping him out, but now he had two veteran Rangers there to take him under their wing. How lucky could a boy get?

Haley seemed to almost be reading Connor's mind as she rubbed her napkin across his face to get rid of that bit of drool.

* * *

><p>Alice felt very comfortable and at home as she sat on the bed in Landon's bedroom. She had her legs crossed with her skirt folded around her perfectly with a glass of wine in her hand. She looked curiously at the things that Landon had in his bedroom.<p>

From what she could infer, this was a fairly typical guy's bedroom. Nothing really stood out to Alice, except for the photographs that were littered on top of Landon's dresser. They were all pictures of people who had a remarkably similar skin tone and bone structure to her fearless leader. No doubt, this was his family. She scanned the image of the older couple who she believed to be his parents. At least she could say that if Landon took after his parents then he'd continue to look good even as he aged. He would be one of those lucky ones, which was something she intended to take advantage of for now.

Speaking of things that needed to be taken advantage of, Alice began to fiddle with the straps of her bras. She slowly pulled the meddlesome thing off her shoulder just a little bit before taking another sip from her glass. There was a slight buzz going through her head as she nearly finished her third glass.

It had been so long since Alice had any real fun with another person, she intended to have Landon fix that problem for her.

And speak of the devil, Landon finally returned to his bedroom. His shirt was long forgotten on the floor while he strutted inside in just his jeans and a glass in hand with the rest of the bottle of wine in the other hand. Alice immediately raised her near empty glass up so that he could pour more of the delicious, red liquid into the glass. Landon leaned in, ever so slightly, with a dirty smile on his face while Alice took notice to the way his biceps flexed with such movement.

Landon placed the bottle on his nightstand and then slugged the rest of his glass. Alice quickly followed suit as well so that she could better enjoy the main event. Both of them were very eager to return to what they were doing before the need to get liquored up a little more took hold of them.

Slowly, Landon crawled on top of Alice. His body hovered above her as he used his superior strength to keep him upright while Alice gracefully fell onto her back. There as a slight twinkle in her eyes as she hijacked the electrical system in his bedroom just to shut off the lights. Now, the setting was slowly peaking in through the partly opened blinds, which was good enough for the both of them.

Their lips meshed against one another as they returned to the fun they were having. Landon ran his hand up the side of Alice's darker flesh, feeling the soft yet sturdy frame of the young woman. Meanwhile, Alice had her hands locked around his broad shoulders and felt the powerful muscles that flexed once she came into contact. It was enough to make her wonder how the rest of his muscles and body, for that matter, would respond to her.

Either way, Alice took the liberty of exploring what she could of Landon's body. It was time for the woman to take a more aggressive role in Landon's sex life. That was something that Landon wouldn't complain about since he did prefer his women to be a little more active then docile like most of the women he hooked up with. Alice had Landon on his back now, while their tongues continued to explore the cavern of the other's mouth.

Fingertips slowly began to travel down the front of Landon's chest. Alice gently brushed her perfectly, manicured nail against his nipple, causing Landon to tingle in pleasure. So early in the game yet she already found a sensitive spot for him, something she would certainly exploit whenever she felt like.

Continuing her exploration, Alice's hands continue to roam around the solid chest. Her hand felt the heat that radiated off those muscles, those hard, perfectly developed, pectorals and abs. Oh the abs, Alice always had a weakness for a set of killer abs, and Landon's were very lethal. Then she felt the v-cut around his waist, which was perfect in shape and only added to his god-like body.

Landon bucked his hips up once he felt Alice take hold of the front of his pants. He gave out a soft gasp as she grabbed the most sensitive part of a man.

"Are we having fun?" Alice asked, whispering in his ear. She moved her hand away from the front of his package only to peel off the top button. With that done, she had enough room to sneak her hand completely down his pants. She resumed her hold on what she had been searching for and was slightly surprised to feel just how large it was.

The touch of her hand was exactly what Landon needed right now. It had been a while since a woman had touched him there. After fighting all these monsters, he was in desperate need to have some time to unwind with a beautiful woman on his bed.

"Lots of fun," Landon said, bucking his hips up.

"Good," Alice whispered. "Just remember, this is all for fun. This isn't anything serious."

"As it should stay," Landon said, pulling his upper half up.

Their kiss got hotter as Landon grabbed Alice and brought her closer to his lap. His hands ran up her back, wasting no time to unfasten her bra. Alice admired the boldness of this action and found herself even to be turned on by this as she removed the bra from her chest.

Now with her breasts exposed, all that he had to do was be rid of her skirt and underwear. Alice had no complaints about that since she wanted to get Landon out of those tight jeans.

* * *

><p>High above the Earth, a ship finally reached the orbit of the famous blue planet.<p>

The ship maintained its orbit as the crew began their initial scan of the planet. It was merely for safety purposes that their strategist had urged the rest of them. Their master urged his crew to remember to be cautious since he wanted none of them to make any foolish mistakes on their mission. He wanted everything to go smoothly as he assured his transition to power.

Nothing would stand in the way of the Dark Prince.

Approaching the Dark Prince was none other then his strategist. The General kept his posture still as he stood before his lord and master. The General was a youthful looking man that was adorned in silver armor. The design was medieval almost, but its function served him well during their intergalactic battles across the stars. Even in this armor, he still didn't appear such a threat due to the almost delicate figure he had, but that was a clever rouse of his.

The General's mousy brown hair was almost a disgraceful mess, but he still managed to keep it neat enough. His blue eyes helped him stand out a little more along with the matching cape that he wore over his right shoulder.

"My lord, there is nothing to hinder us from transporting down to the planet," announced General Bakari. "We shall await your orders before moving forward."

"Of course we'd await his orders, you fool," hissed a cruel voice. "Don't forget your place, general."

Bakari kept his cool as the Dark Prince's consort made himself known. The Consort removed himself from his station in order to join the side of his lover. He was the vicious Ranger Hunter who already annihilated Rangers from a galaxy distant from the control of the heroes whose power sprouted from Zordon.

Umbra was a cruel man as he was powerful. The only thing more frightening then his strength was his lack of sanity, something he had lost over a decade ago. The organic, body suit he wore was a mixture of red and black that appeared almost like thick veins. His figure was a little more muscular when compared to Bakari, but he was also a tad bit shorter then the General. His black, spiky hair flew wildly as his yellow eyes snapped onto Bakari with his pale skin making him look all the more frightening.

"I'm assuming it would be too much for us all to just get along," laughed another.

The Prince, the son of the Dark Prince and his Consort, sat down at his chair with his hands folded on his lap. Unlike the Consort, Kratein maintained a reasonable amount of sanity at all time except when he was lured into a particularly entertaining battle, which had a tendency to make him almost a tad bit childish.

Kratein's clothing was a strange hybrid of a noble's clothes and amour. It was specially designed by the Dark Prince to increase the strength of his son, granting him abilities that were on par with the Power Rangers. Tight, black pants were covered by a pair of armored boots with a black and blue vest that had checker patterns cover his chest. He had a pair of blue arm bands that incased his forearms. His body was almost thin as well, but the lean and toned muscles he had were enough to show that he was a force to be recognized. His black hair bore platinum blond highlights that he cared on from both of his parents. As for his eyes, they were an almost innocent shade of blue that was a great contrast from his dark abilities.

At the Prince's side was none other then his Guardian. Helios stood beside his Prince with his guard up at all times. He was such a loyal warrior and companion that Kratein had often allowed his guard to lower to embrace Helios in a display of affection. Not often enough though, Helios needed to maintain his warrior instincts at all times. These often led to his shoot first and ask questions later philosophy; even if it occasionally conflicted with the moral compass he had within himself.

Helios was a handsome young man with partly, shaggy blond hair with bright green eyes. His body was only a little thicker then the Prince's, but he still looked like a boy on the verge of manhood. The white armor he wore made him appear a little more intimidating despite his youthful body. The boots went passed his knee with a layer of blue armor covering the rest of his legs. A red and black suit covered his abdomen while a white chest plate covered the upper portions of his body. A long, yellow gauntlet almost completely encased his left arm, which was a weapon designed by a scientist back at their main base.

"I believe that now is not the time for jokes, my prince," Helios said, politely. "We must concern ourselves with eliminating the threat."

"Bah!" scoffed Kratein. "What threat? You worry too much, Helios."

"It is wise to heed words of caution, my son," the Dark Prince's voice spoke clearly and calmly.

Rising from his throne, the Dark Prince pulled the hood down to his black robes. The handsome, but frightening man exposed his face to the rest of his crew for the first time since they began their journey. His long, silver hair reached to his mid-back with his dark skin and orange-amber colored eyes appearing all the more sinister thanks to this contrast. It didn't help he was dressed in black robes, black pants, black boots, and black gloves. The only other bit of color was the silver zipper and chains.

The charismatic Dark Prince bore a soft smile on his face he stared out the ship to the Blue Planet before them. He could feel their presence on their planet, so he was well aware that a team of Rangers were very much active. It didn't hurt to sense the presence of another wicked force on the moon that orbited around the planet. Ah yes, he recognized that stench from anywhere in the galaxy. He had only been in the presence of the boy's formally troublesome turned annoying turned human parents.

Dark Prince Zodiark knew that Thrax had stacked his claim on the Earth. It was too bad that Zodiark had some affairs that he needed to attend to on this planet. Thrax would just have to learn to share, something that none of the members of his evil family knew how to do.

"The Power Rangers, they are just younglings," said Zodiark. "They have barely even begun to crack the surface of their abilities."

"So they'll be an easy kill then," laughed Umbra. "Oh joy, I will enjoy making each and every one of them suffer. I can't wait to see the look on their faces as they choke on their own blood." He danced towards Zodiark in such an insane manner before rubbing his head against the black sleeve. "Oh please, Zodiark, allow me the pleasure of killing them. You do know how much I enjoy killing."

Zodiark smirked softly as he knew that fact better than anyone else. He placed his hand on the chin of his Consort, tilting his head up just a bit. "Not yet, my pet," said the Dark Prince. "We must see what these Rangers can do first. I say we toy with them for a while, string them along before ending their existence."

"Fine," Umbra said, only sounding slightly bitter by that.

With that taken care of, Zodiark announced to the rest of his crew that they were going down to Earth, immediately.

* * *

><p>In almost a second, Thrax was pulled out from his slumber when he felt a great shift in the balance of power. He could feel a powerful presence entering their immediate orbit, which was something he felt foolish for not sensing sooner. It took but a moment to feel out for this presence in order to understand just why he didn't see this coming sooner.<p>

The chill that crept through Thrax's spine was enough to free an entire planet. He bore a mixture of fear and anger as he identified the intruder to the planet he sought to destroy. Thrax threw himself up from his throne with an angry yell escaping his mouth as he lifted up the Z-Staff, firing a bolt of energy out from the castle.

Lightning and Dark Knight immediately came to their master's side, while the Putties cowered in fear.

"What angers you, my lord?" Dark Knight asked.

That was a question that almost made Lightning laugh. She recognized the understatement of the century as she stood perfectly still. A better question would be to ask what didn't tick Thrax off. She could probably make that list with only one hand; she might need all her fingers. The warrior woman could possibly sum him up with just one finger.

"It is him!" Thrax hissed, angrily. "Zodiark is in the solar system. He has his eyes set for the Earth as well."

Dark Knight and Lightning were both speechless by this. While the Knight remained frozen, Lightning took a moment to scan the reports from their computers. She quickly saw that Thrax was not lying at all. She could see the personal ship of the Dark Prince hovering over the Earth with its presence cloaked from the Earthlings' satellites.

This did not smell right at all.

"He's here," Lightning said, softly. "Dark Prince Zodiark…he's back."

"But I thought he was destroyed along with the rest of the Unite Alliance of Evil?" said Dark Knight.

That day was a sore spot for Thrax. It was the day that his parents had been so horribly destroyed due to that damn wizard and his Power Rangers. "He wasn't in this galaxy at the time that Zordon's Energy Wave destroyed the alliance," said Thrax. "He was busy fighting Power Rangers from a distant galaxy, claiming more territory for Dark Specter."

"Yet he didn't claim the throne when Darkonda destroyed Dark Specter," said Lightning. "With Dark Specter's true second gone, it was Astronema who took over the alliance before the Rangers defeated her and turned her human."

"If he's back then…then I don't want to even think about it," Thrax said.

Dark Knight and Lightning were horribly worried about Thrax as he showed a moment of true weakness. The fear was more then evident from the mutant man. They both knew that Zodiark was a great threat, his power, after all, was nearly equal to that of Dark Specter. It was because of this that Dark Specter kept him so close to his side along with that project of his, Astronema, now known as Karone.

As Thrax descended to his chambers, Lightning and the Dark Knight decided that they needed to speak to Zodiark before he made his move.

* * *

><p>Down on Earth, the sirens in the Command Center were on the verge of exploiting due to the signal it was picking up. Alpha 8 didn't know what to do as he scrambled all around the base in hopes of keeping the computers from overheating due to all this build up. He didn't like this one bit as he finally got the sensors to focus on just what had caused the system to panic in such a way.<p>

"Ay, yi, yi!" shouted Alpha 8. "A massive surge of evil energy has overloaded our sensors. I will have to push the information through the second channel if that's not already fried." Alpha focused on trying to pull up this second channel so he could focus the signal a little more. He still did not have a clue at all that could cause this other then something seriously evil. "Here goes nothing."

The robot pushed on a few keys where he soon got a clearer picture on the monitors. With that done, Alpha pulled up the picture to see the spaceship that was floating over the Earth's orbit. That was awfully suspicious so he focused the signal to identify just where that ship had came from. Finally, those results came back in and Alpha was not one bit pleased to see the information that he received.

"Oh no!" cried Alpha. "Ay, yi, yi! It cannot be, he cannot still be alive. Oh no, I have to immediately alert the Power Rangers. They need to learn about just who they're up against now."

Alpha 8 got to work on calling the Rangers in order to prepare them for the coming of Zodiark.

He could only hope that the Rangers would be strong enough to face someone as powerful as the Dark Prince.

* * *

><p>The call of the Communicators went off across the city as the Rangers were informed briefly of the situation.<p>

At the apartment, Landon and Alice were under the covers with the afterglow of sex bathing over them. Alice had her head and a hand on Landon's chest. She had herself perfectly pressed up against the side of his body, while Landon had on arm wrapped around her. They both shared a pleasant smile on their faces when the Communicators began to go off, bursting their happy bubble.

Just a few blocks away, Ric was getting out from the gym with his duffel bag over his shoulder. He just did a few laps around the pool just to get his body moving for a while. He washed the chlorine off his body so he didn't have the annoying itch that came from the swim. Ric had just thrown his bag in the trunk of his truck when the Communicator went off on him.

Over at their house, Haley and Connor were both getting ready for bed. Haley was in her room, tying her hair up into a ponytail so it would be out of her way. She was humming along to a song on the radio as she did her usual, bedtime routine. As for Connor, he was in the shower were he finished rinsing off his hair. He toweled himself off then threw his massive t-shirt on and a pair of shorts. When he got out of the bathroom that's when both their Communicators started to go off, preventing them from going to sleep just yet.

* * *

><p>At an empty plaza, Zodiark touched the Earth for the first time. His black cloak flew passed him as he looked around the dark city where the occasional car would pass by. This city was decent enough, but Zodiark didn't really care much about how the Earthlings lived. He only wanted to be done with the Power Rangers.<p>

Umbra, Bakari, Kratein, and Helios stood around their Dark Prince, awaiting further commands.

There was no time for that though as Zodiark felt something coming. He turned his head slightly to the side until two beings flashed into his view. Lightning and Dark Knight found themselves in the presence of the Dark Prince, who was less then amused to see them there.

Lightning felt that this might be a bad idea. It was bad enough that Zodiark was here, but his entire entourage was with him as well. That made her especially nervous, but she was a warrior so she forced herself to maintain her cool.

"Hello, Prince Zodiark," said Lightning. "We've just came to inform you that this planet has already been marked by Thrax."

"Is that so," said Zodiark.

Dark Knight could feel the power that was boiling around the Dark Prince. It was not a pleasant feeling and he wasn't fool enough to start a fight with Dark Specter's second. "Let us not spill blood, Prince Zodiark," said the knight. "We simply want to maintain some semblance of honor amongst our factions. You would not be pleased if we stole a planet from you. Why must you do this to us?"

Zodiark honestly wanted to laugh at the shamelessness of Thrax's minions. They truly believed he cared about this dreary rock. The rest of his crew found their presence far more annoying than he did, he was actually pleased to see the loyalty that they had for Thrax. He could respect those who were loyal, he admired that Thrax had them to serve.

"I am merely here to test the Power Rangers," said Zodiark. "Return to your master, I shall speak with him once I'm done toying with the Rangers."

Lightning almost wanted to say something else, but Dark Knight kept her from doing so. The knight thanked Zodiark for this act of kindness before preparing to take their leave. "We will inform Thrax that you need to speak with him," said the knight. "We shall wait for you at our castle on the moon." And with that said, Dark Knight took Lightning where they disappeared from sight.

With them gone, Zodiark simply took a seat on the nearest bench and waited for the Rangers to come to him.

* * *

><p>The Rangers gathered at the Command Center to head Alpha's warnings. They were all dressed, not as well as they would under normal circumstances though. This was the first time that they actually had been called into action so late before.<p>

Alpha 8 was running around like an idiot as he pulled up the monitors. The first thing they saw was the spaceship that was floating above their planet. At first they thought this was going to be something of Thrax's, but they were horribly mistaken about that. This was something far worse then they could've ever possibly imagined.

"Dark Prince Zodiark has arrived to the Earth," said Alpha 8. The Rangers had no idea who that was so he needed to give a quick explanation. He had to make this really quick though since the sensors already saw that Zodiark was on the surface already. "Zodiark was Dark Specter's second-in-command during the days of the United Alliance of Evil were active. He should've taken over when Dark Specter was destroyed, but he was in a distant galaxy during the time of the invasion. Astronema then took over as the Queen of Evil before she and the alliance had been defeated by the Power Rangers and Zordon."

"So then this guy is uber bad," Landon said, shaking a little.

"And we have to fight him?" asked Haley.

"Do we even stand a chance against someone so strong?" asked Alice.

"Let's hope that we're tough enough," said Connor.

"We're going to need to do a lot more then hope," said Ric.

Alpha wished the Rangers the best of luck before teleporting them across town to deal this great threat.

* * *

><p>The plaza had appeared empty at first glance, but the Rangers knew better then that as they touched ground. They stuck together and were ready to morph t the drop of the hat. Landon led the pack with the others following behind him and their eyes focusing in on anything suspicious in the night.<p>

They almost believed that Alpha had the location wrong when they suddenly felt an overwhelming amount of power building up in the air. The Rangers nearly dropped to their knees when they saw five figures slowly making their way towards them. The Rangers straightened themselves out so that they could see Zodiark and his men with their own eyes. This already wasn't looking good for them as they wondered just who all this power was coming from.

Zodiark was at the center of the pack with his eyes focusing in on each of the Rangers. Within seconds, he already had each of them summed up so easily. "So, you are the Power Rangers," laughed the Dark Prince. "You're young just like all the others. I find it so shameful that children are chosen to defend an entire planet. What good can children do against monsters?"

"Well, enough, apparently," said Landon. "The Power Rangers have been battling you evil freaks for years and they've been winning."

Umbra laughed at the cockiness of the Ranger's leader. It was plenty obvious that Landon was the Red Ranger just by the way he positioned himself amongst the others. "Those Rangers had never been up against someone as powerful as us," said the Ranger Hunter. "You won't last a second against us."

"I think we'll take you up on that wager," Landon bit back. "Rangers, it's Morphin Time!"

They each removed the bracelets from their wrists, giving life to their Crystal Morphers. They raised the colorful crystals up in the air as they called forth their powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. A flash of light illuminated the plaza as they transformed into Rangers.

Zodiark and his men kept their positions as the Angel Force Power Rangers prepared for battle.

"With the Power of Fire, Red Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Power of Wind, Blue Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Power of Shadows, Black Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Power of Earth, Yellow Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Power of Water, Pink Angel Force Ranger!"

The Rangers placed their hand on the handle of their swords and immediately removed them. The Rangers knew that they needed to strike fast and hard in order to finish Zodiark off. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers. With their Angel Swords glowing from their power, the Rangers unleashed their combined attack.

The colorful slashes of energy raced across the plaza until they reached Zodiark. Before the attacks could touch him though, Zodiark held his hand forward with the palm releasing a flash of dark energy. The Rangers' attack was completely obliterated before they could even touch him. He blew the smoke off his hand, erasing all trace of the Rangers' Heaven Power Slash from the world.

As for the Rangers, they stood in complete shock from what Zodiark did to their attack. He was so powerful that he didn't just block their attack, he erased their attack from all existence. Not even Beelzebub was able to do that, at least, he didn't display the ability to do that during their fight. That didn't matter now though. Zodiark and his crew were their top concern, which is why they needed to figure out just how to stop them before it was too late.

The most obvious choice was to pick a target and attack.

Red Ranger went in for Zodiark, deciding to take the Dark Prince on his own. Pink Ranger went after Umbra, Zodiark's Consort. Yellow Ranger decided to fight against General Bakari. Black Ranger charged after Kratein, hoping to catch the Prince's attention. Blue Ranger called out Helios, gaining the attention of the Prince's Guardian.

All ten of them began to split up, each with a desire to put an end to their opponent.

With the Aurora Sword in hand, Red Ranger rushed after the still Zodiark. The others had already dispersed to fight their prey, leaving their Dark Prince to fend for himself. Red Ranger thought that Zodiark might be a little weaker without his entourage around him, but he would soon find out that he was sadly mistaken.

Red Ranger swung the sword forward to slice into the Dark Prince's chest. Zodiark didn't even appear to move, yet he still was able to avoid the tip of the Ranger's sword. This frustrated Red Ranger as he continued to try and defeat Zodiark on his own. Finally, Zodiark decided to take some mercy out on the young man.

Zodiark grabbed hold of the Aurora Sword with his right hand, preventing the Red Ranger from attacking him again. His amber colored eyes focused passed the helmet that the young man wore, seeing the Earthling underneath it. "Is this the best that you can offer me, Red Ranger?" said the Dark Prince. "I am sadly disappointed that you couldn't offer me more of a struggle. And here I heard that the Red Rangers were always the strongest."

That was enough to set Red Ranger over the edge right now. He, angrily, wouldn't allow himself to be overpowered by this space freak. "I'll show you what I can do!" Red Ranger growled, angrily. Flames slowly began to ascend the Aurora Sword, making Zodiark release his hold so that he wouldn't be burned. "Flaming Aurora Strike!" Red Ranger swung the Aurora Sword around for a moment before flinging the attack at the Dark Prince.

Zodiark held his hand forward, creating an invisible wall that kept Red Ranger's attack at bay. A smile grew on the man's face as he saw that the Ranger had a little more to offer when properly motivated. Too bad that motivation wouldn't be enough to defeat him, not today. So Zodiark returned the Red Ranger's attack back to him, causing the fire to send him flying into the air.

Red Ranger crashed a few feet back with the Aurora Sword out of his hand. His uniform began to glow brightly before shattering apart into dozens of red feathers.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, the other Rangers were going through similar struggles against Zodiark's associates.<p>

Umbra was armed with his sword and was swinging it around like a madman at Pink Ranger. His weapon was a key-like sword that that had red and black cogs all over it. At the tip of the blade and its handle, two evil-looking blue eyes could be seen. He pushed his Void Gear forward, only to barely be blocked from cutting Pink Ranger apart by her Sacred Claws.

Pink Ranger struggled against the strength of this frightening person. She couldn't see Umbra's face due to the silver helmet he wore to cover his face. If she could, she would rip it off of him, but that seemed almost impossible from her position right now. She was stuck on her back, while a man who had remarkable strength was trying to cut her open.

"Such a pretty girl," laughed Umbra. "It's such a shame that you must die. I enjoy playing with my prey before allowing them to finally die. These games could go on for days, even weeks. My record is torturing a Ranger for a full month before I finally gave him his death."

"Well, that won't happen to me!" Pink Ranger shouted. She raised her leg up and kneed the psychopath in the groin. This gave her the opportunity she needed to escape from him. While Umbra covered his injured privates, Pink Ranger twisted her body away from him until she had enough space to stand up.

Raising the Sacred Claws to her head, Pink Ranger called forth her watery abilities. The water responded to her plea as it slowly began to circle around her weapons. "Tidal Sacred Cutter!" shouted Pink Ranger. She spun her body around, giving life to these waves from the slashes of her claws. The blast of tidal energy raced straight for Umbra where she managed to hit her target with a surprised look on his face.

It was a shame that didn't stick though.

Umbra jumped into the air before the bulk of the attack could do him any harm. With his acrobatic skills, Umbra rotated his way behind Pink Ranger as she was too surprised to see him unscratched. Not even Beelzebub was able to walk away without a scratch from her. This, she knew, could only mean very bad things for her.

And she was right too. Umbra landed behind her and waved his Void Gear forward, slashing at her from behind. Pink Ranger cried out with pain as she fell to the ground with her powers dying out on her. Pink feathers began to scatter off her body as she was left back in her civilian form.

* * *

><p>Blue Ranger was yanking his Glory Hammer all over the place as he tried to leave his mark on Helios. The Guardian, however, was twisting and turning his body all over the place to outmaneuver Blue Ranger's attacks. Armed with his blue, glowing chain sword, Helios felt no need to worry about this Blue Ranger's pathetic efforts to crush him.<p>

In fact, Helios thought that he should end this poor Ranger's suffering quickly.

Helios pulled his sword up with his eyes set on the Ranger's hammer arm. But even Helios's sword was blocked when Blue Ranger armed himself with his Angel Sword. With two weapons in hand, Blue Ranger quickly smashed the sword away from Helios by using his hammer. The heavy impact injured the man's right arm, forcing him to take a few steps back.

"You're a little more cleaver then I accepted you to be," said Helios. "No matter, I'll crush you soon enough."

A strong wing blew in where it slowly began to gather around the Glory Hammer. "Think again, buddy!" said Blue Ranger. He commanded the current of wind to do his bidding so that he'd be able to take Blondie down. "Hurricane Glory Rang!" With the wind bent around his hammer, Blue Ranger quickly tossed it after Helios.

With the hammer coming closer, Helios raised his sword up to serve as his protection. The wind and hammer crashed against his weapon, nearly forcing his strength to waver for a moment. However, Helios stayed strong until he eventually could send the hammer crashing into the ground with a victorious smirk on his face.

"My turn," said Helios.

Gathering a surge of electrical energy, Helios fired a chain of lightning from his hand. The attack flew across the plaza where it zapped the Blue Ranger horribly. Blue Ranger crashed to the ground with his hands on his chest as blue feathers erupted, taking away his powers.

With the others slowly being taken down, Black Ranger tried to use the one strength he had to his advantage. Black Ranger tried to outrun Kratein who was right on his tail. The boy turned his head back for but a moment to see that the Prince was still following his trail. That wasn't good at all so he needed to do something to throw him off it.

* * *

><p>So Black Ranger kicked himself into the air to give him a brief moment of flight. Taking out his Heaven Bow, the boy fired a few high-powered arrows at the Prince. Kratein saw this attack coming so he quickly took evasive action. The Prince stopped running and threw himself to the side so that the arrows would miss him.<p>

Now the Prince was angry by this commoner's actions against him. Kratein took out his curved, black longsword from the darkness that he commanded. As Black Ranger landed on the ground, Kratein unleashed a fierce display of darkness in the form of a powerful, slash movement. Black Ranger reacted quickly as he used his super speed to avoid getting hit. He then ran towards the nearest building, using his speed to allow him to run up it.

Kratein had to laugh at this boy's creativity as he took chase once more. This time though, he decided to fly after the boy since it would be so much easier to catch him this way. "You won't escape me, Ranger!" shouted the Prince. "I will have your head for trying to attack me."

"Maybe, but let's see you dodge this!" shouted Black Ranger. As Kratein got closer, the Ranger swallowed his courage. He used his speed to repel him off the building with his own shadowy abilities swirling around him. Kratein took notice of these abilities and found himself strongly interested by them as Black Ranger summoned an arrow. "Shadow Heaven Arrow!"

Letting lose the arrow, Black Ranger sent his attack out to Kratein. The Prince was initially just going to smash the arrow out of his way, but plans quickly changed. The arrow shattered apart and became several, smaller arrows that were flying straight after him. For the first few arrows that came at him, Kratein tried to just fight them off before getting too frustrated.

Kratein allowed the remaining arrows to come straight for him. He built up his dark powers, channeling it throughout the suit he wore. Finally, he released this power to shatter apart the incoming arrows which generated a chain explosion that traveled all the way to Black Ranger. The explosion crashed into him, hurtling the boy straight for the ground.

Luckily, Black Ranger's powers were able to protect him from serious injury. However, this had burnt out the rest of his strength, causing his uniform to disappear in a burst of black feathers. Kratein just huffed as he landed inches away from the boy.

* * *

><p>All that was left was Yellow Ranger who was pulling her triggers left and right. She was shooting at Bakari, hoping that one of her bullets would hit the damn bastard. The trouble was that Bakari was using three swords to protect him from any harm at all. The General displayed a psychic talent by using his mind to move his swords around to block the attacks that the Ranger sent him.<p>

It was amusing for Bakari to see Yellow Ranger try so hard to beat him. He wasn't exactly impressed by the young woman either. He thought her aim was poor at best and he didn't even want to get started on his posture. So, he figured that he should just allow his mind to do the talking when it came to that.

With another bullet coming their way, Bakari was able to use his psychic abilities to redirect that bullet straight to the Yellow Ranger. The bullet trailed back where it hurt the Ranger in the arm, forcing her to drop one of her Holy Pistols.

"Oops," laughed Bakari. "I hope I didn't injure your purse arm. That would be such a shame."

"Fuck you!" growled Yellow Ranger. She fought through her pain to retrieve her pistols. She kept the guns points to the ground where her earthly talents responded to her. "I am going to show you that there's a reason why women are chosen to have earth goddesses." She lifted her Holy Pistols back up and took aim at Bakari. "Gaia Holy Trigger!" Pulling the trigger, Yellow Ranger fired a powerful blast of earthly energy.

Bakari had to respond quickly to defend himself from such a surge of energy at once. He twisted his swords around to form an energy shield around him that barely withstood the immediate impact from Yellow Ranger's attack. The General quickly recovered though from this astonishment until he was completely able to neutralize the Ranger's attack. It was his turn now for a little payback.

Gathering energy around his palm, Bakari fired a bolt of energy that raced across the plaza. Yellow Ranger didn't have the time to avoid this so she was forced to take the full impact of the attack. The impact was enough to take the wind right out of her with a small explosion lifting her up in the air. Her body did a few flips around before she landed painfully on the ground where her powers failed her. Yellow feathers exploded from her body as she lost her powers for the moment.

Bakari's laughter was soon joined with the others.

Landon, Haley, Ric, Connor, and Alice were trying to pull themselves away from Zodiark and his men. They struggled to drag themselves to the center of the plaza to be reunited again so that they could hopefully morph and star all over. That wouldn't work though. They had taken too much damage from this fight, their bodies or their powers weren't ready to go for a second round.

The Rangers were completely powerless and defenseless against them. As the Rangers were left powerless, Zodiark's men were laughing at the beaten heroes. It was such an easy battle that it was almost not a bit fun for them at all.

Umbra's laughter was the loudest as he circled around each of the beaten Rangers like a hungry shark that was picking out his next meal. Ah, what a feast that would be. He couldn't wait until he could just rip every bit of flesh from their bone, after brutally taking what was so dear to these innocent children. He had his eyes especially set on Connor who was clearly the youngest, weakest, and by far the most damaged one out of the group.

"Let me kill them, Zodiark!" begged Umbra. "I want to see the light fade from their eyes. I want them to know the meaning of true pain!"

"Not yet, Umbra," said Zodiark. "Stand down, pet, before I make you."

Umbra obeyed Zodiark's command without questioning it. He simply walked away from the beaten children to stand between Bakari and Helios. At least he would be able to make fun of the pathetic Rangers with the right company.

Kratein briefly shared eye-contact with his father, gesturing to Connor for a moment. Zodiark simply nodded his head in response as he too sensed something special about him. The Dark Prince just might let Umbra play with that one until he broke. Then there might be some use for Connor in his big plans for the ocean of stars.

But that was something to worry about for another day. Today was just meant to serve as a test, to test the abilities of the Power Rangers. Zodiark was proud to say that they failed with flying colors, something he found himself soon laughing about.

"The five of you are simply pathetic," said Zodiark. "I cannot fathom why the Morphin Grid bestows its powers on such weak children. What makes it worse is that Thrax has lost to you, children, numerous times already. That says a lot about just how weak he is if even you lot are able to defeat him."

None of the Rangers bothered to stay anything as they huddled near each other. Each one knew that this could possibly be the end of them. It was terrifying to think that, but why wouldn't it be? Zodiark could easily destroy them all in an instant. They already proved themselves to be nothing compared to the Dark Prince and his crew.

"Lucky for you that this was only a test," said Zodiark. "I'll allow you to live for a little while longer before finally putting an end to your miserable existences." He got another laugh out of that one as he turned to the frightened Earthlings. Well, there was no point in leaving them all intact. "Umbra, get the boy."

Umbra smiled with delight as he reached over for Connor. The other Rangers, especially Ric and Haley, tried to shield Connor from this man. Their hands were stomped down by Umbra, one by one until each one was screaming in pain. The sadistic pleasure that Umbra felt from inflicting such pain served as a delight for him.

Once Umbra neared Connor though, something unexpected happened. A flash of white light flew across the plaza where it crashed into him. The attack was enough to take his breath away as well as push him away from Connor. He clenched onto his chest, feeling the burning pain of the white light that attacked him. Whoever it was that attacked him, he could tell right away that it was something good.

They all looked back to see a white figure running away from them. This led to Bakari and Helios to give chase to this white being. They ran after this stranger as fast as they could until the stranger unleashed a few more blasts of light at them. Although smaller and weaker, these attacks were enough to distract Bakari and Helios long enough to give the figure the chance to escape.

Zodiark had his arm around the injured Umbra, a look of anger on his face. He was clearly able to see the disappeared figure in white and knew that this was going to be a problem soon. So he decided to be done with this gathering now. He had another meeting to attend to right now; he had to go to the moon.

"We leave now!" Zodiark ordered his men. "Farewell Rangers. I will deal with you lot another day."

The minute those words left, Zodiark vanished from view with Umbra and Kratein going alongside him. Bakari and Helios took a moment, almost tempted to chase down the being in white once more. They decided against this though as they followed the trail that their Dark Prince left behind for them.

With all of them gone now, the Rangers thanked their lucky stars they were still alive.

Landon was the first to pull himself back up. He had his hand on his chest, hoping that this burning pain would leave him soon. "That…that was terrible," he said, bitterly. "We lost…bad."

Haley rubbed her sore head with one hand holding herself up. "Bad is an understatement," she told him. "This was a Greek Tragedy."

Alice held onto her arm, while continuing to lie down on her back. She could still feel the sting of her own bullet that Bakari redirected at her. "I have a feeling we used that line before," she said, softly. "Ugh…my arm is killing me, so is every other part of my body."

Ric scooted closer towards Connor where he wrapped an arm around the boy. Connor was shivering both from fear, pain, and the shortness of his outfit. "I'll protect you, love. Those freaks won't take you," he said, softly.

Connor continued to shiver as even as he laid his head on Ric's chest. His steadier breathing had a calming effect on the boy, but he was still worried. "What would they want with me?" he asked. "I'm nothing special."

"Makes its cause you're so damn cute," Ric said, trying to lighten things up.

"Yeah that's it," Alice said, trying not to laugh.

The Rangers continued to lay there, defeated and broken. It took a long while before they felt the rush they felt from teleportation. Alpha brought them all back to the Command Center where their physical injuries could be tended to.

The emotional scarring of their defeat was a different story, however.

* * *

><p>After his shameful defeat at the hands of the Power Rangers, Beelzebub was almost pleased to see that they had gotten defeated this day. But he just couldn't bring himself to be happy knowing that Zodiark was now on the planet. This was something he had never expected, it wasn't something that gave him a good feeling in that hate filled belly of his.<p>

If anything, this meant that Beelzebub needed to speed things up quite a bit. Zodiark was a road block to his plans for this universe, the Dark Prince needed to be disposed of and quickly. But he did not have the power just yet to do that. Between Zodiark's companions, Thrax, and the Rangers, Beelzebub just did not have the numbers or power on his side to contend with all of them.

Beelzebub was going to need the other Dark Lords if he was going to be able to pull this off.

"This is downright infuriating," hissed Beelzebub. "I don't even know where the others are sealed away. I cannot free the king until I found the others. I must hurry."

Smoke briefly surrounding the Dark Lord as he disappeared from sight with his black feathers leaving behind the only trail.

* * *

><p>On the moon, Thrax found himself face to face with Prince Zodiark. The two men gathered at the balcony while the rest of their companions stayed within the main portion of the castle. Thrax did not like being in this man's presence, not that Zodiark could say that this was a great pleasure for him either.<p>

Zodiark was a composed man though. He already perfected the art of displaying comfort despite detesting the mutant that he stood beside. "These Rangers have the potential to be a great threat for the both of us," said Zodiark. "They might be weak now, but they will quickly gather enough power to be a challenge. Something must be done about them before that time could come."

"And what do you propose, Zodiark?" asked Thrax. "You are not suggesting that we restart the Alliance, are you?"

That's when a smile graced upon the face of the Dark Prince. Zodiark was actually proposing something just like that, but it would only to bring about his own agenda. Thrax would just be the tool he needed to be done with the Rangers.

"Well, you saw how well the United Alliance of Evil worked," said Zodiark. "They nearly took over the entire universe. Had I been present for their final battle then it would've been a success, but I sadly wasn't present. But here we are, Thrax. We can rectify that. We can dispose of the Rangers, destroy the Earth, and solidify our control over the entire universe. Now, Thrax, what do you say?"

Thrax fell for the lies of the charismatic Dark Prince. The mutant held his hand out to Zodiark, accepting the offer that he made. Zodiark smiled, hiding his joy that he so easily manipulated the fool into falling for his trap.

And so began the terrifying return of the United Alliance of Evil.

* * *

><p>But while evil grew stronger, so did the forces of good.<p>

The white blur that rescued the Rangers from Umbra's brutal attack, finally found himself at rest above the rooftops of Angel Grove. His feet touched the roof and he was finally able to breathe with relief, knowing that he had out maneuvered Zodiark's men. Now, he could take a break before having to fight the bad guys again.

White Ranger slowly began to undo his helmet. A black fleur-de-lis was printed on the front of his white helmet. His uniform was similar to the other Rangers, including the golden belt and wings on his back. The only difference was that his cross was colored gold and he wore a golden vest that open, covering part of his chest.

Now that his helmet was off, it was clear to see the young man underneath. His skin was somewhat light, but he had some color on him. He had black hair that he could easily tie into a small ponytail, which was how he had it now. His build was similar to that of Landon and Ric's, making him somewhat of an equal to these other Rangers.

A smile graced the face of the White Ranger until he saw the man standing on the rooftop with him.

The Ranger tried to keep up his smile, but the glare that the man shot at him with slightly terrifying. Despite looking so young and kind, the man had a bit of a dark side to him. He ran a hand through his black hair, sighing in frustration at the boy. He just wished that the boy would top acting out so recklessly, especially with how bad things were slowly becoming.

"You could've gotten yourself killed," said the thirty-five year old man. "The others might have gotten killed if Zodiark saw that it was you."

"But I kept my identity a secret," said White Ranger, "just like you taught me, dad."

The man flinched a little when he heard those words. This only recently became a problem for him since the boy looked so much like his old friend. But that was a different story, he just needed to maintain his cool when he spoke to his "son".

"Tommy," said the man, "just listen to me for once. You need to be more careful. We can't risk putting you in danger like that, not until we're ready to move out."

"And when will that be!" shouted Tommy. "I want to join the other Rangers. They need me to fight with them. I thought the whole point of us moving to Angel Grove was so that I could finally fight alongside the other Angel Force Rangers."

"It is, Tommy, but we can't join them just yet," said his father. "Please, give me a little time. I have some serious explaining to do for when we show ourselves. I need to prepare."

"I can't promise anything," said Tommy. "I don't know for how much longer I can keep myself a secret, especially if the other Rangers need the help."

"I understand," his father said, simply.

Tommy Park completely powered-down and walked into their loft, while his father remained on the roof. He was tired and needed to get his ass to bed now. He held his tongue back as well, keeping himself from saying anything mean to his father.

Once more, a sigh escaped the lips of Adam Park.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

So can you kiddies guess what will happen next? No!

On the next chapter, the Rangers are recovering from their previous battle just as Thrax and Zodiark send a monster down to Earth. But before the fighting begins, Haley encounters Tommy Park and is left dazzled by him. Soon enough the Rangers find themselves overwhelmed when the White Ranger comes to their aid once more. Find out what happens to the Rangers and the consequences of White Ranger's actions in **White Light!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Okay, I know I say this alot, but I really liked how this chapter turned out! I had a lot of fun while writing this. I always have fun while writing for Power Rangers, it's like reliving my childhood all over again! Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. I forgot to mention this in the last one, but Zodiark and his crew belong to a fellow fan fic lover named Blaid. They are his creations and he graciously allowed me to borrow them! P.S. I so decided that I'm going to give Power Rangers as a season two. But for season two, I'll be using the Pirate themed Sentai going on in Japan right now. I figure that will just be pretty epic! Don't worry though, the Rangers you know and love shall return as the heroes. Done now. Read and review!**  
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**White Light:**

Every part of their bodies was aching as they lay scattered about in the Command Center. The Rangers were beyond exhausted, they were beyond beaten. Their fight against Zodiark and his men took every bit of strength that they had and then some. Nothing was left untouched by the villains, the Rangers couldn't think of a damn thing to do about him.

Alpha navigated himself around the Rangers as he tried his best to heal his charges. The Rangers slowly began to heal due to the new devices that Alpha and Alice created to make healing a little more efficient. It was still going to take a while for their bodies to do all the natural recovery that it needed to be back to fully functional, but this helped speed that up a bit. They were still in for a rough ride though so it wasn't too good.

Landon was busy scratching his head as he tried to figure out just what they could do. The other Rangers didn't have a single thought in their pretty, little heads. Ric and Connor were useless, Haley was just too tired, and Alice's mind was shot thanks to the fight. Without Alice's super brain there to help them then it was completely up to Landon to figure out a battle strategy.

"How do we fight Zodiark?" asked Haley. "If he teams up with Thrax then we're completely screwed."

Ric shook his head and briefly buried his face in his hands. "I don't even want to think about that," said the Latino. "That would be a total nightmare. We'd be screwed if that day came."

"I think that day is closer then we think," Connor said, leaning against Ric. His head rested against the older boy's shoulder, while he slowly fought the urge to sleep. "Somehow, I think that's exactly what they did. Thrax and Zodiark want us dead. It only makes sense that they team up."

"Shut up, emo!" Alice said, kicking his leg. She returned her head to Haley's lap as she tried to keep the Command Center from spinning. It hurt her head too much, thinking about all these worst case scenarios. Plus, it didn't help that Connor was jinxing it, despite it being true.

Landon sighed as he tried to organize his team. He couldn't be as hopeless as the rest of them; he had to stay strong for them. No matter how hard he wanted to just give up, Landon had to fight to keep himself strong for the rest of them.

Landon pushed himself up from the ground when he felt his joints and muscles screech at him. He fought through that pain though so that he could gain the attention of his companions. "Look guys, we're just going to have to keep trying," said Landon. "We know more or less what Zodiark and his team is capable of. We know what could happen if they team up with Thrax. There's time for us to prepare. We have a chance to learn and train so we'd never have to lose like we did earlier."

"But where do we start?" asked Alice. "We know next to nothing about Zodiark. The only lead we got is that he used to work for Dark Specter."

"I found a few things out," Alpha informed the Rangers.

They all nearly had the robot's head for not telling them sooner. Alpha went over to the main computer where he made a brief announcement that he got this data from KO-35. It seems that Zodiark was last spotted there before he made his way to Earth.

"Dark Specter trusted Zodiark above all the other members of the United Alliance of Evil," said Alpha 8. "Zodiark was his second, the loyalist of all the followers. But Dark Specter never fully trusted Zodiark, for some reason, which is why he rose Astronema up in ranking."

"Did Zodiark try to turn or overthrow Dark Specter?" asked Ric.

"Never," said Alpha. "Zodiark was the perfect follower. He did everything that Dark Specter ordered and more." Alpha went through the little data that they had on this man. "I don't know who Zodiark was before joining Dark Specter, but he always had a companion at his side. Haley, you fought Zodiark's consort, Umbra."

"Isn't consort another word for lover?" asked Haley.

"We're fighting a very powerful, gay man," said Alice. "We're totally screwed."

Landon ignored her comment and told Alpha to continue. The robot nodded his head as he pulled up the last of the data. "Alice, you fought against Zodiark's general, Bakari. He is a gifted strategist, able to outmaneuver any opponent," said the robot. "The other two are a little more complicated. Connor, you fought against Kratein, Zodiark's son."

"Holy shit," said Connor. "No one that little freak was so tough."

"And Ric, you fought against Kratein's protector, Helios," finished Alpha.

"The bodyguard," said Ric, "that explains why he whopped my ass."

"At least we know something about them now," said Landon. "This can help us to at least start a plan."

"What a brilliant plan that will be," Alice said, sarcastically.

Oddly enough, nobody argued with her. They all pretty much agreed with Alice as they all succumbed to their hopeless feelings. It would be impossible for them to win without some help, which reminded them of just how they survived the fight.

The Rangers asked Alpha about their rescuer, but the robot didn't know a thing. Alpha tried to track him down to see if their rescuer was friend or foe but there was no trail to follow. It was almost as if the stranger disappeared because he or she did not want to be found.

* * *

><p>Lightning watched their ship from outside the palace windows with a vicious glare. She could see the lights that illuminated the home of their new allies, showing that they were all still active despite the late hour. There was no way that Lightning would be able to sleep when she knew that Zodiark and his men were still up and moving about.<p>

It was unsettling to know that they were forming a new United Alliance of Evil. She didn't like the idea, considering what happened to the last alliance. Dark Specter had been killed by a space mercenary, while all the other members of the alliance had either been turned good or killed by the energy wave created by Zordon. Granted, the Angel Force Rangers didn't have Zordon to sacrifice once more, but she worried what possible fate could befall them.

There was the potential that the still active teams of Rangers could unite against them. It was just them and Zodiark's crew against over a dozen generations of Rangers. The numbers weren't on their side, but at least they were all skilled enough to hold their own against the Rangers.

But she still did not like this one bit.

Lightning huffed to suppress some of the anger she felt. She turned a heel and slowly made her way back to her bedroom when she felt someone watching her. Initially, she thought it might be one of Zodiark's men. She wasted no time in arming herself with her weapon only to see that it was the Dark Knight who stood in the shadows.

A soft sigh escaped Lightning's lips as she retracted her weapon. She locked it away before turning to face her knightly companion. "What do you think about this alliance?" asked Lightning. "I know you have an opinion, Knight. What does your honor code say about working with Zodiark to fight against the Rangers?"

Dark Knight kept a neutral stance at first, not wanting to be swayed either way. He followed Lightning's gaze to see that her attention was now back on the window. The ferocious paranoia and her nasty temper would be her undoing unless she learned to relax some.

"It would be foolish to turn someone as powerful as Zodiark down," said Dark Knight. "We cannot afford to make him our enemy. That would be a great act of stupidity, something that Thrax understood when he made the alliance. However, I still fear that it is possible that Zodiark might try to dispose of us in the future. We are, no doubt, expendable in his eyes. I doubt there is a soul out there that Zodiark whole-heartedly trusts."

"Not even his own men?" asked Lightning. "What kind of leader cannot trust his own comrades?"

"A smart one," said Knight. "Zodiark treads the water with caution. He will not engage in a pointless battle. He is always busy calculating his next twenty moves. It is best to keep Zodiark on our side for we would not stand a chance if we tried to go up against him."

"So then we shouldn't trust him?" concluded Lightning.

"I wouldn't. I wouldn't trust this man blindly," said Dark Knight. "We too must be cautious like Zodiark if we are to survive what is coming." Dark Knight looked out into the windows where he gazed upon the stars unlike Lightning. He could see the faint images of the planets that orbited around this solar system's sun in the distance. "There is a storm coming, Lightning. A war is on the horizon, one that we will get deeply involved in but I do not know the source of the storm nor the outcome."

"Well then," said Lightning. "I purpose we find shelter and start carrying umbrellas."

The warrior woman left the knight with that bad joke.

Dark Knight, however, did seem to take caution with her words. It would be wise to try and find someplace safe from this war. It was a war that he did not feel that he would make it alive through. With any luck, this was just a bad feeling that he had in the pit of his stomach and not fate that was calling.

If only he was worthy of seeing into the bigger picture that the gods had charted for the cosmos.

* * *

><p>The next day, the Rangers gathered at Skulls and Crosses to try to forget the painful events of yesterday. Landon and Ric were fighting to make it through their match of pool, but their backs and arms were not agreeing with them. Everytime that they would try to lean over the table then their muscles would cramp up, sending out vicious signals for pain. This made them quit their match earlier than usual just so that they could go sit down with the others.<p>

Connor had his head on Alice's shoulder, using her as a pillow while she shoved the occasional fry into his mouth. He mindlessly accepted the food that she was feeding him without any question. Haley looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep, which was partly true since her backache was keeping her from getting any proper sleep. As for Alice she just had too much of a headache going on and not even all the aspirin that she swallowed weren't helping. Pretty soon, she would need the bigger more hardcore kind of drugs.

The guys sat down with them, looking equally shitty. It was difficult to get much sleep considering the amount of pain that they were all in. Granted, the pain was a lot worse yesterday when they were freshly injured from the battle. Thanks to the healing devices and the body's natural recovery process, some of the pain was gone but not enough to make a difference.

Everywhere was still hurting and the Rangers were just too tired to do a damn thing.

"Let's go to the park," Ric finally suggested. "It's a nice day. I'm sure it would be real easy to fall asleep there."

Connor yawned, which was how he agreed with his boyfriend. He abandoned Alice's shoulder so he could rest against Ric's big and muscular arm for support. Ric couldn't hide his smile, but managed to keep a blush from forming on his face. The kid really was adorable when he was tired, he really looked like a little boy then, which made Ric feel like a creeper.

Haley and Alice decided that would be better than being stuck a Skulls and Crosses. Landon agreed to have everyone pile into his car for the ride to the park. So without further ado, the Rangers flocked outside, taking the basket of fires with them as they left a decent tip for the management.

Meanwhile, Bulk was busy with the rest of the lunch crowd. He yelled at Spike to get up off his fatass when he noticed a customer waiting at the bar to be served. The husky owner fixed his apron then got back behind the bar just so he could help this young man out.

Bulk took out his notepad to write down the order on. "May I take your order, sir?" Bulk asked, politely. This was out of his usual character, but this was a new face. He needed to make a good, first impression in order to get repeated business. After that then he could act as much of a dick as he wanted to.

"Just a burger and fries," said the young man. "Can I get lemonade with that?"

"Not a problem at all, boss," said Bulk. The man finished jotting down the order when he finally took a look at the customer. Bulk's eyes nearly melted out from their sockets as he recognized the strikingly familiar face as the legendary man that he knew all too well. "Wow…I'm sorry for staring but you look so familiar."

Tommy Park started to smile as he handed the menu over to Bulk. "You won't believe how often I've been getting that since I moved here," said the young man. "Today alone, you're like the tenth person to tell me that. And it's always the same guy too."

"Yeah," Bulk said, nodding his head. "Weird coincidence. I would say you're his kid, but I personally know that he never had children, plus he was an orphan." Bulk snapped out of that trip down memory lane as he returned to the present. He tore the order from the pad and went to make the deliver to the cooks.

It was impossible, Bulk kept reminding himself. There was no way that this boy could be Tommy Oliver, the greatest Power Ranger there ever was.

* * *

><p>At the castle, Thrax sat at his throne with his eyes gazing upon the Earth. He didn't bother to use the computer to track the Rangers. The dark powers he inherited from both his mother and father were excellent enough to do the work for him. His gaze strengthened until he finally found the Rangers lounging about at the park.<p>

There was a smile on his half-exposed face as he could see just how tired they were. He raised his Z-Staff up, calling upon his Putties to kneel before him. Over a dozen of his Putties came to their master and waited for their orders.

Before Thrax could send them out though, Zodiark entered the throne with Umbra and Bakari at his side. Zodiark slowly approached the throne while the other two remained behind. "I appear that somebody is eager to raise a little mayhem," said Zodiark. "Do I need to ask why you are going to mobilize your Putties?"

"What I decide to do is none of your business, Zodiark," hissed Thrax. "I will be the one to destroy the Power Rangers!"

Zodiark shrugged off Thrax's insult with the slightest of chuckles. He circled around the edge of the throne with a gloved hand touching his dark face. "Well, it is my business, Thrax," said Zodiark. "We are working together now. It is only right that we make destroying the Power Rangers a joint effort otherwise what is the point of our alliance?"

There was a threat behind those words, Thrax could feel it. Only an idiot wouldn't realize that Zodiark was throwing a challenge at Thrax that the mutant could not compete against. Thrax didn't have the power or the numbers to even dream about going against Zodiark. At least, not yet.

Once he gained full control of the Nexus then that would be a different story.

"The Rangers will be weak since your battle against them," said Thrax. "I will send my Putties out to attack them to dispose of them. Does that agree with you, Prince Zodiark?"

"That sounds like an excellent idea, Lord Thrax," Zodiark said.

Despite agreeing with him, Thrax could tell sense the attitude behind Zodiark's words. The mutant tried hard to not to feel so inferior to him, but Zodiark's presence could not be ignored. So he just sent the Putties down to Earth to dispose of the Power Rangers now.

* * *

><p>Over at the park, the Rangers lounged about comfortably on the soft grass. The breeze that blew in was very comforting as it kicked in some of the water from the lake. The crisp, cool air was a bonus as winter's chill slowly began to make its way to California. But it was still a nice enough day where it was pretty easy to just fall asleep outside.<p>

And that's exactly what happened to them. The Rangers were all squeezed against each other to keep warm while they drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Landon was spooning against Alice with his back up against Ric. Connor and Haley were snuggled up together while Ric had his arm on Connor's waist and his face buried against the back of the boy's neck.

The occasional person would pass by to see them sleeping and thought nothing of it. Other than that, the Rangers found a secluded spot to rest up from the injuries they were suffering from.

But that nap only last about a solid half an hour. The Putties quickly stormed around the Rangers with the annoying gurgling sound that they made serving as the trigger to awaken the Rangers. They all opened their eyes just in time to see the Putties that were charging towards them.

Quickly, the Rangers got on their feet and spread out to deal with these annoying pests.

This fight would turn out to be a bit trickier than the rest. They were plenty injured not to mention very sleepy so this would really be a test for their stamina. The Rangers were up for it though as they pushed themselves to keep going to make it through this fight.

Landon and Haley went up a few Putties on their own. Haley made herself the distraction as she did a few acrobatic moves to just dazzle the Putties a bit so that Landon could make himself useful. She did a few flips to gain their attention then Landon would sneak up behind one for the takedown. That worked on the first two Putties, but the rest actually caught on their little trick.

Haley had two Putties come after her at once. So she did the best thing that she could think of, she jumped. With her heightened agility, Haley was able to catapult herself into the air so that she could weave over the Putties to get her some safety. The Putties fell for the trick and lost sight of her until she tapped the both of them on the shoulder. She then slapped their weak points, causing them to break apart.

Landon took on the bulk of those Putties. He knocked away an uppercut that was aimed for his ribs then punched that Putty in the emblem. With one down, he quickly went after the others that were trying to take him down. He dove down to the ground and did a spin kick over the floor. He easily tripped a couple which gave him a moment to fight off some of the others. Even as weak as he was, Landon managed to fight the rest of them down to submission.

Alice and Connor fought on the Putties together with Ric serving as their tank.

Ric used himself as a human shield to fend off the Putties from overwhelming them. He had his superhuman strength to punch through the line, knocking over everything that got in his way. With a few Putties on the ground, Ric took down all that were left standing. He pushed a Putty's arms back then grabbed it to fling it at its friend. Another Putty grabbed him from behind, forcing Ric to take them both down to the ground, but he used the Putty as a cushion. This clever move defeated that Putty as well as served to pop Ric's back.

Connor actually did a karate chop on a Putty, which he thought was pretty cool. He knocked that particular Putty in the throat before twisting his body back to kick another in the chest. He finished off the first Putty then sped over to help Ric out. Even in a run, two Putties tried to chest bump into him. Connor saw this coming, however, so he only ran faster just to avoid the attack. The Putties' ended up only killing themselves, which made the boy shake his head just as he got tackled by a Putty.

Alice came in for his rescue, luckily. She pulled that Putty off of him and hit it in the chest so that it would break apart. With Connor saved, Alice could focus on kicking some ass. She hated it when her naps were interrupted so now they had to deal with an angry, twenty-one year old woman. Alice decided to show off that fury by playing around with the park's sprinkler system. She chose only the ones close to the Putties and had them go off with the water pressure coming on at full blast. The water quickly knocked over the Putties or had them slip on the slick grass. With that done, she shut off the sprinklers and finished whatever remained with Ric and Connor helping out.

Once all the Putties were gone, the Rangers finally collapsed to the ground in complete exhaustion.

"I knew that was going to happen!" shouted Connor. "We got too comfortable. We can never get comfortable when bad guys are trying to kill us."

"I think it has more to do with all of us being together, so vulnerable like that," suggested Alice.

"Let's not do that again," said Ric. "The five of us can't just fall asleep like that again."

"Ditto," said Haley. "But I still suggest that we get some rest otherwise we'll be no use at all the next fight."

"That's right," said Landon. "Thrax and Zodiark will hit us again so we'll need the rest. Everyone, I suggest we go home and get to bed. The faster we can rest and recover then the more use we'll be for a monster attack."

Everyone agreed and made their way out of the park to do just what Landon suggested.

* * *

><p>Thrax and Zodiark watched as the Rangers just barely finished off the last of the Putties. The two villains saw how poorly the Rangers performed compared to their usual battles. This had to do with the beating that they had taken from Zodiark and his men just yesterday. The villains saw this as good news as they decided to up the difficulty level just a tad.<p>

"I've never seen the Rangers so weak before," laughed Thrax. "This is glorious! We can destroy them now while they are still too weak to put up a fight."

"Now would be the perfect time to do so," agreed Zodiark. "We might not have an opportunity like this again should the Rangers get a fully recovery."

Thrax waved his Z-Staff forward, retrieving the Nexus from the chamber. The stone gateway would be needed to bring forth a monster that would be strong enough to finish off the beaten Rangers. A monster from beyond the Fade was exactly what Thrax needed to be rid of the Power Rangers, permanently.

Zodiark stared at the marvel with a curious look upon his face. Even Bakari and Umbra bore looks of confusion as they gazed upon the Nexus. Zodiark, however, could sense the life-force that was housed within the Nexus, which granted it such a power. The blood that was needed to activate the Nexus must've had something to do with that.

A bolt of lightning escaped from Thrax's staff, activating the Nexus.

"This is a gateway to another plane of existence," said Zodiark. "Where did you come across such a device?"

"It once belonged to my grandfather, Master Vile," said Thrax. "It was taken from him by Zordon, but I managed to retrieve it. The Nexus was virtually powerless when I found it, but I fed it enough blood to reinvigorate it. Now, I can summon the monsters from the Fade and have them do my bidding."

"The Fade," said Zodiark. "Do you know what the Fade is?"

"The Realm of Monsters," said Thrax, "that is all one needs to know."

Zodiark huffed at Thrax's minimal understanding of the Fade. Granted, Zodiark wasn't an expert, but he was far more knowledgeable about that realm then Thrax. "The Fade is so much more than just that, my friend," said Zodiark. "The Fade is rumored to hold an unimaginable amount of power. Not even with this Nexus will we be able to crossover to take that power."

"And what is the power that the Fade holds?" asked Thrax.

"That, I'm afraid, not even I know," Zodiark lied, convincingly.

Thrax bought the lie though as he returned to summoning a monster.

Meanwhile, Zodiark tried to find a way to use the Nexus into furthering his plans for intergalactic domination. He knew that using the Nexus to summon an overwhelming amount of monsters would take a lot more power and an energy source that he did no posses. He had to figure out something else, something a little more practical it would seem.

* * *

><p>For Haley, her plans on getting some rest were a little different than just crashing out like the other Rangers. She went down the street from her house to the local market to pick up some things for a relaxing, bubble bath. She had the candles and the soft music, now she just needed the bubbles to help sooth her tired muscles.<p>

She wandered around the aisles, unaware of the eyes that followed her. She brushed her brown hair over her shoulder which brought more attention from the young man that was watching her. She made it to the bath supplies and retrieved her prize with a smile on her face. With the bath soap in hand, she was able to turn and walk towards the cash register.

But before Haley made it to the register, she bumped into a tall and handsome young man that had spent part of his visit watching her. Haley said her excuse me before looking into the soft, brown eyes of the stranger. He was rather handsome and just out of first glance she could already tell that he was different then all the other guys in Angel Grove. A smile graced her lips, making her face just light up, which the young man thought made her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Hi," said Haley, "sorry about running into you. I'm just really tired so I really wasn't paying attention."

"Well, it was my fault to be honest," said the young man. "I saw you walk in so I kinda purposely bumped into you just so I could talk to you."

And this was the moment that only happened in movies and cheesy, romantic comedies. Haley thought it was too good to be true that this handsome stranger purposely sought her out. Either he was a really nice guy or a complete psycho. She knew her luck and it would probably turn out that he is a psycho jerk. She shouldn't let herself fall so easily for someone who she didn't even know his name.

He was so handsome though and he honestly did seem like a good guy. Haley could just feel it, but she couldn't explain it. It was almost like goodness just radiated off of him like body heat. There was something about this stranger that made Haley just want to open up everything (not in a sexual way) to him.

"Then I'm happy you bumped into me," Haley said, realizing how stupid she sounded. She wanted to slap herself in the face, but her brain was too tired to do even that. Now she was using lame flirts to get this guy's attention, which would no doubt make her look all the more crazy. "That sounded pretty stupid. Let's start over. I'm Haley."

The young man smiled, nothing thinking what she said was stupid at all. He found her to be very cute and he couldn't explain it either but his heart was pounding as he stood there with her. It was like every nerve in his body was screaming at him to be with her, some girl he never even met. He never experienced a feeling like this, despite the sheltered life he led.

"I'm Tommy," said the young man. "I just moved into town with my dad. We live at the condos right down the road."

"Wow," Haley said, nodding her head. "Those are some nice places. I live on the other end of the road with my parents and brother…well, adopted brother."

"That sounds interesting," Tommy said, still smiling. "It was nice to meet you, Haley. I hope we can bump into each other again, very soon."

"I'd like that," Haley said, softly.

Tommy took off after that and Haley was left swooning as he disappeared. He was by far the most incredible guy that she ever met. Granted, they only talked for like two minutes but she was already planning their wedding and the names of their future children. It was ridiculous thoughts, but Haley was a strong believer in love at first sight.

Too bad that bubble didn't last, Haley's happiness exploded the minute her communicator went off.

Haley abandoned her bubbles then ran towards the restroom for some privacy. She made sure that nobody was inside before answering her Communicator, already aware that this was going to be bad. "Come in, Alpha," said Haley. "What's the problem?"

"A monster is attacking downtown," said Alpha. "It's not looking good either."

Haley sighed as she now wished that she just took the nap. That wasn't true; she wouldn't have met Tommy if she was asleep. With that thought, it helped to invigorate her tired body. "I'm on my way, Alpha," said the girl.

The transmission ended and Haley quickly teleported to downtown.

* * *

><p>A monster from the Fade was attacking the city just as Alpha warned the Rangers.<p>

The monster stood almost at six foot with her body covered in cheetah print. Her face appeared to have something like a white mask with rows of sharp fangs running down them. Her black hands appeared more like claws that could rip through almost anything. A light layer of leather armor covered the more exposed bits of her body. And then there was a thick, beastly feet that she could stomp up a storm with.

Strika ran around and sent fear to the hearts of the people of Angel Grove. The good city folk took off screaming and running, while she laughed at their heartache. The Putties worked alongside her to create more mayhem as she fired bolts of lightning from her mouth to blow some things up.

She was having lots of fun too when she actually heard someone yell at her.

"Over here, big and ugly!"

That was downright rude in Strika's book. She turned around with a sharp growl escaping her mouth to find who said that. "Who dares to call me ugly!" shouted Strika. "I will rip your guts out and feast."

The Power Rangers made their way out of the shadows to the delight of the fleeing citizens. The Rangers came armed with their Angel Swords, ready to fight Strika and the Putties. "You're pretty nasty if you ask me," said Red Ranger. "I suggest that you get out of here before we're forced to beat you up."

"Trust us, it won't be pretty either," said Pink Ranger.

"Oh, I'd like to see that," laughed Strika. "Putties, attack!"

The Putties quickly charged after the Rangers in a single group. The Rangers gathered around each other and were ready to get rid of them before a fight could begin. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers. With their Angel Swords glowing, the Rangers fired that built up energy which flew across the pathway. In seconds, the Putties were all defeated before a fight could even begin.

Strika wasn't too surprised to see that it would all fall onto her shoulders. She quickly rushed in after the Rangers as they tried to release a second round of the Heaven Power Slash. However, before they could, Strika fired lightning from her body that zapped all of the Rangers and forced them to lose their weapons.

The Rangers were blown back and crashed to the ground, separated from one another.

Laughter escaped Strika as she started to crack her thick knuckles. "Well, that was a little disappointing," said the monster. "I heard that the Power Rangers were supposed to be strong. This wasn't exciting at all."

"We'll show you strong!" shouted Red Ranger.

Red Ranger sprang to his feet quickly and came swinging with the Aurora Sword in hand. He threw himself at the monster where he swung the sword around to leave some dents on her. He managed to deliver a few blows to Strika, but the monster soon caught his sword and easily tossed him towards a brick wall.

Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger got up next to do something. Blue Ranger tried to hammer her down with the Glory Hammer, while Pink Ranger tried to sneak up on Strika with the Scared Claws. Even with two Rangers going at her, they still couldn't lay a single blow on her as she weaved her body around. Strika then started to get bored so she swiped her claws at the fronts of their chests, sending them down to the ground.

Bullets and arrows started to attack Strika next as Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger teamed up. Yellow Ranger pulled the trigger to her Holy Pistols, hoping to leave a few bullet wounds. Meanwhile, Black Ranger pulled the string on his bow to fire his high-powered arrows with hopes that it would go through her evil body. Strika took some of their attacks, which actually seemed like they did some damage to her, but she came back with an attack of her own.

Lightning started to fly out from her mouth once more, which easily knocked both Rangers down for the count. Strika wasn't done just yet, she started to generate lightning from around her body to unleash a nasty shock wave that completely shocked and fried the Rangers. They all howled in pain as Strika continued to inflict pain upon them.

When Strika was finally finished, she allowed the Rangers to cringe in pain as their bodies fought to survive.

* * *

><p>Outside of where the Rangers were fighting Strika, Tommy found himself watching just how bad this fight was going for them. He clung onto the metal bar on the building he was hiding behind with rage boiling up inside of him. He couldn't continue to allow the Rangers to fight on their own, not when it was so obvious that they desperately needed his help to save them.<p>

But before Tommy could do a thing, his father was already on his tail. Adam had his hand on the boy's shoulder, holding it firmly. Adam knew that he would be able to find his son wherever the Rangers were fighting. There was too much of his biological predecessor in him for the boy's own good. That DNA would end up getting him killed if he didn't learn to control those impulses of his.

"You're planning on fighting, aren't you?" Adam asked.

Tommy turned to his dad and simply nodded his head. The white bracelet on his hand reflected against the sunlight as it was burning to be activated. "I have to help them," said Tommy. "You should know better that the Rangers always need help. You were in three different teams of Rangers. Why won't you let me help them?"

"I just don't want to risk you, Tommy," said Adam. "We've never tested how you can fight in a real battle. It's always been simulations. I don't know if your body will be able to handle it."

"We'll have to test it sooner or later!" said Tommy. "If worse comes to worse than you can always make another like me. You should be able to learn from my mistakes after that."

"No, Tommy!" Adam said. He snatched onto his son's wrist as he tried to turn away. No, this boy wasn't his son; he wasn't even a real human to begin with. "I don't care about your unconventional birth, you are still my son. I love you like my own child. I don't want to see you get hurt, no parent does."

Tommy could feel the sincerity behind the man's voice. It was enough to make him feel better with his abomination of an existence. That was enough to motivate him to keep on going, to keep on fighting. "Just trust me, dad," said the young man. "This heart is telling me to do what is right. I have to help the Rangers."

"Alright," Adam said, surrendering to his boy's heart. "Kick some ass."

Tommy didn't bother to hide his smile as he removed the bracelet from his wrist. It took the form of a white, feather-shaped crystal. With his Crystal Morpher in hand, Tommy had the power he needed to transform. "It's Morphin Time!" shouted Tommy. He held the Crystal Morpher above his head as he called forth his powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!"

A storm of white feathers began to circle around his body, transforming Tommy into the White Angel Force Ranger!

* * *

><p>The Rangers were barely starting to get back on their feet when Strika made her move on them once again. Lightning began to coil all around her body which she then used to wrap around the Rangers, lifting them up into the air. The surge of electricity was slowly proving to be too much for the Rangers, which made it all the more easier for her to fling them around like dolls.<p>

Strika threw the Rangers against a building, adding more injuries to their already battered bodies. The Rangers completely fell apart on the ground and soon found themselves unable to move even an inch. The pain was too much for even them to bare as they fought and struggled to make any movement at all to fight against the monster. They knew that they couldn't surrender to Strika, they had to get back up and save the city from doom.

Strika laughed as she approached the defeated Rangers. A joyous smile graced her monstrous face as she clicked her nails against each other. "This is awfully pathetic," said Strika. "I suppose I'll just have to end our game a little earlier than expected. Goodbye, Power Rangers!"

The monster was about to strike the Rangers once more with lightning when blasts of white light blew up against her back. Strika stumbled forward with her body screaming in pain from the sudden attack. The monster turned her body around, while the Rangers slowly picked their heads up. All were curious to see just who attacked Strika with the monster vowing revenge and the Rangers believing that it was their savior from yesterday.

On top of a statue's head stood a figure in white. The sun reflected off the uniform, giving the figure a majestic glow as he stood there with a small gun in hand. The light slowly began to die out as a cloud blocked out the sun so that the Rangers could see that their hero was none other than another Power Ranger.

"No way," said Blue Ranger.

"That's a Power Ranger," said Black Ranger.

"He showed up just in time," said Yellow Ranger.

"We really did need another Ranger," said Pink Ranger.

"This is the advantage that we needed!" said Red Ranger.

The new Ranger immediately leaped down from the statue where he perfectly landed on his feet. His uniform might have been different, but there was no denying that he was a Ranger like them. White Ranger continued to hold onto his gun as he stood there with Strika shooting angry glares at his way. "Sorry that I couldn't make it sooner, Rangers, but you can leave this monster to me!" said their new ally. "With the spirit of Light, I am the White Angel Force Ranger!"

Strika didn't give a damn how this man thought he was, she just wanted him to suffer. "I'll make you bleed, Ranger!" shouted the monster. She covered her mouth with her hand for a moment before removing it to fire a bolt of lightning.

White Ranger jumped into the air where he easily avoided the lightning bolt. He twisted his body around and landed on the opposite side of Strika with his gun still in hand. "Twilight Ray, blaster mode!" shouted White Ranger. "Celestial Twilight Ray, fire!" He pulled the trigger on his gun, firing a high-powered blast of light at Strika now. The attack hit the monster, forcing her to stumble back as she suffered minor injuries.

The Ranger laughed as he took hold of his gun and twisted it upward. "Twilight Ray, saber mode!" shouted White Ranger. From the nose of the gun, a white beam of energy rose up that served as his blade. White Ranger charged at the monster and waved his light saber at the monster to do more damage. Electrical sparks flew off of Strika's body, adding even more damage to the monster who so easily bested the other Rangers.

Strika got thrown back by a wave from the sword. White Ranger turned his weapon back into a gun then placed it back into its holster for now. The Ranger held his arms up, readying himself for whatever the monster might try to do next.

"Is that all you got?" Strika asked, slowly rising up. "I still got enough game left in me to destroy you, White Ranger!"

Another bolt of lightning escaped Strika, which White Ranger did a cartwheel to get away from. The Ranger rolled around on the ground, purposely moving in the direction of the other Rangers just to get closer to them. "Don't worry, guys, I got this in the bag!" White Ranger told the other Rangers. He moved an arm behind his back then a glowing flash of light appeared in hand. "You won't stand a chance against my Solar Saber!"

The light dimmed out, revealing a glowing blade of light. The saber had a white handle that the Ranger held onto it from with a long, silver blade on top. White Ranger swung his weapon around and felt the burning power that he needed to stop this monster from harming the other Rangers.

White Ranger placed a hand over his heart and summoned this power. His Solar Saber soon became consumed in light as he channeled this power from his Angel Force Powers to his weapon of choice. "This is it for you!" shouted White Ranger. "Light Solar Flashbomb!" Light began to flow out from the White Ranger's saber and rushed straight towards Strika. The overwhelming abundance of light proved to be too much for the monster as the energy tore through her being, creating a massive explosion.

"And that's how it's done," said White Ranger.

But the battle wasn't over yet.

A bolt of lightning came down from the moon, causing Strika to return in monstrous proportions. With Strika now a giant, there was no way that taking her down again would be so simple.

The other Rangers finally recovered enough to get back on their feet as they soon surrounded White Ranger. They thanked him for the rescue, but knew that they were on their own to fight off Strika.

"Leave this to me," said White Ranger. "I can hold her off until you guys have the strength to summon your Zords."

"You can't fight her on your own," said a concerned Pink Ranger.

"You don't even have a Zord," said Red Ranger.

White Ranger only laughed as he took out his Crystal Morpher. He waved it around in his hand a few times just have them dying with anticipation. "That's what you guys think. I got this one covered," said the Ranger. "Just rest up for a few minutes then summon your Zords."

Once again, White Ranger took center stage as he held his Crystal Morpher up. Strika was about to begin her attack on the city too so he needed to react fact. "I call upon the Archangel Power!" shouted White Ranger. "I summon you, White Tiger Archangel Zord!"

The Crystal Morpher released a bright flash of light that beamed White Ranger up. There was a ferocious growl that filled the city which could soon be distinguished as a tiger's growl. A Zord soon appeared in the middle of the city with White Ranger teleporting inside.

"Now this is firepower!" White Ranger said, activating his Zord.

White Tiger Zord gave out a ferocious roar from its mouth. The Zord's front legs were long and bore sharp claws at the feet. The back legs were much shorter with wheels at the very end. The body of the Zord was about as long as the Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord combined. The head of the Zord even bore a slight resemblance to a tiger, at least in a robotic way.

Tiger Zord's front legs were running while the wheels increased the Zord's speed. Strika attempted to throw the Zord off of its balance by firing bolts of lightning at it. However, Tiger Zord managed to avoid every attack that came at it without any trouble. White Ranger's piloting skills kept the Zord from taking any excessive damage.

"Alright now, it's time to cut this party short!" shouted White Ranger. "Fireballs, Fire Blast!"

Fire began to burst forth from the mouth of the Tiger Zord. The Zord rapidly began to fire several fireballs from its mouth that knocked Strika down to the ground. The monster was spewing curses from her mouth as she became frustrated by the way she was losing this battle.

"Hey Rangers!" shouted White Ranger. "Now would be a good time to call on your Megazord. Finish this before she can get back up!"

The others heard his words so they quickly summoned their Angel Force Zords. Their Zords came forth and they soon activated the Megazord sequence. Their Zords united as one, forming the Angel Force Megazord in a matter of moments.

Strika was still not on her feet which made this the perfect opportunity to strike.

Angel Force Megazord brought out the Heaven Power Sword to deliver the fatal attack. From within the head of the Megazord, the Rangers channeled the necessary power from their Crystal Morphers to their Megazord.

"This ends now!" shouted Red Ranger.

"Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers.

Energy began to burst forth through the Heaven Power Sword as the Rangers used their strongest attack. The gems on the sword had the power necessary so with one swing, the Megazord unleashed the attack. Strika was just barely getting back up when it was too late for her to do a damn thing. The Heaven Mega Power Slash did its job as it threw the monster back with an explosion going off as she was destroyed.

The battle was over and with a new friend at their side, the Power Rangers came out of this one victorious.

* * *

><p>All of the Power Rangers teleported to the Command Center to get some answers out from the White Ranger.<p>

Once they arrived, Alpha quickly welcomed all of the Rangers. Even White Ranger had been greeted like he was an old friend of his. That was a little surprising to the other Rangers and made them wonder if Alpha knew about him all along.

"He is a Power Ranger," said Alpha. "It doesn't matter if I know him or not. My duty is to assist the Power Rangers in their battle against evil that is what I'm programmed to do."

"So then we still don't know who our big hero is," said Yellow Ranger.

White Ranger just stood there with a smile hidden by his helmet. He had his hands were the others could see them so they wouldn't think he was up to something. "Well, in my defense, I don't know who I rescued twice," said the Ranger. "I saved you from this monster and I helped you all out yesterday. Maybe you should introduce yourselves first."

They couldn't exactly argue with that logic.

One by one, the Rangers removed their helmets so that White Ranger could see just who they were.

"I'm Landon Samuels, the Red Ranger."

"Ricardo Cruz, the Blue Ranger, but you can just call me Ric."

"Connor Song, I'm the Black Ranger."

"I would be Alice King, the brains behind this operation, and the Yellow Ranger."

"And I'm Haley Scott, I is the Pink Ranger."

White Ranger nodded his head, shaking the hands of each Ranger for a moment. He held onto Haley's hand a little longer then he should, which made the girl very curious. "It's good to see you again, Haley," said the Ranger. "I had a feeling we'd be seeing each other soon." He then took the liberty to remove his helmet so that the other Rangers could see who he was.

Haley's jaw dropped in surprise, while the others just seemed happy to see the face of their new ally.

"I'm Tommy Park," said the young man. "I'm the White Ranger."

Landon and Ric were the first to properly greet the new Ranger with Alice not too far behind. Connor nudged Haley a bit, but she wasn't budging at all. Haley had gone to shock by finding out that the guy she had a crush on was a Ranger as well. This was just too weird and almost seemed like Fate was playing with her.

Tommy was welcomed to the team with open arms, which made the young man wonder why he didn't show up sooner.

Before the champagne could be opened up though, the doors to the Command Center opened up. This alarmed everyone as the Rangers immediately prepared for a fight only to see a man stepping inside. Tommy was the first to drop his guard while Alpha began to scream with delight.

"Adam, it's Adam!" cheered Alpha.

"Hey dad," said Tommy.

"Dad!" shouted the other Rangers.

Connor was the first one to pick it up, something that made Alice slap herself in the face. He realized just who this Adam was from scrolling through the Ranger Achieves. "Adam Park! You're the reason why we're all here," said the boy. "Wait…then your Tommy's dad." Something else dawned to Connor that none of the other Rangers even began to think about. The boy's brain behaved particularly quick today as he picked it up easily. "But…holy crap! Why does he look so much like Tommy Oliver?"

Adam smiled as he realized that there was a lot of explaining to do. He straightened out the black shirt he wore and finally went up to the Rangers he worked so hard into gathering as well as to greet Alpha. "All in due time, Connor," said the veteran Ranger. "We have a lot of discuss and not much time to speak."

"You know my name?" said Connor.

"I know all of you," corrected Adam. "I was the one who went through the trouble of selecting you to become Power Rangers. I left Alpha 8 in charge of the Command Center until I returned. I have been very busy these last couple of years."

"Does that have anything to do with the Seven Dark Lords?" asked Alice. "I dug through the Command Center's files and found Zordon's message. He left you gave you our powers and left you in charge. I've been trying to find you for a while now."

Alpha 8 was alarmed to hear that Alice had broken through the encrypted codes. The other Rangers, minus Tommy, were made she didn't mention that she knew about this sooner. Adam, on the other hand, wasn't too surprised to hear this. He assumed that one of the Rangers would be intelligent and curious enough to read the secret files.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from the brilliant Alice King," said Adam. "Well, it actually had to do with the Dark Lords. I've been trying to find out just who they are, but the secrets are all masked in the language of the Celestials. I can't read it so I've been trying to find outside resources that could. I got a friend on Mirinoi who is checking to see if the Galaxy Book has any clues. Kendrix has a mind almost as brilliant as yours, Alice."

Leave it to Ric to butt his head into a conversation. He grabbed onto Tommy's arm, dragging him forward to get his boyfriend's question answered by this man. "You still haven't explained why this guy looks like Tommy Oliver," said Ric. "Now that I'm thinking about it, he really looks exactly like him. If he's your son then why does he not look like you instead?"

Adam sighed for a moment as he tried to think of the best way to explain this one.

Tommy beat him to the punch though. Tommy broke his arm free of Ric's hold as he joined his father's side to make eye contact with the other Rangers. "Adam isn't my biological father," said Tommy. "My DNA comes from Tommy Oliver. I am his genetic clone."

That was the last thing they were expecting to hear. Haley was wide-eyed as she realized that she was in love with the clone of the greatest Power Ranger. Now there was no denying just how cruel Fate was being to her.

Adam got in the middle of all of this to better explain Tommy's announcement. The other Rangers had a right to know what he had done. Correction, what they had done. "The real Tommy Oliver is dead," Adam informed them. "The other Rangers and myself created a false story that Tommy went missing, but he really died from cancer."

Ric gave out a laugh that led to Alice and Connor smacking him in the gut. He choked on the end of his laugh, but knew he had to say something to recover from this. "It's not funny," Ric said, defending himself. "It's just…it's just weird to hear that. Tommy was the best Ranger there ever was and he died of cancer, not a monster attack."

"The cancer developed because he was a Ranger," said Adam. "Tommy's been six different Power Rangers. He was the Green Mighty Morphin Ranger, the White Tiger Ranger, the White Falcon Ninja Ranger, the Zeo Ranger One Red, Red Turbo Ranger, and Black Dino Thunder Ranger. He submersed himself so deep into the Morphing Grid so many times that his body went through withdrawal when he no longer was a Ranger. His body reacted negatively to being kept away from the Grid until a cancer developed that killed him. There was no chance of him ever finding a cure. Not even making him into a Ranger again would've saved his life."

"So you chose to make a clone of him?" said Landon. "He never had any children?"

"He was sterile," said Adam. "Tommy suffered an injury during his days as the Red Turbo Ranger that made him infertile. He would never have a child." Adam tried to move through that depressing subject to get back to why he made a clone of Tommy. "Before he died, Tommy and I worked with some friends to start the Celestial Initiative. The Initiative is what led to the Command Center being built, Alpha 8 coming online, and the rest of you being chosen. Tommy knew that there would be a great threat and it would impossible for you to win without serious help. So a few friends of ours worked on creating a copy of Tommy. We got some of his DNA and with that we were able to create a clone of Tommy Oliver and accelerated the aging process so he'd risk physical maturity faster. I've raised that boy as my own son for almost seven years."

The Rangers looked at Tommy Park with their jaws dropped. They never imagined that human cloning would be successful. But here was the evidence. Tommy Park was a living clone of Tommy Oliver. The chances of this happening was beyond negative, yet here he was.

Haley just stared at Tommy, all the more confused by what was going on.

Alice helped to pull everyone back on track. She had her own questions to ask, but she had one in particular that she needed answered. "We fought one of the Dark Lords," said Alice. "His name was Beelzebub. We managed to destroy him, but it was hard."

"I highly doubt that you destroyed him," said Adam. "At your current level, it would be impossible for you to defeat a Dark Lord. You couldn't even stand up to Zodiark."

"You know about Zodiark?" said Landon.

"Yeah," said Adam, "and we have a lot of work to do. Thrax and Zodiark are the least of our concerns, Rangers. Beelzebub will return and when he does, the other Dark Lords won't be too far behind. If all the Dark Lords come together then they will have the power that they need to destroy the universe and there will be nothing we can do to stop them then."

So many more questions needed to be answered, but Adam felt it was best to leave them with that for now. Adam made his way towards the main computers and got comfortable as he returned to his official position as the Rangers' mentor. Tommy and Alpha soon followed his lead.

The Rangers just stood there, trying to process everything that just happened and trying to find a way to make it through this storm.

* * *

><p>The arrival of the White Ranger was upsetting news, especially since he was virtually able to take Strika down on his own.<p>

Thrax slammed his fist down on the railing of his palace as his anger boiled over. He stormed away from the balcony, terribly angry that another Ranger had entered the party. The most upsetting news was that it was the White Ranger who bore techniques and abilities similar to another White Ranger.

Zodiark had seen the fight as well and knew too well just who this White Ranger was. But it seemed too impossible that it could really be him, Tommy Oliver would be too old to fight like that. There was also the poison too that dealt with the famous Power Ranger constantly dipping himself into the Morphing Grid countless times to become several different Rangers.

The throne room was empty with the exception of those two. All of their warriors and the Putties had disappeared, leaving the two of them alone to deal with this dilemma.

"White Ranger," growled Thrax. "How is it possible that Tommy Oliver is a Ranger once more? I thought he was dead, buried six feet deep!"

"The dead have a tendency to come back," laughed Zodiark. "You should know that better than anyone, Thrax." The mutant growled at him, but soon turned away. Zodiark huffed as he thought about it a little more. What Thrax said was true, so this White Ranger couldn't truly be Tommy Oliver. "The only thing that makes sense is that this White Ranger is either Tommy's child or a copy."

"You mean a clone?" asked Thrax. "I didn't know the Earthlings had that level of technology to develop clones."

"Earthlings forbade that kind of research," corrected Zodiark, "but that level of technology exists on their planet. You just have to find the right person willing to do the work. It is quite possible that the Rangers made a clone of Tommy Oliver, it would make sense to do so of the greatest of all the Power Rangers. If not then this very well be Tommy's child. Either way, this White Ranger must be killed quickly before he becomes too strong."

"I agree," said Thrax. "We cannot risk having the child or clone of Tommy Oliver running around for too long. We must come up with a way to dispose of him now."

Zodiark nodded his head as he began to work with Thrax on a plan that would kill the White Ranger.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Tommy adjusts to life with the team as Alice and Connor help him out. Meanwhile, Zodiark lays a trap for Tommy with Umbra serving as his executioner. Tommy gets captured by Umbra with Alice and Connor being taken as well. The other Rangers attempt to rescue their friends, while Tommy has to lead Connor and Alice to safety and fight off Umbra at the same time! Find out how this will end in **Touching Darkness!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Does anyone know anything about computers? Like I have to adjust and sit at a certain angle for my power cord to charge my laptop. I dont think it's the cord because it's only two months old. So if you're computer savvy please help me out. Anyways, this chapter took a bit of effort, the next update won't be for a while since I have family over for the week. I have a poll on my profile for a Final Fantasy XIII fan fic I'm planning on. Vote if you think I should write one. That's it for me. Read and review.**  
><strong>

**Touching Darkness:**

It was starting to get a little late, yet Connor couldn't get himself to sleep for the billionth night in the row. There were just too many thoughts swirling around in his mind. Connor was on his winter vacation, but his body wouldn't relax not without so much danger around. He was just too frightened to pull off going to sleep on his own.

Connor sat on his bed and chewed on his fingernails as he waited for the familiar tapping against his window. He tried to wait patiently, but his nerves were beginning to eat away at him. He was a little jumpy with his toes curling into the carpet of his bedroom. At least one thing had gone right; the adoption paperwork had been pushed through before Christmas so now Connor was legally a member of the Scott family.

That was one of the very few comforting factors that Connor had to hold onto.

But as the night grew later, there finally came the beating against the window that signaled his arrival. That familiar sound got Connor to jump up to his feet as he slowly pushed his window opened to allow him inside. Ric crawled into Connor's bedroom by climbing through the window that stood directly across from him.

Ric would always throw a few, small rocks at the window so that Connor would know it was him. Then Connor would open the window so that Ric could come in. Ric would then curl into Connor's bed, holding onto the bed until he was fast asleep. That had been their nightly routine for nearly a month now.

So the routine started once more.

Connor greeted Ric with a tight hug, his skinny arms locking around the young man's neck. A smile started to form on Connor's face as he felt Ric's muscular arms wrap around his thin waist. Ric sniffed Connor's neck, smelling the fresh scent of the boy who had showered before his arrival.

Connor crawled into his bed, wearing only a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts. He got underneath the covers with Ric following his lead after turning the lights off. They both lay on their sides where Ric had a hand on Connor's waist as the boy kept his body curved against his boyfriend. They both remained silent for moments, Ric waiting until Connor fell asleep before returning to his apartment to get some sleep.

But the silence didn't last long since there was something that needed to be discussed. Connor turned his head a little bit to the side so that he could get his message across. "Are you sure about tomorrow night?" asked the boy. "I mean…it's a really big deal for us to be out there tomorrow. It is New Year's Eve." The boy felt his nerves get the best of him as he thought about their plans for tomorrow. He wasn't sure how comfortable he felt about going out to downtown to join everyone else in Angel Grove for a celebration. "I don't think it's a good idea for two guys to have their first date out there."

Ric had to disagree with what Connor felt as he pushed the boy's bangs over to the side. He then pressed his lips against Connor's warm neck, feeling his pulse beating against the skin. "We'll be just fine," Ric promised. "Besides, I really want to be out there with you. All our other dates got cancelled because we were too busy saving Angel Grove from evil. We can't let this opportunity slip us by."

"It's like coming out to the whole world though," said Connor. "You sure you could handle that?"

"I think so," Ric said, continuing to hold onto Connor. "I feel pretty serious about this relationship, after all. I wouldn't be here if I didn't like you so much. I've been coming here every night since Zodiark showed up so that you could fall asleep without being afraid that he'd come and get you."

"Are you telling me that my fear is irrational?" Connor said, twisting himself completely around.

Ric could only shake his head as he pushed himself on top of the boy. He kissed the tip of Connor's nose where a smile began to take shape. "A little bit of fear is a good thing," said Ric, "but I promise that I'll protect you no matter what. So you will go out on that date with me tomorrow then we'll kiss at midnight, proving that our relationship is made to last!"

Connor couldn't help but to smile and laugh a bit as he leaned his head up to kiss Ric. "You're a really good boyfriend," said the boy. He cuddled about as closely as he could, holding onto Ric for dear life. He finally managed to calm down enough to fall asleep, in the arms of someone who honestly cared for him.

Ric remained silent with a smile on his face as he watched Connor sleep for the hundredth time. It was nice to see the boy so peaceful, so happy. Ric knew that he needed to do whatever it took to keep Connor this happy and secure at all time. That was a promise that he made for himself that he swore to always keep.

But always was a very long time, only time would tell if Ric could own up to that promise.

* * *

><p>Across the hall, Haley had her laptop on her bed as she scrolled through the rest of her e-mails. She was going through her college letters as she hoped that she could get into a good school with all her high marks and extra-curricular activities. Despite all the distraction that has been going on as a Power Ranger, Haley was still able to maintain her status as an honor roll student.<p>

She started to tap down on the key to reach the last of her messages. She saw that it was from the University of California- Los Angeles and that it was her acceptance later. A joyous squeal escaped the lips of the young lady as she did her mini-version of her happy dance on her bed.

Haley sent her computer into shut down before putting it on her nightstand. She turned the light off then finally crawled into bed with a smile still burning on her pretty face as she thought about university. She couldn't wait until graduation so that she could finally be out there on her own without her parents constantly being there to support her. Granted, it was nice to have their support, but she felt that she really needed to do some growing up.

At least she could say that being a Power Ranger was a big step forward to becoming an adult.

Speaking of being a Power Ranger, Haley's stomach was all fluttering as she thought about a certain White Ranger. It was so weird to know that she had a crush on the clone of a former Power Ranger that was on the same team as her parents. Then there was the fact that Haley had to take to consideration that Tommy was like uber young in actual human years. He might have been accelerated to look like a guy in his late teens to early twenties, but he was only breathing for a few, short years.

It made Haley feel a bit like a pedophile, which helped to squash some of those butterflies. She could only think about how weird that was as she gave out a heavy yawn with her eyelids suddenly becoming very heavy. She would have to worry about her crush on Tommy and the moral actions in the morning when she wasn't so tired.

So without further ado, Haley closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The cold shower was perfectly refreshing and even helped to fight the burning in his loins.<p>

Tommy stepped out of the shower with his naked body still dripping wet as he reached for his towel. He quickly got to work in drying his skin off before slipping into a pair of his boxers then stepped out of the bathroom. The clone walked across the hall to his bedroom, closing the door behind him as he soon found himself collapsing on top of his mattress.

So many things had been going through Tommy's head since joining the other Rangers. Things had been a little quite since their last victory over Thrax and his forces. This gave Tommy time to try and figure things out so that it would become easier for the other Rangers to accept him. He easily got through to the others with the exception of Haley who he really wanted to get closer too.

He couldn't explain it; it just didn't make any sense at all. Tommy knew that his heart couldn't be without this girl, but he couldn't understand why he felt that way. He's read about that emotion before yet he never thought he'd be fortunate enough to feel it. Love wasn't exactly something that a good clone should be able to feel, or was it?

In his few, short years of life, Tommy's never felt more uncertain about anything then he did about Haley Scott. All he was certain of was that he thought she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world, his voice made his body feel weak, and her smile just lit up his entire world. He couldn't be certain that what he felt was truly love since he didn't know a thing about love. And there was no way in hell that he was going to ask his father, especially since Adam was asleep by now so there was no way that would work.

There had to be something or someone else that he could go to so he could figure this out.

Oh well, Tommy would just have to find a way to figure this all out in the morning. It's not like he'd find all the answers he was looking for in the middle of the night. Besides, it just looked creepy if he trolled around the internet, trying to find the meaning to love.

Tommy just buried his face into his pillow, hoping that he'd find some kind of peace while he was sleeping. Maybe his dreams would give him the answers that he needed. Of course, there was no way in hell that it would work out that way. It was never that easy. Well, a guy could hope, right?

And with a sigh escaping him, Tommy gave up on trying to find his answers, for tonight.

* * *

><p>On board their ship, Umbra looked like a filthy, hot mess as he lay on the bed where he waited for Zodiark to finally join him. The Dark Prince's Consort was completely nude from head to toe with his hair a bloody mess and his eyes blazing with lust for his partner. Umbra waited, faithfully, for Zodiark to finally reunite with him in bed so that Umbra could take hold of the burning desire that made his body hunger.<p>

But the time that Zodiark took before coming to bed was purely agonizing. His movements were so slow that it was downright rude as he teased the poor Umbra relentlessly. It took every ounce of control had not to go completely berserk, since he knew damn well how that would end. Zodiark wasn't found of senseless bloodshed, only if it was absolutely necessary to furthering those secret goals of him.

Not even Umbra knew everything that Zodiark had planned, but he remained forever faithful to him.

Zodiark finally showed some mercy to his Consort as he joined him in their chamber. The dark skinned man was concealed in a silky robe that he kept on as he strolled over to the bed, climbing on top of Umbra where he kept him pinned down. His amber colored eyes gazed upon every inch of Umbra's tender flesh that was just begging to be used and abused.

"You took your sweet time," whispered Umbra. He thrusted his hips up to move against Zodiark's concealed form. He wanted his lover naked so that they could fuck until this pathetic, solar system's sun burned their flesh.

The Dark Prince listened to the needy desire masked by the cruelty in Umbra's voice. This creature was amazingly, very entertaining to Zodiark as he heard every curse that Umbra spat out from his lips. "No need to rush, my pet," said Zodiark. "I will give you what you need soon enough, but first we must discuss a certain White Ranger." The anger that boiled up to Umbra's face did not go unnoticed. "Don't fret, my pet, I have taken the necessary steps. My plan shall not fail, you will get to have the White Ranger's life by the end of tomorrow."

Umbra's face began to light up as he pushed his entire body forward. The twinkle in his eyes and the villainous grin was something that only a raving lunatic could pull off. Insanity was always one of Umbra's strong suits. He hooked an arm around Zodiark's neck, pulling himself closer to his lover as he heard those words that could only mean one, very fun thing to the hunter.

"I'll get to kill the White Ranger?" asked Umbra. "Can I make it slow and painful? You know how I like to kill Rangers slowly until there's nothing left of them."

"I am well aware, my pet," said Zodiark. "And you can do whatever you want to the White Ranger. Once he falls for my trap then he'll be yours to do as you wish."

Umbra only licked his lips as his thirst for blood began to grow wild.

It was moment like this that Umbra truly knew that he loved Zodiark for giving him such a wonderful, precious gift.

Umbra could not wait until he could take the life of another Power Ranger.

* * *

><p>It was New Year's Eve so everyone was getting ready to celebrate the coming of 2015. All of Angel Grove had pretty much been decorated for the holiday, especially since there hasn't been a major monster attack in over two weeks now. Angel Grove had a peaceful Christmas so the city folk were hoping to have a peaceful New Year's as well.<p>

Even Bulk had got Skulls and Crosses all dressed up for the coming celebration. He was hosting a New Year's Eve party there, mostly for the underage crowd since everyone who was twenty-one and over would pretty much rule downtown. This also earned him a bit of an extra paycheck since he was charging a little bit more on everything, including a special admissions fee. He needed to make a big profit somehow.

So as everyone prepared to party the night away, Tommy abandoned his car at the parking lot to meet the other Rangers for their lunch date. It had been a while since all six of them had gathered together, pretty much since Christmas at the Command Center. They were all planning on meeting up at the restaurant to plan on what they were going to do tonight.

Tommy dressed mildly, warm since it was a bit chilly even in California. He had one a white jacket with a charcoal t-shirt underneath that and a pair of jeans. He kept it simple with a pair of sneakers on his feet to keeps his feet warm.

When Tommy was halfway through the private, parking lot, he noticed that Alice and Connor were there as well. Alice stepped out of her car while Connor had probably ran across town to get here. Alice looked simply lovely in her yellow sweater and creamy pants with hiking boots to go with it. Connor kept it simple with a black long-sleeve and a blue collar shirt underneath with a pair of jeans and flats. Tommy waved them both over who returned the gesture and started to make their way over to the cloned boy.

"Hey guys," Tommy said with a smile. "I didn't think anyone else would be here this early."

"It's not like I have to work," Alice said, chuckling. "Being unemployed is a little lame, but at least I have a lot of odd jobs going on that I don't have to claim taxes on."

"Yeah, and I didn't feel like waiting for Haley any longer," Connor said, scratching his head. "I was kind of curious to see what you all had planned for tonight."

"Going to rub in the fact that you have a date with a hunky, Latin lover?" Alice asked, bumping hips with Connor. She bore a dirty smile on her face, which made Connor blush like a madman as he turned away in embarrassment.

Tommy couldn't help but to laugh, while Connor's face turned red. He kept his eyes on the Asian boy though, briefly asking how his sister was. Connor and Alice weren't idiots, they could see right away that their White Ranger had a crush on Haley by the way he said her name. Connor played it cool though, letting Tommy know that she was fine.

As they waited for the rest of their gang to show up, gray apparitions began to appear all around them. The trio immediately took defensive actions as they saw the Putties that quickly surrounded the three of them. It looked like their break from fighting evil was over so now it was time to get their asses going.

The Super Putty Patrol tried to subdue the Rangers by ambushing the trio, but that never worked as well as they had planned.

Tommy sprang into action, seconds ahead of Connor and Alice. He threw himself into the line of fire right away, moving around the parking lot to knock down some Putties in no time. His white jacket started to slip off his shoulders after he had unzipped it so it wouldn't hinder his movements. With a wide kick, Tommy easily knocked two Putties down to the ground where they bumped one another in the chest.

Alice climbed on top of a parked car then did a front flip as a Putty tried to grab her by the leg. She leaped off the car where she kicked that particular Putty in the face with the heel of her left boot. Another one tried to sneak up on her, but she saw the reflection of the freak from the rearview mirror of another car so she was able to grab that one and punch it in the chest.

Connor dove to the ground, doing a tuck and roll to escaping getting grabbed by Putties. He sprang back up to his feet to use a move that Jason taught him during their training sessions. He swung his body completely around, using the momentum to strengthen his kick in order to smash the symbol on a Putty's chest. After doing that, Connor punched a Putty in the chest then struck his elbow into the face of a Putty that snuck up behind him.

Tommy made quick work of the Putties that got in his way, but soon he found himself hearing a strong cackling noise. The clone's nerves began to get this better of him as he spun himself around to find that Umbra was sitting on the hood of a parked car. Umbra's face was hidden behind his helmet, keeping his appearance a mystery from them.

Umbra soon took a leap from the car where he landed perfectly on the ground. The Dark Prince's Consort kept on laughing as he summoned his trusty weapon, the Void Gear. With sword in hand, Umbra raised his weapon to his head and held his other hand out to gesture Tommy to come at him.

"Fight me, White Ranger," said Umbra, "if you think you're man enough to face me."

Tommy accepted the man's challenge and went straight at him. He removed the white bracelet from his wrist, quickly transforming into White Ranger with his Solar Blade in hand. Umbra admired the boy's boldness then took off towards the Rangers with remarkable speed. Their blades crossed paths where the two swordsmen attempted to strike the blow against one another.

Umbra and White Ranger broke apart, waiting for the other to show signs of injury. White Ranger flinched just for a second after feeling the minor scrape he got from Umbra. This opportunity was soon exploited by Umbra as he turned back around, firing a bolt of dark energy from the tip of his blade. The bolt zoomed across the parking lot and was about to hit White Ranger when two blades of energy met the attack halfway.

A yellow and black blade of energy crashed into Umbra's attack, cancelling it out before White Ranger could be attacked. Umbra hissed with disgust as he turned his body around to see that Alice and Connor had already morphed into their Ranger forms. Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger had used their Heaven Power Slash to save White Ranger, which only worked in signing their own death sentence to the lunatic. Two more dead bodies was something that Umbra could work with though, it was of now consequence to him either.

Umbra enjoyed taking the lives of Power Rangers.

White Ranger leaped over Umbra so he could join forces with his friends before either one of them got struck down. The Rangers and the Consort waited for the other to make the first move as they stood in the parking lot, swords drawn, and in silence. Umbra kept his sword above his head, while the Rangers kept theirs in front of them. Neither side made a single move, which seemed to work just fine for their spectator.

A small machine was perched on top of a car with small antenna on top of it. General Bakari was present as well, but he kept himself hidden enough to conceal his purpose for this mission. He kept a smile on his face as he finished the calibration process before inputting the access codes necessary to operate this device. Curiosity of his brilliant mind, Bakari brought life to his dimensional-warp machine, which would be used to keep the other Rangers to stay out of the way of Umbra slaying White Ranger.

Bakari did not care if Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger just so happened to get trapped as well. That was none of his concern, his mission was to simply transport Umbra and White Ranger. If those two got stuck in there as well then it looked like Umbra had more playmates to play with on this fine New Year's Eve.

"Happy New Year's, Rangers," laughed Bakari.

Pushing the final key, the machine became completely active. Bakari tilted the machine to the side so that step one could be properly executed. He didn't go completely unnoticed. Yellow Ranger felt some electrical interference and Black Ranger swore he heard a buzzing sound. They both turned their heads to the side, seeing that Bakari was present with a foreign machine in hand.

A blast of light escaped from the machine, which zapped the trio of Rangers and Umbra within an instant. The four of them disappeared from sight, leaving not a single trace of them behind as they were transported to another dimension.

Bakari kept his smile as he took his prized machine to a safe zone where he'd continue to monitor Umbra and the Rangers.

* * *

><p>There wasn't much pain from being taken away, but the landing that the Rangers suffered from was painful enough as it forced them to de-morph.<p>

Tommy, Alice, and Connor found themselves on top of what felt like sand. The howling wind grazed against their skin with the smell of salt water slowly beginning to reach out to them. Slowly, the three Rangers were roused from their sleep until they found themselves on the coastline of a very dark ocean.

More sand got kicked up by the wind, which crashed against the trio. Alice's hair was stuck against her face that she had to fight with in order to see along this dark coast. Connor, nervously, looked around as he feared that the worst might have happened to them. As for Tommy, he was busy working on trying to find a way to get away from this place, wherever they were.

First things first, they needed to figure out what might have happened to them. They replayed what happened before getting sent to the ocean in order to start somewhere. Connor was the one who remembered Bakari being present as they fought against Umbra and the Putties. Alice started to remember that as well as she also remembered seeing some strange device being activated by the general.

"And now we're at some dark ocean," said Alice. "This is really weird, weirder then the usual shit that we go through."

"What a nice way to spend New Year's Eve," Connor whispered. "It looks like I'll never get to have that first date with Ric now."

Tommy patted the boy's shoulder, trying to assure him that everything would be alright. He promised the both of them that he would find a way for them to get out of this place. "Let's see if the Communicators work," said Tommy. "Maybe we'll be able to patch a signal to the Command Center. Hopefully, Alpha or dad will be able to work on finding a way to teleport us away from here with that."

Alice quickly agreed as she did what modifications she could do to strengthen the signal of the Communicator. She already was willing to bet that their typical signal would be jammed so she would have to turn up the power to get through. She was working purely with her power over technological devices and nothing else at all. Besides, nothing else would really help them in sending a signal out to the Command Center.

"Alpha, can you read me?" said Alice. "Alpha, come in. Tommy, Connor, and I are stuck at some strange ocean. We were attacked by Umbra and Bakari before ending up here. Alpha, can you hear me at all?"

Connor frowned as he stomped his foot into the sound. This really was turning out to be a bad day for him. He knew that he should've taken his sweet time getting ready that morning so he could've left with Haley. "Great, this is just great!" Connor shouted. "Is there anything else? How else could this day possibly get any worse?" If only the boy was aware that it was unwise to tempt the fates with such words.

As the Rangers tried to find a way to reach the Command Center, a pair of feet stepped onto the beach.

Umbra slowly made his approach to the Rangers, not bothering at all to silence his footsteps. He enjoyed to let his prey know that he was coming for them. This made the game all the more fun for him, especially this one that he was playing. He didn't know that he would have extra party guests to play with this fine day.

It was just too perfect!

"This is certainly unexpected," Umbra said, making his presence perfectly clear. Tommy, Alice, and Connor were frightened to see Umbra had joined them on the beach. Umbra smiled underneath his helmet as he held his sword forward, pointing it at each Ranger for a moment. "The White Ranger was the only one who was supposed to be here. I had no need for, you two, but this saves me the trouble of having to kill you later at least."

"Run!" Tommy shouted, turning away from this villain.

Alice and Connor didn't need to be told twice as they took off running. The Rangers started to run as quickly as they could through the sand as their legs could take them.

While they ran from him, Umbra only laughed as he watched their figures disappear along the coast. The Ranger Hunter gave them the time to find someplace to hide in order to make this chase all the more exciting for him. It was always best to give Rangers hope that they might be able to escape you before you tore their guts out from their fleshy bodies. That's how you had the most fun during a hunt, and that was just the kind of hunter that Umbra was.

So very slowly, Umbra started to follow the trail left behind by his targets.

* * *

><p>Far away from that dark ocean, Landon finally arrived to Skulls and Crosses with Ric and Haley by his side. The trio quickly took notice to how jacked up the half-empty parking lot looked. There were scratch and gashes everywhere along the concrete and dents on a few cars, which made them wonder just what happened here.<p>

Ric was panicking the most since he was supposed to meet Connor here. Tommy and Alice were supposed to be as well, which was making this a little more worrisome for the Rangers. The worst thing being that none of them could contact either Connor, Alice, or Tommy. It was like their Communicators were broken or their signals were being jammed.

"Damn Thrax!" Ric shouted, angrily. There were so many thoughts going on in that head of his as he worried what could've happened to Connor. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to that boy. "He's behind this! I just know it."

"That's the obvious," said Haley. She tried to maintain her calm, but she was extremely worried about each of her friends and her brother. She wouldn't allow Thrax to get away with this, not without a serious ass beating. "We just have to find out where they went."

Landon held up his Communicator to his lips, sending out a signal to the Command Center. He wanted to get to the bottom of this. They had friends to get to rescuing. "Alpha, come in," said Landon. "Alice, Connor, and Tommy are missing. We can't get a hold of them on their Communicators."

"We lost their signal as well, Landon," said Alpha. "Adam and I are working on trying to pinpoint their location. Please come to the Command Center at once."

"We're on our way, Alpha," said Landon.

The three of them checked to make sure that the coast was clear before teleporting over to the Command Center where they would do their best to track their missing friends.

* * *

><p>At the palace, Thrax and Zodiark had their eyes set on the dark ocean where the Rangers were trapped at. They had seen Umbra fight against the White, Yellow, and Black Rangers before Bakari had the chance to send them to the ocean. Everything was still going according to plan, despite two more Rangers being added to their death trap.<p>

"That was unforeseen," said Zodiark. "I wasn't expecting those two to be with White Ranger."

"Not like it really matters," said Thrax. "They will all die anyways. Alice and Connor just saved us the trouble of hunting them later."

While Thrax was busy laughing with their coming victory, Zodiark turned away from the mutant. The Dark Prince slowly towards Lightning who was leaning up against the wall with her eyes closed. Dark Knight stood beside her, while Kratein and Helios stood at the other end of the room.

Zodiark stood in front of the warrior woman, knowing damn well that she would be the best source of information on this moon rock. He kept his distance from her since he did not wish to get into a fight with her. Lightning was well aware that Zodiark was hovering over her so she tried to avoid him for as long as she could before finally caving him, shooting the Dark Prince a dirty look.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Lightning asked, not bothering to hide the bitterness in her voice.

Zodiark simply smiled as he held a hand out to the young warrior. "I wish to get some information on the Rangers," said the Dark Prince. "Actually, I only want information on a particular Ranger, the Black Ranger."

"Connor Song?" Lightning said, knowing her research. "What is it that you need? There isn't a thing dreadfully extraordinary about the boy. He's an orphan and a teenager."

"Just give me what information that you can, Lady Lightning," Zodiark said, using his charismatic manipulation. "I would be most grateful to you if you can do this for me."

Lightning simply sighed, in frustration, as she caved to Zodiark's request and got to work on pulling up the information she had on the Black Ranger.

* * *

><p>The sand dunes were the safest place for the Rangers to hide as it allowed them to check along the coast to see if Umbra was coming.<p>

Who knows how long they had been running in their thick clothes at this hot ocean. They had stripped those off long ago and tossed them into the ocean before taking off running in the opposite direction. They hoped that the wind was strong enough to cover most of their tracks at least, making it all the more difficult for Umbra to track them.

Alice was panting by now with her feet killing her thanks to the damn boots she wore. Connor was used to running thanks to his super speed abilities, while Tommy just worked out a lot and he was wearing comfortable shoes. They kept close to each other and kept their eyes peeled on their surroundings as they tried to spot if Umbra was near or not.

The sound of the sand crunching against heavy footsteps was enough to trigger that fear. The trio remained perfectly silent as they tried to figure out where that noise was coming from. Connor was the one who spotted Umbra in the distance. He was coming in from the right with a sword still in his evil, psychopathic hands.

Umbra looked around to see just where the Rangers were hiding out at. He could only faintly see the trail they left imprinted on the sand, which made it a tad more difficult for him to track them down. No biggie though, Umbra would find them and kill them all soon enough. With the exception of Black Ranger though. Umbra had recently heard the orders being relayed to him, through the communicator in his helmet from Zodiark himself.

So one Ranger would live, but Zodiark didn't say anything about not playing with the boy beforehand.

Umbra licked his lips as he lusted after the delicious taste of Ranger blood. It was always so sweet and noble, and now he was about to get a spoonful more of the savory nectar. He started to laugh, manically as he continued to cross the sandy landscape to find these crafty Power Rangers.

Tommy saw that Umbra was getting to close to them. He would quickly have to do something in order to throw the Ranger Hunter off their trail before it was too late. Alice still needed a little more time to strengthen the signal of the Communicator and Tommy would give her those couple extra moments she needed.

So with a deep sigh, Tommy concentrated all his might on his power. Like the other Rangers, Alice had strengthen Tommy's strongest trait which had to do with his own status as a clone. Tommy focused all his thoughts on creating a physical copy of himself across from them so that Umbra wouldn't be able to find them.

"Yo, ugly!" shouted the copy.

Umbra spun his next to the side to see the copy that Tommy created of himself. The copy started to run off in the opposite direction with Umbra taking the bait. The Ranger Hunter started to chase after the clone, which allowed the Rangers to sigh with relief as they learned that they had a little more time. At best, the copy of Tommy would get those five minutes, but five minutes of not being so scared made this a little easier on Alice's mind.

"Do you almost got it?" Connor asked, softly.

"Almost there," Alice whispered, her eyes closed. "If I can get another minute, I might be able to make the signal strong enough. This might make the tracking beacon strong enough, but this will only work if they're watching the monitors."

"We have to hope that they're looking for us then," said Tommy. "I'm sure that they'll be looking for us."

Alice and Connor both really hoped that Tommy was right.

But as they inched closer to making contact, Umbra had just slain the copy that Tommy created of himself with his blade. The copy didn't bleed or anything of the sort. He just faded away like he never existed in the first place. Umbra huffed at himself for buying into such a cheap trick, he should've known better than that.

* * *

><p>Over at the Command Center, the Rangers and Alpha were raking their brains out as they tried to track their friends down. Haley and Landon were helping Alpha with the computers, while Ric was keeping his eyes on the monitors for anything suspicious. Their mentor, Adam, had disappeared for some apparent reason, which led to the Rangers losing some serious respect points.<p>

How could Adam just abandon them when they needed him the most? Even his own "son" was in danger of being killed if they didn't do anything to find their companions. They had no leads at all and nearly no chance at all of finding any type of trail. All of their scans were proving to be completely fruitless.

It was like they had disappeared from the face of the earth.

Landon smacked his hands down on the keyboard, growling with frustration. He tugged onto his short hair, yanking on what bits of hair he could pull out. Haley tried to comfort him, but Landon wasn't hearing any of it as he got back to work on finding a trail. She sighed, softly, as she returned to her own keyboard to start working against.

Ric's eyes were beginning to hurt as his worry was reaching new extremes. He was scared shitless as he worried what might be happening to Connor right now, and it was all because he woke up late. If he had woke up early then he might have been there on time and could've been there to save the others. Shit, it wasn't hopeless just yet. Ric tried not to let all of these uncertainties get the best of him, but that was growing to be all the more difficult as time passed.

Alpha was the only one who didn't pause for a moment. His computer brain was going through every variable that he could muster up as he tried to find a new way to track the Rangers. There was nothing that his highly technological mind could do to find the Rangers, but he refused to surrender just yet.

It looked like they would be all put out of a job though as the doors to the Command Center opened up. The Rangers and Alpha looked to see that it was Adam with plus two. Ric was too quick on getting on Adam's ass for disappearing on them as he lashed out all his concern for Connor against him. Adam simply took it all, remaining silent until Ric had nothing left to say.

"You done?" asked Adam.

"You're a gutless bastard and I hope you choke on your own blood," Ric said, next. "Alright, now I'm done."

Adam nodded his head, shrugging off the mean words that Ric said to him. Sticks and stones, after all. He turned his body around to introduce their guests to the Rangers and Alpha. "Rangers, these are some friends of mine. Since science and computers are failing us, I thought we could turn to sorcery to help find the others," said Adam. "This is Sorceress Clare and her apprentice, Dylan."

Clare took center stage as she waved to each of the Rangers and Alpha 8. She briefly glanced at the Command Center, while her apprentice Dylan was left staring at everything. "Hello everyone," said the cheery Sorceress. "I'm Clare, like Adam mentioned. I used to work with the Mystic Force Rangers back when they were still active. Back then though, I was only an Apprentice Sorceress to Udonna who was the White Mystic Force Ranger. Thankfully, the Mystic Mother granted me my Sorceress powers after the Master was freed and nearly destroyed all good magic."

The Rangers just stared at this strange, young woman as she continued to ramble. It looked like somethings would never change with Clare. She just kept on speaking like there was no tomorrow. She still dressed like a crazy Sorceress in her white dress with a creamy, colored sweater over that. Her blonde haired was a bit frizzy and flowed down her back. A pretty pendant dangled around her neck, which complimented her pale cheeks.

As for her apprentice, Dylan was a bit of a nervous mess. Clare was now a confident Sorceress, no longer the clumsy apprentice that she used to be all those years ago. Dylan had carried on Clare's clumsy legacy, but he was a lot more reserved and quite then his master. The dark haired boy looked about Connor's age, if not younger. He was pretty skinny too with only a light layer of baby fat on him. He dressed in black slacks and the matching shirt with a light blue robe covering part of his body. His skin was a light, caramel color that gave him a slightly, exotic look.

"And this is Dylan!" Clare said, transferring attention to her apprentice. "I took him under my wing about two years ago. This is kinda funny, but he's actually related to the Mystic Warriors that banished The Master to the Underworld. But I'm not exactly sure which one though since he won't tell me, but I also think he's not even sure since his full magical potential hasn't revealed itself. If I had to guess though I'd say it would be the Green Mystic Warrior." Clare shook her head, realizing she was rambling a little too much on that note. She needed to move on a bit. "Anyways, it's been so nice teaching him to control his magic. He has great potential to be a very talented healer. I'm afraid that my bad luck has rubbed off on him though. He has difficulty walking on his own two feet like I used to when I was Udonna's apprentice."

"That's fascinating and all," said Ric, "but we really need to find our friends. Every second we waste babbling could get them killed."

"Easy, Ric," Landon said, running interference. He got in front of his roommate and apologized to Clare for his rudeness. He held his hand out to properly greet the Sorceress and her apprentice. "Sorry about him, again. Our friends are missing and it just so happens that one of them is his boyfriend. We have no idea how to find them either. All our sensors can't pick up a damn thing."

Clare nodded his head, understanding exactly how Ric and the others felt. When Udonna had went missing, she felt nothing but guilt for getting her captured. That woman was a mother to her, the mother that she lost at such a young age. "It's a good thing I'm here then," Clare said, smiling at the Rangers. "I'm certain my magic will be strong enough to help. There should be a spell or two in the Xenotome."

"What's a Xenotome?" asked Haley.

"The Book of the Unknown," Dylan said, finally speaking up. He initially gulped, thinking that he did wrong, but Clare urged him to continue. So he nodded his head where his hair fell forward as he looked at the Rangers. "The Xenotome is a spell book, well, it's more than that. It's a book of knowledge. It holds information on everything that is yet to be known. The tome will unravel more information as time progresses and the information becomes necessary. Only Clare and myself can read it though, and others who have been trained in the language of the Ancients."

"Neat," Haley said, smiling at the apprentice.

"I'll help you set up, Clare," Adam told the Sorceress. "Alpha, I want you to keep trying though while we work on the spell."

"You got it, Adam!" said Alpha.

Everyone got to work, doing their part in tracking down their missing friends.

Alpha and Haley continued to work with the computers, while everyone else was working on preparing this ritual from the Xenotome. Dylan found the spell that Clare was looking for so now all they needed was to take the stuff from the satchels they brought to get things together. Adam and Landon worked on drawing the mystic circle for Clare's spell to work. Ric and Dylan worked on lighting up all of the candles, which Ric watched Dylan do with magic.

"Brujería," Ric whispered as he did the sign of the cross. "Witchcraft."

"Is there something wrong with magic?" Dylan asked.

Ric shook his head, trying to snap out of the old ways. He apologized for that as Dylan finished lighting up the last of the candles. "Sorry, it's just that I was raised Catholic," he told him. "Catholicism doesn't look kindly on magic. It's supposed to be the Devil's art."

"What's Catholicism?" asked Dylan.

"It's a human religion," Clare told her apprentice. She was gathering the last of her things before sitting down in the circle. "I'll tell you more about it when we're done here, Dylan. Take the candles and place them around the circle. I will need to channel the flames' energy to make this spell work."

Dylan obeyed Clare's commands and did just that. He managed not to trip once as he delivered each of the candles to their proper place. Landon, Adam, and Rich helped to straighten them out so that they were perfectly in place. Clare smiled at all of them as she kept the Xenotome opened on the page that she needed.

With a calming breath, Clare started to dig into her magicks. She channeled the spirits and energy that she needed to pull this spell off before even beginning to speak the incantation.

"Powers of the Mystics rise. Course unseen across the skies," chanted Clare. "Guide us to find those we love but who are now lost. Guide us to save what is missing. Guide us in protecting those most dear to us."

As the Sorceress spoke, the ring around her started to glow. The white chalk line went wild as the flames doubled in size within seconds. Clare's magic grew strong as she unleashed the Locater Spell to do its job in tracking down their friends.

Once the incantation was done, a ball of light took form in front of Clare, proving her spell to be a complete success. The little light continued to flutter in front of the Sorceress before it took off on its own. Clare opened her eyes, while everyone else was wondering if that was supposed to happen. Clare told them to wait a moment for the spell to do its business.

The ball of light returned with a yellow orb behind it. Everyone thought that was a little strange, even Clare tried to find a way to reason what had just happened. But that yellow orb began to burst, which made the sirens in the Command Center go off. The Sorceress and her apprentice shielded their ears from that loud noise, while Alpha went crazy.

"It's a signal from Alice!" shouted Alpha. "Ay yi yi! The spell worked! It cleared up Alice's signal."

Clare nodded her head and began to touch the ball of light. She felt something foreign before seeing the darkness that was attempting to block out the vision. "Your friends are trapped in another dimension," the Sorceress announced. "They are trapped in the dimension surrounded by a dark ocean. Their lives are in danger."

"How do we rescue them then?" asked Ric. "Can you open a portal to that dimension?"

"No," Clare said, softly, "but there is something you can do. Adam, I have some coordinates for you."

Adam took the information from Clare then started to plug it into the computer. The front monitor pulled up an image of a construction zone that was completely empty. Bakari could be seen, standing beside some strange machine that the Sorceress quickly pointed out as an evil device. Adam and Alpha got to work on scanning that device to the best of their ability from this distance .

Adam got the information and wasn't exactly pleased to see what he saw. "It's some kind of dimensional warp," said their mentor. "Somehow, they're using the planet's own gravitational pull to keep Tommy and the other trapped in another dimension. I'm willing to bet too that there is someone with them."

"Will smashing that machine save them?" asked Haley.

"That should do the trick," said Alpha. "But it would probably be better to push the off button to just be safer."

"Then we'll take care of that," said Landon. "Thank you, Clare and Dylan, for your help. We really appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure, Rangers," said Clare. "If you need our help again, all you need to do is ask."

The Rangers thanked them once more before morphing and getting teleported to Bakari's location.

It was time to take to start this rescue operation.

* * *

><p>Umbra killed a second clone that Tommy created to throw the Ranger Hunter off of their trail. Tommy knew that he couldn't keep doing this and since Alice had already sent their signal there was no point in continuing to hide. He decided that he would take Umbra on directly until help came their way. Tommy would do whatever it took to protect his friends from getting harmed.<p>

So as they continued to hide behind a mountain of sand, Tommy heard Umbra coming closer. Tommy quickly sprang to his feet and took off running straight for Umbra. Alice and Connor shouted at Tommy to come back, but the clone told them to stay back that he'd try to save them.

Tommy stood up at the top of the sand mountain with his fists raised. Umbra sighed, figuring that this was probably another damn copy. However, Tommy kept himself from making any sudden movement as he watched Umbra carefully. He wasn't certain if he could even morph, but it was worth the shot.

"It's just you and me, Umbra!" shouted Tommy. "Angel Force, Power Up!" In a second, Tommy became the White Ranger and resumed the fight he had with Umbra earlier that day. White Ranger brought out his Solar Blade so now he was armed and ready for combat.

The swordsmen met at the middle of the sand, their blades crossing paths with sparks flying. Umbra quickly broke the grip that White Ranger had on his weapon to deliver a heavy slash across his chest. White Ranger was briefly thrown back, which made Umbra laugh underneath his helmet as he charged after the Ranger once more.

White Ranger got his balance back and reaffirmed his hold on the sword before striking Umbra. His Solar Blade made contact with the Void Gear once more. The two repeatedly attempted to slash their opponent apart, but that wasn't going so well. White Ranger was doing better about not allowing himself to be so easily overwhelmed by the Ranger Hunter.

As their fight continued, Alice and Connor watched from the safety of their hiding place. Alice shook her head in disgust and Connor stomach began to cringe in pain for Tommy. Alice grabbed onto Connor's bracelet then held it up to press her against it.

"We're Rangers too," Alice reminded him. "We can't let Tommy fight Umbra on his own. He'll get himself killed if we don't help him out."

"You're right," said Connor. "Let's go help him!"

They both sprang up to their feet where they quickly morphed.

White Ranger was still busy battling Umbra on his own, but wasn't fairing much better now. Without too much effort from him, Umbra completely disarmed White Ranger and took his Solar Blade in the process. Now that he was armed with both weapons, Umbra struck against White Ranger to deliver a seriously powerful blow against him.

Easily, White Ranger was thrown back until he landed on the sand. Umbra dropped the White Ranger's weapon then took off running in the direction of the hero in white. Umbra was about to strike another nasty blow against him when a few bullets and arrows pierced into his suit. Umbra was pushed back, slightly, giving White Ranger move to get away.

Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger interfered with Umbra killing White Ranger yet again. The duo were armed with their Angel Swords now as White Ranger got his Twilight Ray. It frustrated Umbra that this happened, but he refused to let that worry show. He would kill all off the Rangers soon enough, he was the Ranger Hunter after all.

"You're not alone in this, Tommy!" said Yellow Ranger.

"You have the both of us to help you out!" said Black Ranger.

"I guess that's a lesson better learned late than never," said White Ranger. "Thanks for the help guys. Now let's finish this freak together!" He pointed his gun up, crouching down to his knee to take aim. "Celestial Twilight Ray, fire!"

Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger briefly crossed their Angel Swords together before breaking apart. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the duo. They unleashed their slashes of yellow and black at the Ranger Hunter.

Their set of attacks raced across the sand to crash into Umbra. The Ranger Hunter, however, stood his ground with his sword serving as his shield. He was pushed towards the water, but he refused to back down as he used his strength to push their attacks up into the sky where they crashed into the ocean. The water exploded at that point with gallons of salty, ocean water rising up into the air.

Umbra took in deep breaths, while the Rangers attempted to attack a second time. Umbra held his hand forward though with a surge of darkness surrounded his very body. "You will not defeat me!" shouted Umbra. "I refuse to be defeated!" His anger caused the darkness to flare all around him as the blackness of darkness took complete control of him.

The darkness caused Umbra to grow to a monstrous size that was downright frightening.

"How do we fight him now?" asked Black Ranger. "We can't call on the Zords."

"Now would be a really good time for a rescue!" shouted Yellow Ranger.

"Let's try to get out of here before we get stepped on," said White Ranger.

The Rangers took off running just as Umbra brought his giant foot up to squash them.

* * *

><p>Bakari sat on a metal chair with his leg crossed over the other. He let out soft sighs, while he looked up to the sky, waiting to hear the orders that Umbra had killed the Rangers. As soon as that mess was taken care of, Bakari would be able to return to the ship to take a hot bath. That sounded so nice right about now since his limbs were a tad bit chilly thanks to the cold breeze that constantly kept blowing through.<p>

While the general sat at his chair, the Putties would look around for anything suspicious. There weren't many Putties present to help Bakari out. Only ten Putties were with him to serve as his usual bodyguards, while he monitored the progress that Umbra made on his mission. So Bakari was forced into waiting and waiting and more waiting before he could finally leave this dreadful rock behind him.

It was too long since they've been away from their beloved planet.

But before anymore reminiscing could be done, the Putties started to flock together in a way that made Bakari wonder what they were thinking. The general soon saw colorful slashes zoom across the construction site they were hiding at before the Putties were obliterated with a single blow. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he stood from his chair, kicking it behind him just as he finally caught sight of the three remaining Power Rangers. This was such a joy for him, now he was going to fight Power Rangers.

"Just what I wanted to do today," Bakari said, sarcastically. "I was wondering when you lot would show up. Don't bother trying to stop us, I can assure you that you won't defeat me."

"We'll see about that!" shouted Red Ranger.

Red Ranger led the charge with Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger right behind him. Bakari already knew that this would only end in a fight so he might as well do something to make the Rangers' lives all the more miserable. With the snap of his fingers, Bakari summoned his trio of swords that he hurled in the direction of the incoming threats.

The telepathically, controlled swords kept the Rangers from coming any closer to him. Using his strongest weapon, his mind, Bakari succeeded in holding the Rangers back. The swords would move to block every attack that the Rangers would try to send his way. The Rangers tried to break through the imaginary line, but the telekinetic swords would constantly remind them of the roadblock that they needed to overcome.

It was no wonder that Alice had so much trouble fighting against him during their last fight. Bakari was able to spread his telepathic powers to successfully block and counter against the Rangers. His swords broke through the defenses of the Rangers, easily to deliver a powerful slash movement across their chests. Each one flew back for a moment, making Bakari laugh as he easily brought them down to their knees.

"I guess that play time is over," yawned Bakari. "What a shame. I was so looking forward to a good fight."

"Fuck you, asshole!" Blue Ranger growled. He sprang up to his feet with Angel Sword in hand as he charge towards the General. The trio of swords gathered around Blue Ranger with the sharp end of the blade pointed at vital organs. If Bakari's blades pierced those spots then Blue Ranger would bleed to death with nothing to at all to save him.

Before Bakari could deliver such a fatal blow, Red Ranger and Pink Ranger each blew a sword away with their weapons. Blue Ranger kicked the other sword aimed at his leg aside to grant him some space to move. Blue Ranger then snatched up two of the fallen swords to hold them against Bakari's telepathic might. Red Ranger grabbed the third sword, holding onto it with all his might to keep Bakari from using the weapon against him.

Pink Ranger quickly saw what they were doing and decided to use this time to their advantage. She spotted the machine that was only a foot behind Bakari then took off running in that direction. Bakari was struggling to break his weapons free from the Rangers so that he could strike Pink Ranger down before she could interfere with their plans.

It looked like that would be too late though. Pink Ranger easily leaped above Bakari where she landed directly in front of the machine that created the dimensional warp. The Ranger knelt down to one knee in order to find the power switch so that she could cut off the flow of energy and bring their friends back from that other dimension.

Bakari abandoned his swords, focusing his sights purely on Pink Ranger to stop her. He tried to fire a band of energy from the palm of his hands, but it was already too late. Pink Ranger fought the power switch and quickly turned it off before Bakari could strike her.

"Good job, Haley!" Adam said through the Communicator. "The warp is dying already. Tommy and the others are from the other dimension, now destroy the machine!"

"I'm on it!" said Pink Ranger.

"No!" Bakari shouted, lashing out at the Ranger.

However, his attack was blocked when Red Ranger and Blue Ranger got in front of her to guard Pink Ranger with their Angel Swords. The guys managed to withstand the impact of Bakari's attack where they didn't completely collapse to their knees. As they did that, Pink Ranger grabbed her Angel Sword to slash the machine apart to prevent them from using it once more.

Bakari growled in utter frustration as he saw their plans crumble apart. This was not good at all, it was down-right embarrassing! "Zodiark will kill me for this," said Bakari. "Damn you, Rangers! I'll get you back for doing this to me!" With that said, Bakari held his arm up to teleport back to the moon.

The Rangers quickly got back to their feet and tried to hurry to where their companions arrived from that other dimension.

* * *

><p>As a giant Umbra stood above the Rangers, a ripple began to wash over all of them that pulled them out of the dimension of the dark ocean. They were sent back to their proper dimension now that Bakari's device had been deactivated. They wounded up in one of the deserts in Angel Grove, some miles away from where they had originally been transported to the dark ocean in the first place.<p>

The Rangers figured that their friends had came to their rescue so now they stood a chance. They called upon their Zords to help them battle against this super-sized Umbra now that they had the option. Tiger Zord led the charge with Unicorn Zord and Wolf Zord following behind the mechanized tiger, in a hurry.

White Ranger and the other two teleported into the cockpits of their Zords, where they got ready to face off against Umbra. White Ranger kept to the lead so that he could take the blunt of the Ranger Hunter's attack with his superior Zord. A couple of fireballs escaped from the mouth of the Tiger Zord that flew across the desert to strike against the giant-sized threat.

Umbra held his sword up to guard himself from getting damaged by the worthless attack. He then took the power behind Tiger Zord's fireballs to redirect it back at the Rangers' Zords. A few bursts of light escaped his Void Gear and struck the Zords with a full charge. The impact caused the Zords to get thrown back, leading to the Rangers to get tossed all over the place.

Black Ranger was able to drag himself back to the controls with his hand touching a button. This led to a set of blueprints appearing in front of him that held the key to forming a new weapon. "No way!" Black Ranger shouted. "This is too cool! We have a chance now."

"What's up, Connor?" asked Yellow Ranger.

"I just found blueprints to a Megazord combination," said Black Ranger. "If we combine the Unicorn Zord, Wolf Zord, and Tiger Zord together then we can form the Authority Megazord."

"That sounds like a great plan to me," said White Ranger. "You think you can handle it?"

"I don't see what other choice we have," said Yellow Ranger. "This sounds like the only way we'll be able to defeat Umbra on our own."

"Let's do this then!" shouted White Ranger. "Authority Megazord, activate!"

The Rangers inserted their Crystal Morphers into the control slots. The Zords read this and soon activated the combination sequence necessary to form the Authority Megazord. Tiger Zord, Unicorn Zord, and Wolf Zord gave out a few growls before springing back into action to Umbra's surprise. The Ranger Hunter attempted to fire another attack from his sword, but stopped himself as he saw the Zords change.

Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord took the charge as they ran forward. Tiger Zord followed behind them before pushing itself into the air, the body shifting as it formed the Megazord. Tiger Zord's wheel legs began to fold themselves in as Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord folded themselves to combine together to form the legs. Tiger's Zords paws rotate up with the fists of the Megazord emerging from within the Zord. The head of Tiger Zord was bent down with another head rising up to create the head of the Megazord. With an angelic face and a small crown on top, the Authority Megazord became fully activated.

The three-person cockpit at the head of the Megazord was where the Rangers found themselves next. White Ranger sat at the back, while Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger ran the front. They each held onto their new controls as the Authority Megazord showed all of the battle strategies that it had programmed into its systems. A battle plan was already laid out before them so the Rangers decided it was best to exploit this as they charged towards Umbra.

Authority Megazord made the slow approach to Umbra who was no longer frozen in shock. With an angry growl, Umbra began to fire a bolt of lightning from his sword at the Megazord. Authority Megazord continued to charge onward, taking Umbra's attack head on. The sparks that flew off the Megazord did nearly nothing to it as the fully charged power cells granted the Megazord enough power to keep on going.

"Let's not drag things out!" shouted White Ranger. "You guys ready to finish him?"

"Let's do it!" shouted Yellow Ranger.

"I'm game!" shouted Black Ranger.

The Rangers crossed their arms over their chest before spreading them apart, punching the air in the process. Authority Megazord mimicked this movement as it crossed its own arms over the robotic chest before spreading them out. The fists of the Megazord started to glow as it charged the fatal attack that it would deliver to defeat Umbra. The Ranger Hunter attempted to prevent this attack by firing another bolt of lightning at the Megazord before it was too late.

However, it was already too late. The Megazord and Rangers were ready for the worst.

"Authority Power Rocket Punch!" shouted the Rangers.

The fists of the Authority Megazord took off from the arms of the Megazord. They were fully charged, electrified to take down Umbra with a single strike. The fists pushed through Umbra's lightning bolts and smashed into the chest of the Ranger Hunter. Umbra groaned in agony as the Megazord's attack threatened to rip through him, but he managed to prevent his own death.

Umbra knelt down to the ground with his sword struck into the ground. He panted now that the air had been knocked out of him as the fists returned to the Megazord's arms. "This is far from over, Rangers!" Umbra shouted. "I will be back and I will slaughter you all!"

With that promise made, Umbra disappeared from sight to report back to the moon.

As for now, the Rangers celebrated their victory with their new Megazord. The Angel Zord, Bear Zord, and Dolphin Zord showed up just in time to join them. It surprised the other Rangers to see that their friends handled Umbra on their own, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that new Megazord that they operated.

* * *

><p>Now that all of the fighting was over and done with, some of the Rangers flocked to Skulls and Crosses to start their celebration for New Year's. Everyone was going to take off somewhere after this, while Ric and Connor were already gone to celebrate. They all took the time to get dressed for the occasion before meeting up with each other.<p>

Landon, Alice, Haley, and Tommy were the only ones there to get something going. Adam showed up no longer that and chose to sit beside his Rangers. He was going to supervise them as well, making sure that the two minors didn't go out to drink. He already had Alpha keeping an eye on Ric and Connor to make sure that no liquor or drugs were involved during their celebration as well.

Skulls and Crosses was really decked out for the party. The lights were dimmed out, a DJ was playing music, strobe lights were rotating everywhere, and the crowd was partying. It actually looked like a good party, which made the Rangers want to do a bit of celebrating before taking off. Landon and Alice planned on partying it up at downtown, while Haley had family to celebrate with. Tommy and Adam had their own thing planned, which they kept a tad secretive that was no biggy.

"So today was a nice win for us," Landon said, raising his glass. "We kicked evil's ass and we have a new Megazord!"

"To the Authority Megazord!" laughed Tommy.

"Authority Megazord!" shouted Haley and Alice.

As they started to laugh, Clare returned with Dylan by her side. The magical duo approached the Rangers' table where they were quickly greeted by the heroes.

Tommy stood up from his chair and held his hand out to Clare. "Thanks for your help today," said Tommy. "I guess that Alice, Connor, and I owe you our lives."

"It was my pleasure," Clare said, smiling. "It feels good to help the Power Rangers again. Things haven't been as exciting since the old days. Now, if you ever need our help again, do feel free to call us. I left an enchanted glass with Alpha at the Command Center to make it easier for you to contact us."

"Great," Adam told Clare. "And if you ever need any help, Clare, do ask us."

"Good," said Clare. "Well, goodnight, Rangers. Happy New Year's."

"Happy New Year's," said the Rangers.

In the midst of the chaos at the restaurant, the two magical beings vanished into the night.

* * *

><p>The countdown finished and the crowd cheered loudly at the Ranger Memorial Park. Families applauded the arrival of the New Year, friends howled into the night, and couples embraced one another. The fireworks began to flash into the night sky, exploding into a colorful display of light that delighted the crowd.<p>

At the back of a blue, pickup truck, Connor leaned against Ric's chest with a blanket drawn over the both of them. The couple shared their New Year's kiss with one another, hoping to have a happy year together. Connor had a smile on his face as he deepened the kiss with Ric while his boyfriend held him as close as he could possibly get him.

When they finally broke apart, the two boys laughed as they embraced one another in the cold.

Ric kissed Connor's lips once more before sending his focus to the firework show going on before them. "This is the best first date ever," Connor whispered against Ric's chest.

Ric couldn't help but to smile as he said the same to Connor, watching as a blue firework exploded into the night sky.

* * *

><p>End!<p>

On the next chapter, Connor and Ric's relationship continues to prosper while Thrax and Zodiark plot their next attack on Earth. The villians sent another monster from the Fade to wreak havoc on Angel Grove, while the Rangers learn of two more Rangers waiting to become activated. Meanwhile, Beelzebub has a brief reunion with an ally. Find out what happens and more in **Super Bass**


	13. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Hello ladies and gents, I just want to let you know that I'm tired from writing this chapter for you. As always, I'm always tired. Haha. So anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this fun-filled chapter. Read and review.

**Super Bass:**

The Nexus stood before Zodiark with the dark-skinned man looking at it with great care. He had heard rumors of such a device, but he never believed that this mystical gateway truly existed. Even when Thrax displayed the power of this gateway, Zodiark still had to admit that he was in awe of this device.

It was such a shame that Thrax couldn't use the Nexus to its full potential.

Zodiark decided it would be best to keep the Nexus's true purpose a secret from Thrax for a little longer. This way, it gave Thrax an opportunity to learn and to grow as a proper villain. So Zodiark turned away from the Nexus with a dark grin on his face as he approached the throne that the mutant sat at.

"Our plans to destroy the White Ranger have failed, my dear friend," said Zodiark. "It might be wise just to turn our focus back to destroying all of the Rangers. It would seem easier to destroy them all opposed to just the one."

The mutant sat at his throne with his hands drawn to his face and his Z-Staff leaning beside him. He kept silent for a moment as he processed what Zodiark had to say. "I admit that I have to agree with you, Zodiark," said Thrax. "It would be wiser just to focus our efforts into annihilating all of the Rangers. I'll send Dark Knight and Lightning down to Earth so that they could begin their attack."

Zodiark's son decided to interfere as he stepped away from the shadows of the throne room. "If I may," Kratein interrupted, "why don't you just summon a monster from the Fade to do the job?" He looked away from Thrax so he could face the Dark Knight and Lightning who stood not too far from the throne. "I highly doubt that your knight and Amazon could do much against the Rangers since they've already failed so many times before."

Lightning did not like the cocky tone that escaped from the boy's lips. She drew her Blazefire Saber and stepped closer to him so that her plan would touch his neck. "I suggest that your revoke what you said, brat," growled the warrior woman. "I will not have you besmirch my name in front of me without ripping that tongue out of your pretty mouth."

"Do so and I'll have to rip you into pieces," Helios warned her from behind.

Helios had his sword drawn at the back of Lightning's neck with a vicious glare on his face. Lightning barely turned her head to the side, but she caught this from the side. She did not bother to move though as continued to press her Gunblade against Kratein's neck. Helios got dangerously closer to drawing blood as he kept his own sword near the woman's hairline.

Dark Knight intervened by pulling on the swords of the two warriors with his gauntlets. He yanked them both from their hands then twisted them around so that they could take them back by the handle. "Enough," said the knight. "You are all shaming your honor by acting so childish. None of you deserve to call yourself a swordsman."

Lightning didn't say a word as she returned her Gunblade to her side, while Helios went to stand beside Kratein in the darkness.

"As I was saying before," Zodiark said, shaking his head from that disgraceful scene. "We will work on a new plan to terminate the Rangers, and with any luck then this one will actually work."

Thrax nodded his head in agreement before ordering everyone out of his throne besides him and Zodiark.

* * *

><p>After he got done with plotting the Rangers' downfall, Zodiark returned to his ship so that he could go over the files he got from Lightning. She had done exactly as he asked of her by retrieving all the information that she had on the Black Ranger. Lightning still warned him that the boy wasn't worth any trouble, but Zodiark felt that he'd be the judge of that.<p>

The folder stayed firmly in his hand as Zodiark read all the information that was contained in it. At least he could say that Lightning was an excellent investigator. The information she had on the boy was rather impressive. He wondered what she might have on the other Rangers, but that was for another time. Right now, he needed to focus on getting all the information that he could on the boy.

Connor Song had spent his life as a victim, an innocent in a world filled with chaos and despair. Still so young yet he already had those that were dearest to him ripped away from him by evil. It seemed that evil was just a large part of this boy's life, no doubt that explained why the boy could blend into the shadows so well.

"There is a darkness buried within his heart," smirked Zodiark. "That boy just needs a nudge in the right direction so that he may finally let it all out."

"I don't see why you find little boys so fascinating," whispered Umbra. The Consort pulled himself away from the mattress with the covers falling off his naked body. His lean, toned frame was completely exposed with his deathly pale skin radiating from the sunlight that crept in their private chambers. "If I didn't know any better then I'd say you're trying to replace me." Umbra locked his arms around Zodiark's neck with a vicious smirk drawing towards the corners of his face. "But I know you'd never to do that to me, you are loyal to me just as I am to you."

Zodiark always did respond well to loyalty. It was one of the few qualities that he could respect out from a person. "Nobody could replace you, mi amor," said the Prince. He took hold of his partner's hand, holding it tenderly before turning his head to look into those cat-like eyes. "Get some rest. You still haven't fully recovered from your injuries against the Rangers."

"I will make them pay for hurting me!" Umbra growled as he fell on top of the mattress. "I will dance in their blood. I will slit every single one of their arteries until they drown in their sweet blood."

The bloodthirsty Umbra continued to spew his violent words before falling asleep, while Zodiark continued to study the Black Ranger.

* * *

><p>It was a typical Sunday morning for the Scotts, one that involved Haley and Connor going to mass at the local church. They sat at Angel Grove's Holy Mother Church, listening to the priest talk about redemption. He had went on so long about a rather pointless story that Connor really felt himself drifting out of it as he focused more on his date with Ric last night.<p>

The saucy Latino had taken Connor out to see the circus. The clowns were a little creepy, but Connor fell in love with the elephants, tigers, and monkeys that were present. Ric had to laugh at the look of childish excitement on the boy's face when he got them a thing of cotton candy that was bigger then his teenage head.

Connor got home about one o'clock in the morning so he was a bit too tired to be at the nine o'clock mass. He yawned a few times already and got elbowed in the rib by Haley because of that. He didn't quite understand why he had to be at church, he wasn't even Catholic, especially since they didn't look so kindly on the gay thing.

Haley kept her cool as she sat between her brother and mother. All her thoughts were racing around Tommy Park, the hunky clone that she found herself thinking about non stop these past couple of weeks. It was downright annoying to her, she felt like such a weirdo for being obsessed with a clone. It was especially creepy since her parents knew his original persona or whatever so that made it all the more awkward to have feelings for the clone. The dark circles around her eyes were not helping at all because of the lack of rest she's been getting for all this thinking.

Not soon enough, the mass ended with Connor and Haley practically jumping from their seats. They were almost the first ones out of there just as their parents had been ambushed by "friends" of theirs. Haley and Connor were forced into turning back around in order to get better acquainted with them.

"Who is this young man?" asked an older woman.

"Our son, Mrs. Stevens," said Kimberly. "We recently adopted him, while you away on vacation."

"An Asian, huh," said Mr. Stevens. "I bet he can't speak a lick of English."

Connor took a great deal of offense from the old man's racist comment. Haley and her parents looked equally ashamed, while Mrs. Stevens seemed a little embarrassed by him. She seemed like a decent old lady, but that old man needed to get a swift kick in the genitals.

That's when Connor had a lovely plan to get back at the old guy. If he thought him so uneducated then he'd show him they did things in Korea. "Gae Saeki," Connor said with as much accent that he could muster up. He kept a smile on his face as he said it, while Haley laughed as she dragged her brother away.

Kimberly and Jason continued to talk with Mr. Stevens and his wife, while the old man tried to figure out what the boy said to him. Haley dragged Connor out the doors to where everyone else had gathered. Most were heading out to the car, while others stayed behind to talk on this rather sunny morning.

Haley stopped them at the foot of the steps, turning to her brother with her eyes wide. "What did you tell him?" asked the young woman. "Please tell me it wasn't something stupid."

"I called him a son of a bitch," Connor said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, he deserved that one," Haley admitted, laughing a little.

The two of them only had to wait a little longer for Jason and Kimberly to show up. They also asked Connor what he called Mr. Stevens; he didn't bother to his new parents. Either way, they saw the humor in it too before deciding it was time for breakfast. Connor and Haley's stomachs were plenty grateful to hear this as they started to make their way to the car.

Kimberly and Haley's heels made enough noise along the way that it gained attention from a man who was about to enter his car. The man stuck his head out, greeting both Kimberly and Jason, and earned surprised looks by them in the process. Haley and Connor recognized the man as he started to make his way towards them with his "son" in tow.

"Adam," said a confused Jason. "When did you get here?"

"I've been here for a while," said Adam. "I'm surprised that Haley and Connor haven't told you. I returned to Angel Grove just to help them in the fight against evil."

Jason seemed a little impressed to hear this, at first thinking that Adam was the new Ranger when he took notice to the boy at his side. Jason's eyes nearly shot from his head once he took a look at Tommy. He briefly shifted his eyes to his wife's side to notice that she looked awfully pale. Kimberly looked as if she had seen a ghost, correction; she didn't understand what in the world she was looking at.

Kimberly couldn't believe it, this was impossible. She had been to his funeral; she saw them bury Tommy into the ground. But here was this young man, the spitting image of Tommy back when he was a teenager.

Adam took notice to the lost look on his friends' faces as he decided it was best to introduce Tommy now. Tommy did look rather presentable in his white button-up and khaki slacks. Even Haley had to admit that he looked pretty good, while she did her best to hide any obvious looks of longing. Connor just stood there, waiting to see what would happen next like this was some reality TV show.

"Guys, this is Tommy, he's my son," said Adam. "Well, he's not technically my son, but I raised him like one."

"Explain why he looks like him, Adam," Jason said, with a mean growl.

"Tommy's a clone of our Tommy," Adam said, simply. "It's a simple as that."

"It's not that simple, Adam," Kimberly said, sounding pissed as well. Haley, Connor, and Tommy couldn't understand why she sounded so mad all of a sudden. Haley knew her mother wouldn't be ecstatic to see the clone of a dead friend, but this was rather odd. Then again, she didn't know the history that her mother had with Tommy Oliver. "You cloned him. How could you? What if…"

Adam stopped her right there before she could make anymore of a scene. Her loud voice had already gained too much attention, which Jason quickly did damage control over. "He doesn't have any of his memories if that's what you're thinking," said Adam. "It's like if Tommy did have his own son before dying, but instead I raised him as my own."

"Doesn't make it right," Kimberly whispered, softly.

"Well, it doesn't change the fact that I'm here," Tommy said, a little bitter. He only sounded that way because everyone treated him like some abomination. He hated how lowly people thought of him once they first find out he's a clone. It just hurt like a knife in the chest every single time. "I can't change who I am. I'm alive, I'm like any other boy, and I fight evil as the White Ranger."

Kimberly would've nearly dropped to the ground had Jason not have had a strong grip on her. Jason saw the cosmic irony in all of this, but soon thought about his daughter for a moment. He could see the potential that history just might repeat itself, while Kimberly refused to even think such a thing was possible. Kimberly didn't want to think that her daughter would fall in love with this boy as she had fallen for this boy's…creator? DNA match? Whatever was the appropriate term, she didn't want to think about that.

"Now that we got that over with," Adam said, smiling a little. "Haley, Connor, I'll see the both of you at the Command Center later. There are some things we need to go over before the next monster attack."

"You got it, boss man!" Connor said, trying to defuse the situation a little.

"I'll see you later, Jason and Kimberly," said Adam.

"Nice to meet you," Tommy said, politely.

The two of them returned to their car, leaving Jason and Kimberly in a state of shock. Connor just tried not to say anything as he slowly started to walk over to the car. Haley, on the other hand, couldn't believe how this went down. She never imagined that it could've gone down like this.

If she ever did admit to herself that she liked Tommy and started to date him, she hated to think of what kind of disaster that would be with her parents.

* * *

><p>"I'm surprised nobody started to go off on each other," Connor said, his head resting on Ric's lap.<p>

The boy lounged about in the Command Center with the other Rangers and Alpha 8. Adam was off doing his own thing for a bit, while Haley was in the training room. Tommy had yet to shown up too so Connor took the liberty to go on about what happened at church that morning. He skipped the boring parts about what the priest was talking about and went straight into the juicy gossip.

Alice found it all pretty funny, while Landon could kind of understand why they were so upset. Even Landon found himself having trouble with the whole cloning thing. It never seemed right to him, but it wasn't fair of him to judge Tommy for being the born the way he was. It's not like Tommy asked to be born the way he was, it's just what happened.

Still though, it tasted a bit weird in his mouth as Landon thought a little more about it. Alice, on the other hand, was totally interested in cloning. Even though she was an engineering major not a genetics, the whole cloning thing seemed cool. She had to admit that she was a bit of a Sci-Fi geek and things like that always seemed to get her going.

Ric tired not to think about it too hard, while he ran his fingers through Connor's soft hair. There were a lot of things he tried not to think about since he had been raised in a Catholic household. For starters, his relationship with Connor was a major no-no. Plus, it was weird that he was an adult and Connor was still a kid. The list just went on and on, so Ric refused to even think about any of the details.

"You're so chismoso," laughed Ric. "You're worse then those veijitas who used to live down the street from me."

Connor pinched Ric in the arm for calling him an old lady. He then preceded to move his head from the jerk's lap, only to have his body crushed in a bear hug. Ric pulled him back and they both ended up falling back from the couch.

Ric took most of the impact so Connor had a rather soft landing. The boy laughed a little bit as he crawled off of Ric to get back on the couch. Ric pulled himself back up, going on about how he was okay and that he meant to do that.

"You're so full of shit, man, that's why your eyes are so brown," said Landon.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop talking to my abuelo!" shouted Ric.

"Enough, children," said Alice. "Can we get back to the whole fighting evil thing. Thrax and Zodiark have been a little too quiet. They have to be plotting something against us."

"I'm working on finding any suspicious activity on the planet," said Alpha. "Rangers, you must be ready for anything."

"Sorry we that we can't all be extra motivated like Haley," said Ric. "Why is she in the training room anyways?"

"Because she wants to get into Tommy's pants and her parents basically don't like him because he's a clone," Connor blurted out.

Alice turned her head to the boy with her eyebrow raised up. "For an abused kid, you can be a little blunt and cruel," said the dark-skinned woman.

"I know," Connor said, shivering. "It looks like I got more issues then I realized."

Alice didn't bother to disagree with that one as she pushed a key on the keyboard, accidently causing something to happen. She flinched when she heard something open up on the floor behind them. Everyone looked back just as Alpha realized what they had done.

The same pedestal that Alpha pulled up when handing over their powers started to come up. The box that housed their Crystal Morphers was still there, but the case was gone so that the Rangers could see that it was empty. At least, they had expected to see it was empty since they all had their powers.

What the Rangers soon learned was that there were two more Crystal Morphers still in the box. An orange feather and a violet feather were placed next to each other with the rest of the box being completely empty. The four of them soon drew closer to the pedestal to examine this for themselves.

"There are two more Rangers out there," said Landon.

"An Orange Ranger and a Violet Ranger," said Ric.

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner, Alpha?" asked Connor.

"I thought the secrets were over with?" asked Alice.

Alpha simply hid behind something just as Adam showed up to the Command Center. The Rangers turned to face their mentor who had noticed that they discovered another one of their little secrets. He simply smirked as he undid the tie around his neck as he started to make his way over to the keyboard.

Adam sent the pedestal back below the floor so that the Crystal Morphers would be in safe keeping. The other Rangers didn't budge though as they waited for their answer that Adam finally caved into giving.

"I haven't found them yet," said Adam. "I haven't found a suitable Orange Ranger and Violet Ranger yet. Until then, the team will remain incomplete. It's as simple as that."

"Is that right," Alice said, hands on her hips. "So many secrets, Mr. Park. You might want to be a little more careful where you tread."

"She's right," Landon said. "We're a team; you have to trust us with a little more information, Adam. We can't fight Thrax and Zodiark when we're blind."

Adam nodded his head, agreeing with his Rangers. He promised no more secrets as he pulled up the system that scanned for suitable Ranger candidates. He explained that it was with this system that he was able to select them to be Rangers, now he just needed to find two more Rangers.

It would take a little time, but Adam felt that the best candidates would come when they were needed most.

* * *

><p>Over in the training room, Haley was busy pummeling the punching bag that was hung up in the corner. She punched and kicked it with every bit of strength she had in her with sweat slowly started to drip along her skin. The sports bra she wore was soaked at the back with her brown curls turning into a nasty mess.<p>

That didn't slow Haley down even for a second as she punched the bag with all her might. For a second, the punching back looked like it was ready to fall off of its chain, but managed to hold. Had this punch came from Ric or Landon then it surely would've popped from their superhuman strength. Since Haley only had regular, human strength, the bag was just fine.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she stopped the bag from swinging around, wildly.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a very long day," whispered Haley. "I am so not in the mood to go home."

"Then don't go." Tommy started to make his way towards Haley and her punching bag, alarming the girl for a moment. She took notice to his lack of a shirt, taking her time to look at those muscles as he fixed his shorts. Tommy grabbed a pair of gloves and took over beating the punching bag.

Haley watched as Tommy attacked the bag from the sidelines, taking her time to watch as he attacked like a deadly animal. Tommy would never hit the same spot in a row. He would always find a new spot to hit then another before returning to the same point. This was his way of making his targets weaker by hitting them virtually everywhere.

Tommy stopped after a couple of minutes with a few beads of sweat running along his back as well. He turned back to Haley, letting out some heavy breaths as he started to smile at her. "Care to spare with me for a while?" asked the clone. "I promise that I'll go easy on you." That part was said just a little too cocky like, something that Tommy would soon live to regret.

Haley only nodded her head as she led Tommy to the ring. She jumped into the ring, while Tommy snuck in through the middle. The two kept their distance from each other for a moment before moving towards one another. They had waited only a second to size their opponent up then leaped the first chance that they got.

Haley used her speed to her advantage since Tommy's muscles slowed him down a bit. She wasn't so easily won over by a pretty face or a hot body. Haley kept up her guard as she wove through Tommy's defenses and struck her elbow into his rib. Tommy let out a painful grunt before pulling away from her, keeping distance for a moment to recover.

When Haley tried to come after him again, Tommy was ready for her speed this time around. He shifted to the left when she came at his right then grabbed hold of her by the waist. He pulled her around like they were swing dancing before pinning her down onto the bed of the ring.

Their faces got close to each other for a moment, both of them covered in each other's sweat. For a second, time seemed to cease as they exchanged looks into one another eyes. Tommy found himself swimming in Haley's blue eyes, while Haley was lost in Tommy's brown eyes. Their moment ended and they both got away from one another as they got back on their feet.

"You have a lot of skill," Tommy told Haley. "I'd really hate to be your enemy."

"Same here," Haley said, laughing a little.

The two looked at one another again, their heavy breathing getting hotter before they finally snapped out of it. They got out of the ring to grab a towel before joining the others back into the main chamber.

* * *

><p>The Nexus boiled over with energy as a new monster was summoned from the Fade.<p>

Zodiark stood beside Thrax, while the mutant brought forth a new monster. There was a flash of light as a hand began to touch the stone before the entire being came forth. A figure dressed in red robes appeared before everyone in Castle Pandemonium with his face hidden behind a golden mask. The masked figure kept a katana strapped to his hip, which he held onto with one hand at all times.

Their masked swordsman looked at everyone in the room, waiting for somebody to make the first movement. This wait seemed to go on forever until Zodiark finally decided to do something about it. As soon as Zodiark took a step forward, the swordsman pulled the katana from its sheath and pointed it at the man.

Before the katana could touch him, Zodiark stopped the blade with his hand. He held the swordsman back with only a hand, while Thrax threatened the swordsman to stand down. Once Zodiark released the katana from his grip, the swordsman retrieved his weapon and placed it back into its sheath.

"Forgive me," said the swordsman. "I have not been in the Mortal Realm for a millennia. There are certain rules in the Fade that no longer apply in this world."

"No need to apologize," said Zodiark. "We need that kind of ferocity to destroy the Power Rangers."

The swordsman held onto his katana with all his might as he turned to Zodiark. "The Power Rangers," he growled with a distinct rage. "They have killed my brothers and sisters countless times. I will do whatever it takes to destroy them."

"Excellent," said Thrax. "You can begin by attack Angel Grove. That will lure the Rangers out so that you may have you vengeance."

"I will do exactly that," said the swordsman. "Gilgamesh shall destroy the Rangers' city before I take their precious lives!"

The swordsman snapped his fingers, disappearing from sight in a cloud of smoke. Thrax and Zodiark both seemed to agree with a single nod that this plan just might work.

As for Lightning, she lingered in the shadows and started to come up with her own plan to fight the Rangers. She wasn't about to let this Gilgamesh have all the fun while she was stuck here. She then teleported to the Earth as well, wanting nothing more then to spill Ranger blood.

Bakari noticed her disappearance and decided that it would be wise to follow her as well.

* * *

><p>Quickly enough, the Command Center's sirens began to go off with a fury, alerting the Rangers to emanate danger. Alpha immediately teleported the Rangers to where the monster was located so that they could squash the threat before it grew too large.<p>

The Rangers arrived in the middle of downtown Angel Grove to see half the streets had already been cleared off. Putties were dancing around everywhere, attacking the stragglers who had yet to escape yet. While this happened, a masked swordsman started to make his way along the road with a katana in his hands.

Already the Rangers could tell that this was bad. They moved over to someplace where they'd be covered before removing the bracelets on their wrists. Their Crystal Morphers came to life as the Rangers soon lifted them above their heads. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. Light flashed over their bodies as different colored feathers began to circle around them. In little time, the Rangers finished morphing and quickly jumped into action.

As the heroes started to fight to protect their city, Lightning watched the battle from above a smaller building. She kept on hand on her Gunblade with her eyes zeroing in on the Rangers. Her vengeance slowly began to boil over as she saw the Rangers quickly going after the Putties. Gilgamesh remained on the sidelines for the most part, refusing to attack unless provoked.

Red Ranger and Blue Ranger knocked a couple of Putties around, senselessly with their superior strength. They made quick work of all the Putties that got stuck in their way by tossing them around like little rag dolls.

Black Ranger was busy providing back up for White Ranger. He would fire a few arrows from his Heaven Bow, giving White Ranger the chance to strike with his Solar Blade. Yellow Ranger and Pink Ranger followed the same maneuver. Yellow Ranger would shoot bullets from her Holy Pistols, while Pink Ranger would attack the guardless Putties with her Scared Claws. They all hacked, slashed, and fired their way through the crowd of Putties to allow the remaining civilians to escape to safety.

Gilgamesh continued to stand in the midst of all of this chaos without making a single move. His katana had been pulled from its sheath, the silver blade radiating against the light of the sun as he kept still. The six Power Rangers circled around this covered swordsman, trying to figure out just what was he doing.

There was no point in keeping still any longer. Gilgamesh twisted his sword to the side a little then waved his entire body around in a circle. Powerful blasts of energy escaped from his katana and struck each of the Rangers in the chest. The Rangers went sailing back a bit, after suffering from the fast surprise attack.

Red Ranger was the first to pull himself back together with Gilgamesh now setting his eyes onto him. Gilgamesh took hold of his katana, making Red Ranger draw his blade.

"You won't get the best of me!" shouted Red Ranger. "You're going down, creep!"

"If that is what you think then come at me," said Gilgamesh.

Red Ranger did just as the monster told him. He easily fell for the monster's trap by charging in after him half-cocked. Gilgamesh waited until the Red Ranger was close enough in range before swinging his katana forward to unleash a powerful band of energy. The attack proved to be too much for Red Ranger as it effortlessly threw him into the air, crashing into a bed of flowers.

The other Rangers jumped to their feet after that and made their move after Gilgamesh. With five Rangers attacking at once, it seemed highly likely that they would be able to overpower him. However, that proved to be false the moment that the Rangers brought their swords after the swordsman. Gilgamesh easily withheld their attacks with his katana then with a remarkable surge of strength, knocked them all back.

So far, it was obvious that the Rangers were not going to win this battle so easily.

Lightning continued to watch this fight with a dark scowl present on her face. She couldn't allow this monster to have the honor of defeating the Power Rangers. She couldn't just stand there and do nothing but watch.

"Rushing into a battle is pretty reckless if you ask me," said General Bakari.

Zodiark's general appeared directly behind Lightning with his blue cape trailing behind him. The sound of his metal boots caught Lightning's attention as he soon joined up with the proud, warrior woman. Bakari kept to himself after that, waiting for what clever response she would have to come up with.

Lightning drew her weapon, switching it into its Gunblade form. She held it in front of her body so that the stinger like curve of the weapon could flash against the bright light of the sun. "The life of my family had been taken away from me by the Power Rangers," said the warrior. "I cannot allow this to go on unpunished. Justice must be sought."

"And killing the Rangers will bring you justice?" asked Bakari. "What of the justice that their family will seek for their death? All you are doing, Lightning, is creating an endless cycle of death that will never come to a close. An eye for an eye never works, it only leaves everyone blind!"

"Then what do you purpose I do, Bakari?" said Lightning. "My parents need to be avenged. The Rangers must be killed."

"Change your reason for fighting then," Bakari whispered into her ear. His hands soon found their way to the arms of the woman, keeping her steady. He felt the way her body shivered from his touch and couldn't help but to smirk as he leaned closer to her ear. "Fight the Rangers, not because you want to avenge your family, but fight because they threaten your existence. The Rangers will not hesitate in destroying a monster hybrid such as yourself so kill them before they can kill you."

These words spoke to Lightning as she found her eyes widening from the logic behind it. She clenched onto her weapon, tighter, with her golden armor beginning to take form on her body. A trail of white flowers began to form at the tail of her armor as a symbol of both her mother and father.

A new reason to fight, she could live with that.

"There is a reason why I was named Lightning," said the young woman, "and it's not because my parents liked storms. The reason is my blood…Lightning. I flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys!"

"Then go after them," Bakari whispered, drawing away from her.

Lightning did not hesitate in jumping off the building. She leaped from the top so that she could join Gilgamesh in battling against the Rangers.

Gilgamesh had practically succeeded in defeating the Rangers on his own, but Lightning wasn't about to let them escape without feeling her sting. Lightning retracted her Gunblade to switch it into the gun mode. She took aim then fired at the Black and Blue Rangers. With the two of them shot down, she moved with remarkable speed to slash Yellow Ranger across the chest with her blade.

Three Rangers were completely down now and only three more were left.

Gilgamesh appeared at Lightning's side, standing behind her with his katana drawn. "You are interfering with my mission," said Gilgamesh. "The Rangers are my prey. The blood of my brothers and sisters must be avenged."

"Well then," said Lightning, "think of me as a distant cousin. They must feel my wrath as well!"

The two swordsmen spread apart to go after the remaining Rangers.

Gilgamesh ended up facing off against the Red Ranger again, who actually seemed a little ready to fight him. Red Ranger had his Aurora Sword and Angel Sword out so with his two blades he managed to hold back the swordsman's katana.

As for Lightning, she took on both the White Ranger and Pink Ranger by herself. With only her Gunblade on her side, she weaved through the both of them to draw arms against them both. White Ranger would attack from one side and Pink Ranger would strike from the other. Lightning's movements were quick enough to keep the Rangers thinking fast as she moved her body around in a rapid motion.

The Blazefire Saber held White Ranger's Solar Blade back, while Lightning used her free hand to snatch Pink Ranger's wrist. She easily tossed the girl around before kicking her in the hip with her steel-plated boot. White Ranger cried out to his companion as Pink Ranger crashed against a metal rail.

"Worry about yourself, boy," said Lightning. She twisted their weapons around then knocked White Ranger in the wrist to disarm him. She spun herself around to slash him across the chest just as his weapon finished falling to the ground. White Ranger easily crumbled apart, while a vicious smirk began to form on Lightning's face.

Now that they were both beaten down to the ground, Bakari decided to grace them all with his presence. The general started to applaud Lightning for a job well done. She had more then proven herself to be a formidable warrior; one that he believed would make an excellent Champion for their forces.

"Zodiark will no doubt find a great deal of interest in you," said Bakari. "I am pleased to see such great power within you, Lightning."

"I didn't do it to be complimented, Bakari," Lightning spoke, calmly. "This was for me. This was to prove something to myself."

"Either way, bravo," laughed Bakari.

"Don't congratulate yourself just yet!" Pink Ranger showed up back on her feet with her Sacred Claws on her arms. She created a ball of water from her powers that she sprang out without any hesitation. "Tidal Sacred Cutter!"

The swirling vortex of water came rushing after the both of them. Bakari chose to put himself in the middle of this attack as he psychically summoned his swords to battle. Instead of the typical three, Bakari's mental powers grew to allow him to summon two more swords. Five swords appeared to create a spinning shield in front of them both to keep the tide of water that the Pink Ranger summoned at bay.

Bakari left at the girl's pathetic efforts to stop them. He began to press the strength of his mind to slowly push the Ranger's water aside. "It will take a lot more then that to stop us," laughed Bakari.

"How about this! Light Solar Flashbomb!"

White Ranger had shown up as well with his Solar Blade back in hand. He waved his sword forward to release an explosive ball of light that was head straight towards Bakari. This time, Lightning intervened and held her Gunblade up to keep the White Ranger's attack back with the strength of her weapon and body.

With enough pressure, Lightning and Bakari managed to repeal the attacks of the two Rangers. It took a bit of strength, but they were able to stop the Rangers from laying a serious hurting onto them.

Only the Rangers had been expecting that as they went charging after them.

"Pick a target, Haley!" shouted White Ranger. "I got the other."

"I'll be ready to back you up, Tommy!" shouted Pink Ranger.

The Rangers moved away from the target that was expecting them, deciding it would be best to swap out to create a confusing mess. Bakari was ready to use all five swords to strike Pink Ranger at once. So when she threw her body out of the way, his attack completely missed and now White Ranger was in his way. Lightning, too, missed as she called forth a bolt of Thunder to the ground. It missed her intended target and now she had to contend with Pink Ranger.

White Ranger pulled his Twilight Ray so that it was in its sword form. Now that he had two blades in hand, White Ranger met the five blades of Bakari head on. The general tried to smash his blades on top of him, but White Ranger had the strength to push the swords aside with a powerful yell escaping his throat.

"Spirit of Light, grant me strength!" shouted White Ranger. He swung his swords forward, unleashing a band of light that crashed into Bakari's chest.

The general was thrown across the walkway until he smashed into a brick wall with par of his armor breaking in the process.

Pink Ranger used her agility to her advantage as she faced off against Lightning. She kept her claws up and effortlessly dodged the swing of the woman's blade. Pink Ranger used one of her clawed arms to hold Lightning's Gunblade back, while using the other claw to strike her in the chest.

"Spirit of Water, hear me now!" shouted Pink Ranger. As her claw struck Lightning's armor, it felt as if a wall of water had crashed into her. The force behind the attack was powerful enough to send Lightning flying back until she landed only a few inches away from Bakari.

The both of them had been so shamefully defeated that their was no point lingering around. Although, Lightning contemplated fighting a little longer, it was Bakari who pulled her back from doing so. He kept a firm grip on her hand as he shook his head at her.

"This isn't worth it," said Bakari. "It is best to retreat now. We will have our second chance another day."

"Fine," Lightning hissed as she disappeared with him.

With those two gone, the other Rangers had been busy taking Gilgamesh on all on their own. All of their efforts into trying to stop Gilgamesh had proven to be pretty useless against this master swordsman. He easily out classed all of them when it came to fighting with a blade. Not even Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger's ranged attacks proved to be effective. Their bullets and arrows would easily be neutralized by a single swing from that katana.

Red Ranger still refused to give in as he faced off against Gilgamesh once more. Blue Ranger joined him with hammer and sword as they went after the swordsman. Gilgamesh was ready for the worst that the Rangers could offer him so he paid them almost no attention as they came charging after them.

Gilgamesh easily held their weapons back with one hand as he held up his might katana. His trusted blade didn't waver for even a second as the Rangers tried to push pressure onto the swordsman. He simply yawned behind his mask, becoming bored with the futile efforts of the Power Rangers.

"You cannot defeat me," said Gilgamesh. "I am trusted with the task of avenging my fallen brothers and sisters. You will pay penance for their deaths!"

"That won't happen today! Celestial Twilight Ray!"

White Ranger took aim and fired a highly concentrated blast from his gun. The attack managed to hit Gilgamesh in the arm with enough force that it forced him to relinquish his katana. Now that he had been disarmed, Gilgamesh's powers had been severally limited, making him a sitting duck.

White Ranger got in the way again by kicking aside the fallen katana to keep Gilgamesh from his weapon. He gave the other Rangers the signal so that they could finish him off, while Gilgamesh tried to be reunited with his blade.

Red Ranger led the other Rangers in forming their cannon. They all gathered together and brought all of their weapons together so that the Heaven Power Cannon was formed in no time flat. They held their cannon up then took aim at the monster before he could be reunited with that damn katana.

"Let's end this, Rangers!" shouted Red Ranger. "Heaven Power Cannon!"

"Fire!" shouted Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink Ranger.

Five rays of light rocketed out from the Heaven Power Cannon and smashed against the back of Gilgamesh. The swordsman howled out in pain and shame as his demise had come for him in such a disgraceful manner. His body was blown apart as he exploded in a grant burst of light that left nearly no trace of him behind.

* * *

><p>With Gilgamesh so easily beaten, Thrax howled angrily as he leaned over his balcony. He lifted the Z-Staff that once belonged to his father above his head to release a bolt of lightning. He called forth the power he inherited from both his parents to make the Fade monster grow to a monstrous size.<p>

"Dark forces make my monster grow!" shouted Thrax.

The powers of darkness heard Thrax's plea and gave his monster new life. The bolt of lightning ripped from the Z-Staff and shot out across the stars to touch the ground where Gilgamesh once stood. Now, his monster would be able to have a second go against the Power Rangers, hopefully so that he could defeat them.

* * *

><p>Now that Gilgamesh had grown to monstrous proportions, it was time for the Rangers to put a serious hurting on him. They gathered together to call upon their Zords to put an end to this threat. The Angel Force Zords and the Tiger Zord came from their holding pen to join the Rangers in battle.<p>

Immediately, the Rangers jumped into the cockpits of their Zords to face-off against Gilgamesh.

"We're going to need a lot of power for this one," said Red Ranger.

"I say we start things off with the Authority Megazord!" shouted White Ranger. "You guys with me?"

"Let's do it!" shouted Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger.

The three of them inserted their Crystal Morphers into the slots, activating the combination sequence for the Megazord. The Angel Zord, Bear Zord, and Dolphin Zord stepped back to give the other Zords room to combine. White Tiger Zord shifted its body around to accept the combination with Unicorn Zord and Wolf Zord. Once the legs were completed, the arms and head came forth to finish the Megazord sequence.

Authority Megazord stood in the middle of a clearing within the city, while Gilgamesh stood on top of a building. The swordsman drew his blade then immediately leaped after the Megazord with remarkable speed. Gilgamesh's Katana ripped through parts of the Megazord, causing sparks to fly off in every direction while rocking the Zord back.

Their cockpit was shaking rather roughly, making this a bit of a nauseating ride for the Rangers. White Ranger quickly got things back together and threw a punch at the swordsman once he was within range. Authority Megazord slammed its fist into Gilgamesh, which threw enough power to send the masked monster flying back. Gilgamesh crashed against a building, nearly taking it apart in the process, but stood up with an angry growl ripping through him.

Gilgamesh fired a wave of fire from his katana that crashed against the Authority Megazord. The Rangers was pushed back once more, but their Megazord still had enough power to hold strong.

"I'm really beginning to hate this guy," said Black Ranger.

"We could use some backup here!" shouted Yellow Ranger.

And their prayers were heard by the other Rangers. Pink Ranger steered the Dolphin Zord within range of Gilgamesh to fire a few lasers from her gun. Gilgamesh blocked most of these attacks by waving his katana around before the lasers could hit him. But while his guard was down, Red Ranger and Blue Ranger had their Zords grab a hold of the swordsman to push him way back.

Gilgamesh flew across the road; his landing caused the city to shake a little bit in the process. No buildings were damaged and most of the civilians had already scattered off to a different part of the town by then. So Authority Megazord had no problem with delivering another heavy punch to the swordsman.

Once Gilgamesh went down against, it was decided to put an end to this fighting.

White Ranger, Black Ranger, and Yellow Ranger gathered their powers together to deliver the final bow to this swordsman. It would be all over for Gilgamesh. "Authority Power Rocket Punch!" shouted the Rangers. The Megazord held its fists up, firing its own fists from its arms to strike the monster down.

The flaming fists passed through Gilgamesh, causing the monster to howl out in plane before exploding into particles of light.

With the monster defeated, Angel Grove was safe for another day.

* * *

><p>The Rangers had all gone home that day to get some rest after their battle. Adam remained behind in the Command Center with Alpha 8 to get to work on repairs for the Zords. Thankfully, this wasn't a battle where the Zords received too much of a beating so they'd be up and running in no time.<p>

But as Adam and Alpha had their backs turned, they failed to notice the door opening up that lead to their emergency entrance. When the doors slammed shut that's when they noticed that somebody else was here. Adam already had a small blaster in his hand, ready for the worst, as he turned to see that it was Jason and Kimberly.

Adam hid back the urge to sigh as he left the blaster on the keyboard. He started to make his way over to his old friends, while Alpha was going bonkers about having them here. "It's alright, Alpha," said Adam. "The Command Center will always welcome Veteran Rangers."

"If you say so," Alpha said, calming down a bit.

So Alpha 8 sent his attention back to repairing the Zords, while Adam took Jason and Kimberly to the side. The couple sat down on the sofa as Adam took a chair and braced himself for whatever it was they were going to say.

"We might have overreacted a little about the whole Tommy clone thing," said Jason. "We didn't mean to offend either one of you, but it just seems…"

"Really weird?" Adam finished for him. "That's what I said to Tommy when he told me the idea in the first place. I went along with it though because it was necessary. The threat that these Rangers are going up against is beyond anything that previous generations had ever faced. They'll need all the help that they can get."

"Isn't there something else we can do though?" asked Kimberly. "I don't like this Dark Lords business. Who are they to begin with?"

"I honestly don't have all the answers yet," said Adam. "From what the Rangers told me during their encounter with one and what I found from Zordon's records, the Dark Lords are ancient beings. They are as old as the entire universe if not older. They're an ancient power that's been around for so long that it will take so much for these kids to defeat them, but I believe in them though. The powers they have, the potential they have, it's so great that it makes us all look like little kittens back in our prime."

"That's a little comforting," Jason said, smiling a little. "You know where to find us if you need any help. We might not have our powers anymore, but I still feel as if there is something we can do to help."

"We'll see," said Adam. "I've been working on a little side project to remedy that."

"And that means what?" asked Kimberly.

"Hopefully, you'll never have to find out," confessed Adam. "If I have to use this project then that pretty much means that the world is on the verge of being completely destroyed."

"Let's hope not then," Jason said, helping his wife to her feet. "It was good seeing you, Adam. Take care of yourself."

"You too."

"Bye Adam," said Kimberly. "Be careful."

"I try."

The two former Rangers left the Command Center after that, leaving Adam with a lot of fears and wishes. He went back to the computer to pull up a final solution problem should there come a time that a threat so great rose up against the Rangers.

Adam stared at the screen as the Revival Project made its calculations. It would take all of the power in the Command Center to pull this one off and then some. Lucky enough, there were other power sources to look into. But only time would tell if Adam's efforts would be worth it, if such a power would even be necessary.

Adam closed the screen and tried not to think about it any longer as he returned to his main focus.

* * *

><p>On a distant planet, Beelzebub touched ground to see that the life on this planet had vastly changed. The Dark Lord looked around and saw that the green planet was littered with the bodies of bloody women and babies. He kept his black boots away from the decaying bodies and navigated through the forest to find the woman he was looking for.<p>

The power got stronger as he made his way further north. Beelzebub eventually found himself in a small village where all the men were still living and breathing. The men were all different: they were young, old, skinny, fat, and everything in between. They were also completely nude so their blue skin showed in its full glory as they basked before the beauty of their goddess. She sat at her throne with red silk covering her naked form as these men continued to praise her perfection.

She drank from a goblet filled with the blood of the dead women and babies. The rich taste of innocent blood filled her with such joy that she almost failed to recognize Beelzebub's presence. She recognized his stench though and soon the men in her love nest started to make their move towards him.

One foolish boy was the first to make it. The boy tried to strike Beelzebub with a knife, but the Dark Lord snatched it from him then snapped the boy's neck. His corpse fell to the ground with an instant as blood slowly started to trail out from his neck.

"Stop!" the woman shouted to her men. "Let him pass."

The blue-skinned men stepped aside to allow Beelzebub to pass.

Beelzebub passed through the chorus of naked men so that he could approach his companion. He scanned the blonde haired woman, taking notice to her curvy physique and dark, mesmerizing eyes. Her body was of pure perfection and she had an aura that radiated with a godly brilliance.

It was through this perfection that drew men to their deaths. She was, after all, the Dark Lord of Lust. She gave men their purest, primal desires in exchange for the blood of their children and women. This wasn't the first planet that she had caused such mayhem for, but it wouldn't be the last if she had any say so.

As for Beelzebub, he needed to get her back on track.

"You as much of a whore as you've ever been," said Beelzebub. "You are supposed to be finding a way to release the King, not have a fucking orgy!"

"Relax, Beelzebub," whispered the woman. "I already know where the King is, we all do, remember? He's been sealed away in the Pit since we were kicked out." The woman rose up from her throne with the silk sheet she had covering her fall to the ground. Now, her complete form was exposed to the men who looked as if they would climax just by looking at her.

Beelzebub was disgusted by this as he pulled the sheet up to cover her up once more. The men would've attacked the Dark Lord, had she not stopped them once more. The men of this planet kept their calm, while Beelzebub felt himself about to lose every bit of his sanity because of her.

"Enough of this, Lilith!" spat Beelzebub. "You will learn to control yourself, whore. You need to learn your place. The King is and shall always be your top priority. His resurrection is all that matters to us."

Lilith pushed Beelzebub away from and shot angry glares from her lustful eyes. "Do not question my loyalty, scum!" shouted Lilith. "I love my King. My loyalty to him is never-ending. He showed me true love and compassion, something that not even my husband could grant me."

"And this is how you repay him!" said Beelzebub. "After he gave you the power of a Celestial, you repay him by fucking these mortals?"

"I would hold your tongue, Beelzebub," said Lilith. "These men are loyal to me, they will attack."

"Then I will slaughter them all within an instant," said Beelzebub. "My power is stronger then yours, Lilith, don't forget that. Now, return to your mission now. We must find and release the other Dark Lords before we can revive our King."

A cocky smile grew on the Dark Lord's face as she made her approach to the leather-clad man. Her hand touched his arm and she leaned her head against him. "There is one sealed away on this planet," Lilith interrupted. Before Beelzebub could interrupt, Lilith pointed to a temple in the distance. "Sloth is here. His tomb is on this planet, we can revive him if we work together, but it will take some time. The seals around him are strong."

Beelzebub was pleased to learn that Lilith was actually useful for something. He kept his eyes on the temple and sensed the power of his brother within the temple now. "We have some work to do then," said Beelzebub. "I will search for the other Dark Lords, while you work on freeing him. If I can find Greed then his spell casting will be strong enough to release Sloth."

"Good luck with that then," Lilith said, returning to her orgy as she removed her covering.

Beelzebub shook his head at her, realizing that the hope he had for her wouldn't last too long. He disappeared in a storm of black feathers as he returned to the stars to find the rest of his companions.

Lilith, on the other hand, got busy with the men of this planet and slowly began to devour their life-force so that she could work on freeing the Dark Lord of Sloth.

* * *

><p>Silver Hills was almost behind him now as he finished packing the last of his things into the trunk of his orange Camaro. He wasn't bringing much of his things with him to Angel Grove, mostly just the essentials like clothes, a TV, an air mattress and bedding. Everything else was either going to be furnished into his new apartment or he'd pick up at a store.<p>

The good thing was that he was finally going to be able to escape from his father. He was a bastard of a man who pretended like he didn't have a son until having a revelation after almost dying. That always infuriated him to no ends, but what made it worse was the fact that his father was a Power Ranger.

If it was one thing that pissed Junior off it was knowing that he was named after his father, Eric Myers, the Quantum Time Force Ranger. He hated being named Eric Myers with a passion that it motivated him to make such a move. Twenty years of being stuck in this hellhole was long enough for Junior; he was ready to get as far away from his father's shadow as possible.

Everything about his father pissed off this daddy issue riddled young man. It was bad enough that he was named after him, but it was worse because he looked almost exactly like him. Junior had to do things to change his appearance like build up a lot of muscle and shaving off his hair. He looked damn good, if he said so, but it didn't help much into masking the genetics he shared with that man.

Junior slammed his hood shut, deciding not to think about this any longer. He jumped into his car and took off as quickly as he could, missing the Silver Guardians SUV that had just pulled up. He avoided having to say goodbye to his dad, thankfully, but he had to admit that he'd miss his Uncle Wes.

Oh well, now was the beginning of a new journey for him. Nobody would stand in his way as he made his great escape.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Junior's arrival into Angel Grove brings with him a bit of trouble. Thrax and Zodiark plot to attack the people of Angel Grove directly to unleash a great power from within the Nexus. Junior gets caught up in the mess when their target is working on his car. Will the Rangers be able to stop an innocent's death before it's too late? Find out in **Orange Doesn't Rhyme!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Well, I finally finished another chapter! FYI, forgive me if updates will be slower. I started school so that means I have to start doing stuff and projects and work and stuff. I'll try to update in a timely manner but forgive me if they're like a week late. That's all I have to say. Read and review!**  
><strong>

**Orange Doesn't Rhyme: **

"Pass the ketchup," said Ric.

"Get it yourself, bitch," said Landon.

"Screw yourself, cunt," Ric snapped.

"Are you guys normally this mean to each other?" asked Tommy.

The roommates shrugged their shoulders as they started to laugh about their little argument. Landon handed the ketchup over to Ric so he could drizzle the red sauce onto his French fries. This still bothered Tommy as he tried to figure out how they could go from insulting each other to acting like nothing happened.

The guys were at lunch, while Alice was at the Command Center and the new sibling team was still at school. They figured that they could kill some time since Alice was finishing up some project that he was working on with Adam. There was no point in them getting in the way since that tended to get them yelled at by Alice. She was a little nit-picky when it came to her super, special top-secret projects.

Ric was just hoping that it would actually be something useful. Their usual weapons didn't do that good against Zodiark and his subordinates. Just yesterday, the Rangers had gotten into another fight with Umbra who was fighting like there was no tomorrow. The Rangers just barely managed to pull through, but Ric's back was still hurting him like a bitch as he sat uncomfortably on the cushioned chair.

Landon rather have Alice in his bed or her bed right now instead of hanging out with the guys. Not that he was sexist in any way; he was just a typical, horny guy. He had his own needs, but he always made sure to meet up with the needs of his lady friends.

As for Tommy, he just kind of adjusted to all this guy time and talk. He spent all of his existence around Adam and had no other human interaction before becoming the White Ranger. Sometimes being a clone wasn't that great, but Tommy had already accepted his fate as being different then everybody else. Tommy was just working on his future now, hoping that it would be a little more accepting and warmer compared to his past.

The last of their food made it to the table with the guys pouncing at it almost at once.

Landon had a nacho half-hanging out of his mouth when he decided to elbow Ric. The dangling French fry got knocked out from his hand and dropped onto his jeans. Ric cursed his roommate for a moment, while whipping the ketchup from his clothes.

"You're an ass, Lando," said Ric.

"And you're a borderline pedophile," laughed Landon. "Speaking of pedophilia, what do you have planned with Connor this weekend? He doesn't have school this Monday. You gonna violate his innocence, dirty old man?"

Ric rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but to crack a smile a bit. "This is different then being with a chick, man," said the Latino. "You can't rush things…well; actually things are easier to be rushed. Now with two guys, it can be a lot more painful. I don't want to end up breaking Connor in half because I'm such a beast in bed."

The two started to laugh a little, not at the expense of Connor, but just from typical guyness.

It was all strange to Tommy, but he'd eventually get used to it.

* * *

><p>Over at the Command Center, Alice was keying in the final sequence to their new toys that she had spent the past two weeks working on. Her eyes were practically glued onto the screen as her fingers hardly touched the keyboard for even a moment. Alpha and Adam were standing behind her, watching as she worked her technological magic into the system. The codes flashed across the screen for moments before Alice was able to get deep enough into the Morphing Grid to breathe life to their new toys.<p>

"Excellente!" Alice cheered as she jumped to her feet. "The gliders are fully operational now! We can use them whenever needed."

"Good job, Alice," Adam said, applauding her. He was honestly impressed by her technological expertise. It was great to have another Billy on the team. Adam's own knowledge on tech might have improved, but he had a long way to go before he was anywhere as good as Billy or even Alice. "With the gliders, you'll be able to go places where teleportation can't get you or in case the system is under repairs."

Alpha agreed with this new development. The robot had done his research and learned of various occasions were teleportation couldn't help previous teams of Rangers. Either the teleportation system had been damaged or their destination was blocked from teleporting. With these vehicles, it would make travel just as efficient for the Rangers as teleporting did.

"They're also armed," Alice said, smiling a tad. She pulled up a screen to display the image of her new babies to Adam. Her mentor would give it a quick, once over to make certain that the design would work properly both for flight and weapons.

Adam's eyes looked at the hovering screen as he focused on the firing power of each glider. The design was simplistic enough, baring a slight resemblance to the Galaxy Gliders that the Space Rangers used. These boards were colored in each Ranger's color with angelic-looking wings on the side and a non-pollutant based engine on the back. There were small armaments at the front of the gliders, appearing like small blasters that were capable of firing powerful lasers.

If used properly, these gliders could become excellent weapons for the Angel Force Rangers' battle against evil.

"You've certainly outdid yourself once again, Alice," said Adam. "I should let you run this operation."

As much as a compliment as that was, Alice knew she'd totally need Adam's help either way. They all did, he was a Veteran Ranger, while they were all new and barely learning the ropes. Granted, they did have Alpha there, but it wasn't the same as having a former Ranger leading you.

Alice retied her hair into a ponytail, exposing the sweat that lightly coated her forehead from all this technical work. She was a bit tired and could use a quick nap right about now. So she left Adam to finish working on finding them an Orange and Violet Ranger, while she went over to the couch to rest her tired head. First though, she had to fix her shirt up a bit since it had ridded up from all that sitting.

Meanwhile, Alpha returned his attention to monitoring the level of evil activity on the planet. He scrolled through the radar, searching for any single that monsters might be attacking anywhere.

So far, everything on Earth seemed fine, but that always had a way of changing quickly.

* * *

><p>"How much will this cost me?"<p>

"Two hundred," said the mechanic at Angel Grove Auto Shop.

"Alright," said the young man. "I'll just wait over there."

The mechanic walked back to the garage, leaving the young man alone in the shop. It was safe to assume that the customer wasn't happy as he sat down on a chair with his face buried in his hands. Two hundred dollars down the drain because he forgot to check on getting a part fixed before leaving Silver Hills. Now, he really had no choice but to pay for it since his Camero broke down outside of the city.

Eric Myers Junior was not thrilled to be stuck in this situation, but it was something he had to deal with. Junior sat down on the chair, zipping up his hoodie to cover his chest from getting too cold since he decided to only wear an orange muscle shirt. His jeans provided enough warmth and his feet were warm in his boots.

The drive up to Angel Grove had been pretty much uneventful until he had pulled into the city. The minute that happened, Junior's car decided to crap out on him, which was just his luck. When he had finally escaped the shadow of that jerk of a dad, this had to happen to him. If Junior had any hair then he'd rip it off, but he didn't have much. His trimmed nails wouldn't be able to pluck out the small buzz of hair left on his half-Chinese and half-Anglo head.

As he lingered in all this hate and boredom, another car pulled into the garage. Junior ignored the existence of the car when he realized that the understaffed shop would have more trouble finishing up his car. There were only three mechanics on duty today instead of the usual seven so that's why his car would take so long.

The door opened up with a teenager stepping inside. Junior briefly lifted his head up to see the boy was dressed from head to toe in black with a skinny, red tie dangling around his neck. The boy's skinny frame and ginger colored hair made him look a little out of the ordinary even with his Oriental looks.

For a minute, Junior found his breath taken by the innocent beauty of the boy. Even with all the black on, the boy looked about as sweet as can be. It left Junior feeling mesmerized before he pushed aside those thoughts to return to the miserable state he was in.

Connor entered the shop and saw that there was only one other empty seat. He started to make his way towards Junior who went back to ignoring everything at this point. "Is that seat taken?" asked the teenage boy.

Junior shook his head, allowing Connor to sit beside him.

The boy took the seat and briefly glanced at his temporary neighbor for the duration of their stay. "My name's Connor," said the boy.

"Junior," said the newcomer.

Connor got the chance to briefly look at Junior's face. The boy didn't bother to hide his smile though, but he did tone it down some as he looked at the rugged face and what seemed like a very hard body. The light stubble along Junior's chin that made this stranger look really hot, which reminded him to make Ric grow out his facial hair some. That was something that Connor always had a weakness for on guys.

It made him want to blush as he thought about how he thought that this stranger was hot when he already had a boyfriend.

Bad! Bad Connor!

To scratch out those bad thoughts, Connor got his phone out and quickly began to text Ric some random nonsense.

* * *

><p>The Nexus was glowing as a new monster was ripped out from the Fade. The throne room in Castle Pandemonium flashed before the villains that had gathered to welcome this new threat to the Earthlings. Thrax and Zodiark were particularly interested in what this monster could offer them in defeating the Power Rangers.<p>

As the light dimmed out, the monster from the Fade came into view.

The monster bore an appearance that looked like some kind of car-humanoid hybrid. The monster had black, leathery skin with tires on its arms and legs. A pair of mufflers were sticking up from its shoulders with a pair of headlights on its chest. A license plate that said MONSTER could be seen at the front of its waist with a bumper circling around. The head of the monster looked robotic as its mouth was covered by a metal plate and its eyes glowing yellow.

Everyone wondered how this particular monster came into existence. Monsters were known for being more monstrous then machine based, but these mortals were unaware of the monsters' evolution. It was something that they had yet to fully comprehend.

"You are the ones who summoned Gilgamesh," said the monster. "Where is he?"

"Dead," Thrax said, bluntly. "He was killed by the Power Rangers."

The monster appeared saddened by this news, but kept its emotions in check, nonetheless. "As we thought," said the monster. "I am Auto-Zone. I will avenge Gilgamesh by destroying the Power Rangers."

"Like we haven't heard that one before," Kratein said, rolling his eyes. "What makes you better than the other monsters that have been sent against the Rangers?"

Auto-Zone said not a word to the smart-mouthed boy, but instead focused its attention onto Zodiark and Thrax. They were the obvious leaders of this party so it would only accept orders and questions from these two. Their subordinates were of no importance to the monster.

"Before you go down to Earth," Zodiark interrupted, "there is something I must know. Gilgamesh claimed that the monsters were his brothers and sisters. Do you feel the same about him and the others?"

"We monsters are all related, sir," said Auto-Zone. "We all hail from the Primordial. It is through the Primordial that the Fathers were born followed by the rest of us."

"The significance of this, Zodiark, is what?" growled Thrax, his sight blinded with blood.

This was the perfect opportunity that Zodiark had been looking for. It was time that everyone present received a better education. "And who are the Fathers and Primordial?" asked Zodiark. "What are they to you monsters? How do they connect you all together?"

"The Fathers are the first of our kind," said the monster. "The Fathers are the five original monsters, but the Primordial is the creator of all monsters. Most of us do not believe in the existence of the Primordial, but the Fathers are present in the Fade. That archway you have is a gateway to the Fade."

Auto-Zone touched the cold stone with its leathery hands, feeling the power of this archway. It inhaled the intoxicating aroma to identify the blood that had been used to sedate the hunger. "You've used human blood to feed the gateway," said the monster. "Enough blood has been spilt to summon us, but more is still needed if you wish to pull the Fathers out."

"So it seems we have a new mission then," Thrax said, clinging onto his Z-Staff. He started to circle around Auto-Zone and the Nexus, smiling as he touched the stone. "Yes, then that shall be your mission. Go feed the Nexus with more human blood so that we may summon these fathers. And if the Power Rangers get in your way then do not hesitate in destroying them."

The monster nodded in agreement before disappearing from sight.

Thrax continued to stare at the Nexus, realizing just now how powerful this gateway was. He never thought to study the origins of monsters since he cared only for destroying this miserable planet. But now, now there was a new goal that could be reached in finally ridding himself of those accursed Power Rangers.

If Thrax could summon the original monsters then nothing could stand in his way.

Zodiark merely stood there, feeling Thrax's noggin as it got to work. The Dark Prince finally succeeded in nudging Thrax in the direction that he wanted him to go. Zodiark's plans could finally move forward, back on track to his timeline.

Dark Knight noticed that glimmer in Zodiark's eyes, and began to fear the worst for his master. The knight was well aware of the potential of the Nexus. He had never intended for Thrax to learn of its true purpose, but Zodiark seemed to be more knowledgeable about the subject then the knight could've expected. If something wasn't done soon then Thrax would venture into an area of untold darkness.

He would not allow that to happen to his master.

* * *

><p>Junior continued to sit beside Connor, while Haley was finishing up the inspection for her car before closing time. Junior could not wait until he had his baby back and it was running smoothly again. He'd be able to get a decent room somewhere for the night and just crash out for at least a day before going on the jobapartment hunt. At least he already had a few applications circling around the city so he had something to start with.

Connor continued to fire a few texts over at Ric, while going over some notes for his English test in his head. He went over the things that might show up on his test for Dorian Gray. He loved the book and read it five times so he was pretty certain that he'd get an A on it.

Haley had just walked inside with a triumphant look on her face. She dangled her keys up to signal Connor that it was time to head out. The boy said goodbye to the stranger before getting up on his feet to leave.

As they went around back, a flash caught Junior's attention. He lifted his head up just in time to hear the panicking cries of people. There was a monster outside of the shop with a group of Putties dancing around him.

Auto-Zone had found its destination, choosing to take the blood from this family run business. The Putties started to make their way into the garage in order to create some havoc. The mechanics were panicking as they tried to get away from the monsters that were coming after them.

Junior pushed the door to the garage open as a rush of adrenaline hit him hard. He jumped into the air where he kicked a Putty in the chest with his boot. It managed to hit the Putty in the large T, causing it to burst apart into nothing.

There was another Putty behind him that tried to grab hold of Junior, but the young man had already expected such a move. He grabbed a broken rim from a small tray and used it to smash the Putty across the face with. Junior's movement was so quick and flawless that the Putty failed to expect it as it got swatted down.

Auto-Zone stomped its way inside of the garage where it saw Junior fighting off Putties. "How dare you get in the way of my mission, mortal!" said the monster. "Well, no matter. Your blood shall feed the Nexus nicely. Heroes like you are always full of virtuous blood."

"Kiss my ass!" shouted Junior.

He threw the broken rim like a disc, which managed to fly across the garage before knocking the monster in the face. The metal rim bounced away once it came into contact, making Auto-Zone stumbled back outside of the garage. Junior grabbed onto a chain that held the doors opened and used it to get out of there in no time. He swung around for a bit, using the momentum to kick the monster in the chest next.

Auto-Zone wasn't happy at all as this mortal lay a hurting onto him. The remaining Putties began to circle around the monster, awaiting further command. "I'll get you for this!" shouted the monster. It raised an arm up with the tire beginning to rotate in rapid speed. Just as Auto-Zone was about to attack, an arrow shot into the rim of the tire, which stopped it from moving.

Black Ranger and Pink Ranger showed up, putting themselves in front of Junior. Black Ranger held his Heaven Bow up and took the liberty to fire a few more arrows after Auto-Zone and the Putties. The arrow exploded all around them, while Pink Ranger urged Junior to get out of the way.

Junior was frozen still though, thinking how he got involved into this mess with the Power Rangers. Then he remembered that whole jumping in to be a hero thing. He blamed his father for those heroic instincts and listening to too many of Uncle Wesley's stories.

Pink Ranger got Junior out of there just in time to.

Auto-Zone was no longer taking anymore interference from the Rangers as he prepared to attack again. The Putties charged forward to serve as a distraction that was quickly snuffed out. A stream of fire and a powerful gust of wind tore the Putties apart into nothing. Auto-Zone looked above the garage to see the other Rangers were present as well.

"If you want to attack one of us then you have to go through all of us!" shouted Red Ranger.

The Rangers leaped down from the roof of the garage to become full united. The six Rangers could make quick work of Auto-Zone if they wanted too. And the monster was no fool, it saw just how little of a chance that it stood against the Rangers right now.

"Ugh, curse you, Rangers!" shouted the monster as it vanished.

For now, it looked like the Rangers actually got away without too much trouble.

* * *

><p>After the Rangers had beaten back Auto-Zone, they all returned to the Command Center to discuss this latest threat. They had all powered down in order to get a bit more comfortable as they stretched themselves out from the fight. Alice checked on Haley and Connor to make sure that neither one would need any healing from the healing bed.<p>

"It certainly was an odd monster," said Haley.

"That guy from Silver Hills though fought it off before we jumped in," Connor told the others. "He seems pretty cool. I've never seen someone so brave before. Even without powers that didn't stop him from fighting to save all those people."

Ric did a fake cough as he sat beside Connor on the sofa. He had his arm slung around the boy's frail shoulders, making Connor know that he stepped into dangerous territory. The boy seemed too star-struck to really care though as he continued about how brave their stranger was.

All while Ric rolled his eyes and kept thinking how much cooler he was then some stranger.

Landon and Alice easily could smell the jealousy coming from Ric. They had to fight the urge to laugh at him, while Alice continued to focus on her scan on the monster. She was trying to see if it appeared on any database, but nothin seemed to make a match.

"Why is it that all these monsters and Daimons we face don't seem to appear anywhere?" asked the dark-skinned woman. "I mean, some of their names appear as other things, but never the creature itself. All the other Rangers had some form of a reference point, it's like we're fighting creatures from out of thin air."

"Maybe not thin air," corrected Adam. "This place that the monsters and Daimons are being summoned from has to be somewhere no Ranger or human, for that matter, ventured too. We are fighting in uncharted territory."

"Still though, I wonder what this Fade place is," said Tommy. "Maybe if we can find out where that is then we can figure out what we're up against."

"That is an excellent idea, Tommy!" Alpha 8 said, cheerfully agreeing. "I will see if I can find some assistance on our search. We might have allies who've come across something that might push us in the right direction." The Alpha bot quickly got to work on pulling up potential references that might be able to help the Rangers. It scrolled through the countless individuals that popped up and highlighted the ones that seemed most helpful in this particular search.

"How many allies do we have?" asked Landon.

"Yeah and how come they don't fight with us!" joked Ric.

Adam shook his head for a moment before he began to explain to the Rangers the network that was at work here. He had all of their attention at the moment so he might as well use it right. "Our allies range from previous generations of Rangers and their associates," explained Adam. "I've made contact with various Power Rangers back in the day, I also branched out to learn about other Rangers across the galaxy. The reason that they can't help us is because most Rangers lost their powers fighting off evil. Right now, only about half of all Rangers retained even some of their powers."

"So they wouldn't be much help if they physically fought alongside us," added Haley.

"Exactly," said Adam, "but I wouldn't fret just yet, Rangers." Their mentor went over to the keyboard and typed in a few keys. Within seconds, the podium that their Morphers were housed in began to rise up. Adam pulled open the top to show off the two remaining Crystal Morphers only to have the Orange Morpher spring to life on its own.

The Orange Crystal Morpher abandoned the Violet Morpher and began to hover into the air for a moment. Everyone watched the Crystal, wondering just what had Adam done this time. Adam only smiled though as the Crystal teleported on its own accord, disappearing for parts unknown.

"What just happened?" asked Connor. "Did someone just steal the crystal?"

"No," said Adam. "The sensors discovered a potential Ranger candidate. Pretty soon, a new Ranger will be joining the team."

If that wasn't enough to excite the Rangers then Adam didn't know what to do.

* * *

><p>Haley and Connor returned to the shop to retrieve her car, but Connor had something else on his agenda. While Haley was busy getting her car from frantic mechanics, Connor was on a search for a certain young man.<p>

Connor went around back to spot Junior leaning against the building with a cigarette in his mouth. The initial smell of the smoke bothered him, but his body adjusted quickly enough since it wasn't as thick or harsh as the one his foster father had used. Connor bounced his way over to the young man, gaining Junior's attention with each step he made.

Junior turned his head slightly to the side with an eyebrow raised up. This was to show Connor that he was listening, but didn't exactly give a damn.

"What you did earlier was pretty brave," Connor told him. "I've never seen someone do that so willingly. You jumped in to help everyone without any hesitation."

A smirk crossed Junior's lips as he took a deep drag from his cigarette. He took down the rest of it before stomping out the small flame with the back of his heel. "Fighting is in my blood, you can say," said the young man. He kept his back against the wall with his head tilted up so that the sun could beat against his skin.

The sun always did have a way of calming him down.

Connor took liberty of standing beside Junior at the wall with his head tilted up a little. It was plenty obvious that Connor was a little paler than normal, Junior thought he could use a shade of color onto the skin. "And that's supposed to mean?" Connor asked, keeping the conversation going. "How is fighting in your blood? Were your parents' fighters or something?"

"Or something," Junior said to the noisy boy. Wishing that he had another smoke since he bummed out his last cigarette, Junior looked at the boy. For some odd reason, just looking at Connor was enough to make him want to venture out into uncharted waters. What that could possibly mean was left unknown to the young man.

"My dad was a Power Ranger," confessed Junior. "He's Eric Myers, the Quantum Time Force Ranger. Hence why I'm a Junior."

Connor sensed the dissatisfaction when he heard Junior mention his father. It was enough to make him think about that monster of a foster father, but the boy doubted Junior's situation was anywhere near that bad. "My adopted parents are Jason Lee Scott and Kimberly Ann Hart, the original Red and Pink Mighty Morphin Rangers," said Connor. "That girl is my adopted sister, their biological daughter."

"Wow," Junior said, nodding his head. "You are certainly a lot more interesting then you appear at first glance. Here I thought you were just some typical, Asian emo boy."

"And here I just thought you were some meat-headed Asian. There's a lot that we don't know about each other. Appearances are very deceiving," said Connor. He paused for a moment before deciding to give a little more. "The Power Rangers have always been involved with my life. I've been rescued by them more times than I can count. I owe a lot to them."

"My dad abandoned my mom when they were in high school and she was pregnant with me," said Junior. "He didn't have the balls to comeback until after he went through his whole Power Ranger time. I was like eight when he came knocking back, at least mom was smart enough not to fall back in love. She still tried to get me to have a relationship with him though."

"I'm sorry," Connor said, sadly.

Junior just shrugged his shoulders as he moved away from the wall. He ran a hand along his scalp before walking back towards the shop. "C'est la vie," said Junior. "That is life." He left Connor with those words as he returned to the building to check on the progress of his car.

* * *

><p>Auto-Zone had returned to the moon a beaten monster.<p>

The monster's initial attack had gone smoothly until a tough mortal decided to intervene. Not long after the intervention, the Power Rangers had shown up to run its day. So now Auto-Zone was going to have to face the consequences now that he was back on the moon.

Thrax stood there, waiting for the monster with Lightning and Dark Knight present. Zodiark and his band of warriors had returned to their ship for the moment, so the monster only had to worry about these three. It wasn't going to bother including the Putties that stood guard around the throne room and the rest of the castle.

"You failed," Thrax said, bitterly. "You allowed an Earthling to make a fool out of you!"

"Forgive me, sir," the monster said, respectfully. It was odd just how polite that Auto-Zone was compared to most monsters. It seemed that Auto-Zone had grown up with some form of respect being forced into its head. "The mortal was stronger than I expected. I will now allow myself to be so easily overpowered."

Thrax slammed his Z-Staff into the ground with a crackle of energy forming beneath his feet. "You are damn right!" shouted the mutant. He swung his staff forward, releasing a bolt of lightning from the metal weapon. Raw energy struck Auto-Zone in the chest with Thrax supply the monster with more power.

Auto-Zone still cried out in pain though as Thrax forced more power into the monster's being.

* * *

><p>Junior was debating with the only mechanic left to get his car back since the shop would be closing soon. Since they failed to finish the repairs, he was hoping that it would be in good enough condition to at least get him to a motel or something.<p>

The mechanic brushed off the blood that was leftover on his hand from the monster attack. He failed to spot that earlier when he was washing up, while everyone else had gone home to avoid getting attacked again. "We can't let go of your car, Mr. Myers," said the mechanic. "It's too much of a road hazard. It would be putting your life in danger."

"So then when will it get fixed?" asked the frustrated, young adult. "I need my car. All my stuff is in there."

"The best we can do is tomorrow morning."

Once again, Junior found himself cursing his luck as he stormed out of the office. The mechanic called out his apology while the young man was leaving. There was nothing more the mechanic could so he hurried up to lock up the shop before taking off home.

This left Junior with nothing as he sat at the curb with his face buried in his hands and a duffel bag at his side. He had no means of getting around town and the nearest motel/hotel was about ten minutes away if you were driving. Since he had no form of transportation, he was either going to have to work on catching a cab or finding a bus.

Either way, this meant that Junior was not a happy camper at all.

Lucky for him though, Connor had convinced Haley to stick around for a little longer. Haley sat in the car with the engine still going, while Connor approached the frustrated youth. Connor sat down beside him and touched his shoulder with his hand.

"If you want," Connor said, interrupting Junior's anger, "my sister and I can give you a ride somewhere. It would be no trouble at all to drop you off where you need to go."

The kindness in the boy's voice was heart-warming, enough to make Junior brighten up a bit. Junior thanked Connor, but decided that it would be best if he just find a cab or something. He got back on his feet and grabbed his duffel bag before waving Connor off.

Connor was about to watch Junior walk away when the monster from earlier returned with a whole new look. Auto-Zone flashed into view with a wicked paint job. Instead of the black leather look, the monster was colored a flaming red with spikes appearing on its tires. Fire was also painted onto its body around the legs and arms.

Junior felt Auto-Zone's presence and turned to find the monster standing between them.

"Well, my luck has certainly turned around!" said Auto-Zone. The monster focused on Junior, pointing at the newcomer with its finger. "Now I get to have my revenge for the humiliation I suffered!" It then sensed Connor and turned around to face the boy that stood there. "And I even get to feed the Nexus with the blood of an innocent! Oh yes, my fortune is certainly getting better."

"I'd like a second opinion on that! HIYA!"

A foot crashed against the back of the monster, knocking Auto-Zone against the cement wall of the mechanic shop. Junior and Connor looked to the side to see that it was the Pink Ranger who had attacked the monster. Pink Ranger grabbed hold of her Angel Sword just as the monster was getting back on its feet.

Junior saw that this was about to get very bad so his instincts jumped into the way. He sprinted forward and snatched Connor by his hand where he quickly whisked the boy out of here. Connor tried to fight the grip, but Junior's grip was remarkably tight so he easily dragged the light-weight boy out of this soon to be battlefield.

Pink Ranger didn't seem to have any objections though since she found herself quickly being busy with the monster.

Auto-Zone charged towards Pink Ranger, swinging its heavy fist at the young woman. She managed to dive out of the way and got back on her feet in an instant. Pink Ranger tried to slash the monster with her Angel Sword, but Auto-Zone moved out of the way and returned fire by firing one of the spikes from its tire.

The spike exploded against Pink Ranger and sent her flying back with remarkable force.

* * *

><p>The Command Center was alerted to the monster activity so the Rangers were on the move once again. Landon and the other morphed before making it outside where they hoped onto their Crystal Gliders to take them out on the maiden voyage. Each Ranger jumped on their individual glider before racing off in the direction of where Haley was fighting on her own.<p>

The Rangers zoomed across the city with many of the people watching as they flew. Blue Ranger saluted a couple of people from his glider before Yellow Ranger told him to get serious. Red Ranger and White Ranger were leading the pack as they tried to make it to their companion as quickly as possible.

Back over at the shop, Pink Ranger was still on her own against Auto-Zone. Connor still hadn't gotten back from getting dragged away so she really had to hold down the fort for as long as possible. No big deal though, she was confident enough in herself that she could keep things calm until the other Rangers showed up for backup.

Auto-Zone charged up his tires and chose to fire one of them at the Ranger. The Monster swung his arm forward, releasing the spinning tire at full speed. Pink Ranger got smashed in the chest by the spiked tire and got hit with a serious hurting as she flew onto the sidewalk, landing on her back.

Pink Ranger saw that the monster was easily too strong for her now with that paint job that it got. Whatever happened to Auto-Zone, the monster's attack power was twice as strong now, meaning she really couldn't fight this one on her own after all.

"I could really use some help here!" the Ranger shouted into the sky.

"Nobody will save you, girlie!" laughed the monster. "You are all mine now."

Auto-Zone retrieved the tire that it lost and reattached it to its arm. The monster then held both its arms up with the tires rotating at remarkable speeds as it prepared to fire its spikes. In rapid succession, Auto-Zone's spikes shot out from the tires and were racing at the Pink Ranger yet again. The young woman braced herself for the worst as she flinched up into the ball, waiting for the inevitable.

Luckily, the other Rangers were within range to help their beaten companion. Red Ranger and White Ranger fired the lasers from their gliders, which shot down each of the spikes before it could hit Pink Ranger. It was safe to say that both monster and Ranger were surprised by this, but this was a good surprise for Pink Ranger.

The Rangers leaped from their gliders, which returned to their holding area. The Rangers landed beside their companion with White Ranger kneeling down to help Pink Ranger up. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Yellow Ranger stood at the guard as they prepared to charge the monster on their own.

"Are you alright, Haley?" White Ranger asked, holding her as he helped her up.

"Lots better now that you guys are here," Pink Ranger said, blushing behind her helmet.

Yellow Ranger had to get into the brewing romantic bubble as she held up her Holy Pistols. "It looks like my gliders are a big hit then!" she said, happily. "Now, let's go kick some monster ass!"

"With you on that one!" Red Ranger said, arming himself with the Aurora Sword.

"But where's Connor?" asked Blue Ranger.

"Got dragged away by a civilian," said Pink Ranger. "He should be fine though. The guy only meant to get him away from the fighting."

Blue Ranger nodded his head before joining the others with his weapon. He swung the Glory Hammer around his head and got ready for battle.

Auto-Zone, however, did not seem amused by the Rangers being here. It was having so much fun knocking the Pink Ranger around. "I'll teach you, Power Brats, to make a mockery of me!" shouted the monster.

"I think you accomplished that one on your own!" shouted White Ranger. "You're the one who looks like a Transformers reject!"

"I'll show you a reject!" shouted the monster.

Auto-Zone's body started to change for but a moment. It became an odd-looking racecar that started to zoom at remarkable speeds. The Rangers tried to stop Auto-Zone with their powers, but the monster's speed was too much even for them.

Fire escaped the monstrous's car body thus burning the Rangers with an intense heat. The five Rangers were easily blown away as Auto-Zone parked on the street before returning to its regular form. It succeeded though in beating the Rangers back since each one were lying on the ground, whimpering over their injuries.

"Take note, Tommy," said Yellow Ranger, "don't insult monsters, especially after they got an upgraded."

"Dually noted!" White Ranger said, struggling to stand.

* * *

><p>Connor was still getting dragged away from the fight by Junior. The boy tried to get Junior to let him go or even stop him from running so much. If Connor really wanted to then he could outdo Junior with the whole running thing, but they weren't allowed to risk exposure. So the youth had to settle with the next best thing in order to stop all this running before they winded up in Mexico.<p>

Finding a section of arm fat, which was difficult because of all the monster, Connor tugged on the skin to get Junior's undivided attention. The initial shock of having his skin tugged was enough to get Junior to take a break from all that running. He had been dragging Connor away from the fight for almost ten minutes straight now.

"Why the hell did you pinch me?" shouted Junior.

"Why wouldn't you listen to me?" Connor shouted back.

"I'm trying to get us away from the monster," said Junior. "I was trying to save your life." There was a pause though as Junior started to move away from Connor. The man leaned back against the wall of a building to reclaim all the breath he lost. "I didn't want to see you get hurt."

The open honesty behind his voice was enough to make Connor's heart beat like a hammer against his chest. It was wrong to think this, but Connor actually felt a little giddy the way that Junior had said that. It was almost like when he was with Ric, but the boy couldn't think about that not since he was in a committed relationship. He wouldn't be one of those guys; he wouldn't be a man-whore.

Connor couldn't fight the giddy factor though as he leaned against the wall, beside Junior. For a moment, the boy was completely speechless until he heard an explosion going off. The boy immediately felt utterly terrified as he looked back towards the direction of the shop where he saw only one figure standing. Deep down, Connor knew that his friends had been defeated and it would be up to him now to finish the fight.

He held onto the black bracelet on his wrist and thought about it for a second. He briefly looked back at Junior who didn't seem to be paying any attention so he started to run. But once again, Connor's wrist was snatched before he could get too far. The boy looked back to see that Junior had stopped him once again.

"You can't be serious!" said Junior. "You can't go back there. You'll get yourself killed."

"I have to though," Connor said, finally breaking free. "I have to help."

"There's no way you'd win on your own though," said Junior. "I don't want you to get hurt, kid."

The sincerity behind Junior's voice was still surprising to Connor, but that wasn't why he was incomplete shock right now. An orange burst of light appeared in the sky before it started to rocket down towards them. Connor, out of instinct, pulled Junior away from the fall object only for it to stop on its own.

The orange burst turned out to be the Orange Crystal Morpher that had left the Command Center earlier that day. Connor knew at once that the Crystal Morpher had chosen Junior to be the Orange Angel Force Ranger. As for Junior, he stared at the strange object with a great deal of curiosity. He was completely oblivious to another explosion that had gone off back at the shop, while Connor knew they needed to hurry.

Connor grabbed the Crystal Morpher, which didn't fight his touch for a even a second. The boy then turned and held it out to Junior. "I believe that this belongs to you now," said Connor. "Welcome to the team."

Junior took the Morpher, his eyes still glued onto the shine of the orange feather. The crystal felt almost weightless in his hands, yet it felt like something heavy was inside of it. There was a great deal of responsibility that came with this, Junior knew that at once as he clenched onto the Crystal Morpher.

"What is this?" asked Junior.

"Your Crystal Morpher," said Connor. "You're a Power Ranger now, like me." The boy removed the bracelet on his wrist which became his Crystal Morpher. The black, feather crystal shinned about as much as the orange one in Junior's hand. "Follow my lead. It's pretty easy."

Junior was in complete shock though after hearing the word Power Ranger. He never intended him to become one, not since his jerk of a dad was one. But that didn't stop him from accepting the power as he followed Connor's lead.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" Connor shouted, holding his Crystal Morpher up. Soon, a storm of black feathers began to surround Connor's body as it transformed him into a Ranger.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Junior, following his movement.

Orange feathers appeared from nowhere and wrapped themselves around Junior's body. The power felt so unreal, but it felt utterly right as Junior embraced this new gift. The feathers completely consumed him as he transformed into the Orange Ranger.

* * *

><p>The five Rangers were getting badly beaten by Auto-Zone as the monster continued to ride around in its car form. There was plenty of scorch marks burned into the road as the monster zoomed around all over the place to hit the Rangers with intense heat. After the sixth time of getting hit, you'd figure that the Rangers would give up.<p>

At least they were persistent buggers, thought Auto-Zone.

The car-like monster reverted back into its humanoid form with a cocky laugh escaping it. The monster brought his hands together as it looked around at the beaten Rangers that continued to lie down on the ground. "And here I thought that the Rangers were great heroes!" laughed the monster. "I don't see how you could've defeated by brothers and sisters." Auto-Zone raised its fist up into the air, gathering a ball of electrical energy that would really rip the Ranges apart. "No matter, they shall all be avenged today!"

"Shadow Heaven Arrow!"

A black arrow surrounded by shadows flew across the road to smash into the monster's fist. This caused Auto-Zone to rip out a painful cry, while giving the other Rangers the opportunity to get back on their feet.

Black Ranger leaped into view, landing beside his companions with his Heaven Bow in hand. He kept the bow up and was ready to shoot another arrow at Auto-Zone if it tried anything funny. "Sorry to keep you all waiting," said Black Ranger. "I got held up for a while there, but I can safely say that I brought you all a present."

"What kind of present?" asked Yellow Ranger.

"An orange one," said the youngest Ranger.

This seemed to confuse the Rangers for a moment as they tried to figure out what he had planned. Auto-Zone didn't seem to care though as it regained its footing and prepared to fire the spikes from its tires. But before Auto-Zone could do anything, the monster got hit with a few blasts that did not come from Black Ranger.

The Rangers all turned to the side to see someone in an orange suit with a gun in hand. This new face wore a uniform similar to theirs, but more directly looked like the one that White Ranger wore. The change was that instead of wearing white, this figure wore orange. He also bore the golden belt, the wings on his back, and a cross on his chest that was colored gold like White Ranger. He also had on the vest that covered up part of the cross and the wings.

In his hand was a Twilight Ray that he spun around in hand before returning it to its holster. This new Ranger stated to dust his hands off before placing them on his waist. "It looks like I showed up at just the right time," said the newcomer. "Better late than never, I say."

"And who are you!" growled Auto-Zone.

"You can't tell?" The young man pretended to rub his nose, despite the fact that his helmet prevented any touching of the nose. He then swung his fists around a bit before keeping one outreached. "I am powered by Spirit of Sunlight. I am the Orange Angel Force Ranger!"

Auto-Zone did not like that a seventh Ranger had joined with the others. As for the other six, they seemed thrilled by having another Ranger fighting beside them. It was exactly what they needed for such desperate times.

Orange Ranger quickly jumped into the fray as he landed not too far from where the monster stood. Auto-Zone charged after this new Ranger, not really caring that it didn't know any of the abilities that this youth might hold. The monster tried to throw its fist at the Ranger, but he easily caught it with just one hand. Orange Ranger returned the gesture by punching the monster with his other hand.

The strength behind the Orange Ranger's powers was strong enough to knock the monster back. Auto-Zone landed at a small distance in the middle of the road. It got back on its feet though and prepared to fire its spikes once more, this time swearing that it would kill the Rangers.

"You might want to rethink that strategy!" said Orange Ranger. A few notes appeared in his helmet, letting the new Ranger know what he was capable of. So without further ado, he held his hand forward to summon a large spear. The spear had a medieval design to it with an orange blade and a black base. "Celestial Spear! Allow me to show you what the power of Sunlight is capable of!"

Orange Ranger took off towards the monster, while it was nearing firing mode. Orange Ranger twisted his spear around and used it to give him a bit of lift. "Shinning Celestial Leap!" shouted the Ranger. The Celestial Spear began to glow as an orange wave of energy touched the ground, causing the Ranger to jump a great leap.

For a moment, Orange Ranger was completely out of sight, leaving the monster and the other Rangers very much confused. However, what comes up must come down. Orange Ranger came back down to the ground with his spear pointed down at the monster. The second that the spear made contact, a bright wave of heat escaped the Celestial Spear and struck Auto-Zone with its full fury.

Auto-Zone truly howled in pain as Orange Ranger delivered the final blow, putting an end to this monster.

The celebrations was cut short though as lightning came down from the sky to the ground where Auto-Zone once stood. The dark energy began to tamper with the monster's ashes, breathing renewed life into it. Auto-Zone was brought back and had grown to gigantic proportions now.

"Just what we needed," said Red Ranger. "It looks like it's time to call the Zords."

"Wait, Rangers!" Alpha said through the Communicators. "Orange Ranger and White Ranger, you must know the capabilities of your Zords. If you bring your Zords together then you'll be able to form the Archangel Megazord."

"Sweet!" said White Ranger. "Thanks, Alpha."

The other Rangers took the lead though as they called on their Angel Force Zords. The five Zords appeared just as they were called, causing the Rangers to leap up to form their Megazord. In a matter of moments, Angel Force Megazord was ready to fight against the giant Auto-Zone.

While that was done, White Ranger turned over to Orange Ranger. He held his arm up with his hand clenched into a fist. "Follow my lead!" said the White Ranger. "I call upon the Archangel Power! Archangel Zords, I summon you!"

There was a burst of light in the sky as two Zords appeared out of nowhere. White Tiger Zord led the pair with a new friend trailing behind it. Orange Ranger found himself looking at the large size of his Orange Rhino Zord. This new Zord appeared like very much like a typical rhino with horns and thick skin.

"Now that's a sweet ride," said Orange Ranger. "Let's get in them!"

The two Rangers jumped inside the cockpits of their Zords. White Ranger instructed Orange Ranger in the Megazord sequence so soon they both inserted the Crystal Morphers into the proper slots. With that done, they called for the Zords to begin their combination sequence to become a new Megazord.

"Archangel Megazord, Power Up!" shouted the duo.

Tiger Zord rolled onward as it shifted around in its typical, Megazord function. For the new Megazord, Tiger Zord would serve as the torso and arms as usual. Rhino Zord emitted a growl before running onward with its body twisting around. The back and front of the Zord grew longer before twisting around to form robotic legs. The Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord met at the middle, completing the combination sequence with the Megazord's head rising up. A golden V appeared on the head of the Megazord, signaling the end of the transformation sequence.

Archangel Megazord stood in the middle of the city alongside Angel Force Megazord. The two Megazords would be more than enough to handle a fight against a single monster. Even if Auto-Zone had received another power boost by growing into a giant monster, the Rangers were confident enough in their skill.

In the cockpit of the new Megazord, White Ranger and Orange Ranger grabbed hold of the controls as they sat beside each other. They quickly adjusted to this new function so that they could put the hurting on Auto-Zone.

Archangel Megazord used its hand to press it against Angel Force Megazord.

"We'll handle this one!" said Orange Ranger. "We need to test this puppy and see what it can do."

Angel Force Megazord saluted them both before taking a step back to give them room.

Archangel Megazord charged onward, ready to face Auto-Zone on their own. The monster only laughed at the pathetic attempt of the Power Rangers as it began its first attack. Finally, it managed to launch all the spikes from the tires around its body which began to explode all around the Archangel Megazord.

This attack was hardly enough to slow the new Megazord down even for a moment. White Ranger and Orange Ranger kept the Megazord moving forward through all the explosions.

When the Megazord was close enough, Archangel Megazord smashed its fist into the torso of the monster. Auto-Zone stumbled backward just before kicking kicked by the rhino face of the Megazord's leg. The horns on the Rhino Zord did exactly as it would've done separate from the Megazord. It slashed across the front of Auto-Zone, exposing the leathery insides of the monster.

Auto-Zone covered this exposed section, while gasping for air at this point. "No!" shouted Auto-Zone. "It will not end like this. Not after I received all this power. I must destroy you!"

"Today isn't your lucky day, friend!" said White Ranger.

"You really shouldn't have gotten out of bed this morning!" laughed Orange Ranger.

"Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the duo.

Archangel Megazord raised its left arm up with a heavy cannon taking form. The other arm of the Megazord was used to hold the weapon steady as the Rangers inputted the firing sequence. A swirl of orange and white energy began to mold within the cannon before unleashing a powerful burst of light.

The hot ball of light raced through the city until it went right through Auto-Zone. The monster gave out a final cry of agony before exploding into completely nothing.

With Auto-Zone defeated, the Rangers could claim another victory for their side.

* * *

><p>Victory was celebrated in the Command Center for more than one reason. For starters, the Rangers have saved the day from another one of Thrax and Zodiark's monsters. Then they also got a new teammate and a new Megazord out of it with Junior. And the crown jewel, at least for Connor, was that the boy had his life saved by their new friend today.<p>

Connor got in front of Junior's face as he stood in the middle of the Command Center. The other Rangers, Adam, and Alpha were standing around to welcome the new Ranger to the fold. "I guess that means I have a life debt to payback," Connor said, smiling over at Junior. He waved a single finger in front of the young man's face though to prove that point. "You only get one though! If you get in trouble any other times then I'm not obligated to save your skin."

"You're a sweet kid," Junior said, sarcastically.

"He means well," said Ric. He wrapped his arm around Connor's shoulder, pulling his boyfriend closer to his chest. He then kissed the boy on the forehead and that made the boy blush in the process.

Junior raised an eyebrow at this with Alice getting involved next. Alice kept it simple by calling them butt-buddies, which was a meaner way of calling them boyfriends. It was Landon who had to play nice and explain how those two were dating.

"I didn't know Rangers could be gay," said Junior.

"There are a few gay Rangers out there," said Adam. "Some just experiment, others are dating. I remember being at Tanya and Katherine's Civil Union a few years back. Also, I believe the Galaxy Rangers, Mike and Kai, are romantically involved as well. I also got pretty drunk one night and made-out with Rocky."

Haley covered her ears and began to shake her head from side-to-side. "Oh God!" squealed the brunet. "That is just way too much personal information. We really didn't need to hear about your gay experience, Adam!"

As for Adam's son, Tommy was just jaw-dropped after hearing that. It was always awkward to hear about your parents' previous sexual exploits. Most offspring just pretended like their parents were never involved in such things. "I really didn't need to know about that!" said Tommy. He tried to erase those mental images from his mind. Now, he'd never be able to look at the picture of Rocky the same way again.

"I thought it sounded pretty hot," Alice said, laughing a little.

Junior listened to the banter going on amongst the Rangers, feeling totally out of place. This was not a place that he belonged in. Being a Ranger was never supposed to be his role in life. It didn't suit him at all.

Junior tried to get out of this now by removing the orange bracelet from his wrist. He handed it over to Alpha 8, trying to sneak away without being noticed.

It was Connor though that blocked that escape. The boy might be tiny, but he was very light on his feet and easily got in Junior's way. He pushed a hand against Junior's chest, consequentially feeling up his muscles, but kept the young man there.

"You can't ditch us now," said Connor. "We Asians have to stick together. Besides, we really do need you to be our Orange Ranger. We would've lost the fight today if you hadn't been there with us."

Junior wanted to laugh at that joke, but couldn't find himself willing enough. He pushed the boy's delicate hand off his chest and held it for a second. That second past though and Junior tried to walk away, but Connor was pretty determined in making him stick around.

So Junior was forced into looking Connor directly into the eyes. He found himself melting in those brown eyes in a way that was exceptionally foreign to him. If he didn't know any better then he'd say that Connor's beauty got to him. But those thoughts were scratched away as Junior focused in on the other Rangers as well.

It was plenty obvious that they all wanted him to stay and fight alongside them.

Junior thought about it since his father was a Ranger as well. It was like he was stepping into that man's shadow, becoming so much more like him. Yet, if he became a Ranger then it would give Junior the chance to outshine his father. If he tried then Junior could be a better Ranger then his father was or maybe find something to motivate him to keep going on.

"Alright," Junior said, rejoining the group. "I guess I could play hero with you guys for a little while longer."

They all started to cheer, while Alpha returned the Orange Crystal Morpher to Eric Myers Junior.

* * *

><p>While the Rangers celebrated, Thrax was boiling mad on the moon.<p>

Another monster was gone and a new Ranger had entered the fold. It was downright annoying that these Ranger kept on multiplying like cockroaches. Thrax felt like this would never end as he fired lightning out from the balcony of his throne room.

Zodiark called for his associate to calm down, while he leaned against the railing on the balcony. He did not appreciate all the after smell that the lightning brought up. He wafted the scent away before stepping inside the throne room where everyone else had gathered.

Kratein was laughing about how right he was about this monster, while sitting on Helios's lap. Umbra kept silent as he leaned against the wall, while Bakari found himself watching Lightning and the Dark Knight. Lightning appeared rather normal, but it was the utter silence in the Dark Knight that made Bakari grow very curious.

Thrax was still fuming though, but he railed himself back in as he returned to his throne.

"More blasted Rangers!" shouted Thrax. "How many Rangers are there?"

"Among this generation, I have no idea," said Zodiark. "In the entire galaxy, I'd say almost two hundred."

"Sarcasm will get us nowhere, Zodiark!" growled Thrax. "We must destroy the Rangers now before more of them decide to show up!"

"I couldn't agree with you anymore, Thrax," said Zodiark. "The two of us have a lot of work to do."

The Dark Prince escorted the mutant out of the throne room so that they could discuss the problem of the Power Rangers, in private.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Tharx and Zodiark get their revenge on the Rangers by summoning a monster that shatters the trust between the Rangers with the exception of Junior. With the team too busy fighting each other, it's up to Junior to stop the monster and save his new friends from killing each other. But will Junior survive this fight on his own? Find out in **Burning and Building Bridges! **


	15. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: **I know that it's been a while, but I finally have a delicious update ready for you guys! I actually just finish this a couple of minutes ago so it's really hot and fresh. I think this chapter is very good, but you all can be the judges of that! I don't have much else to say. I really hope you guys like this. Oh! And there is a lot of violence and adult language involved in this chapter, and no, I do not support a man beating on a woman. This chapter just calls for some...caution. There's just a lot of shock and badness involved in this type of deal. I think you'll see why. Read and review.**  
><strong>

**Burning and Building Bridges:  
><strong>

The fighting rocked the cracked, desert ground as the Rangers fought the latest monster. With their pair of Megazords fully operational, the Rangers teamed up to face this threat to protect the city.

Thrax and Zodiark summoned a leather-skinned monster with sharps claws that could move at sonic speed to destroy the city. The Rangers had managed to subdue the creature while it was regular sized, only for it to grow to these gigantic proportions by Thrax's wicked powers.

Angel Force Megazord swung its sword forward to slash against the giant monster. The leathery monster avoided the sharp blade where it then received a face full of fist by Archangel Megazord. Archangel Megazord used its giant fists to hit the monster, sending it flying across the desert landscape.

With the ground shaking more, the Megazords began to approach the monster to finish it off. As they prepared the final blows, the monster sprang up to surprise them where it released the sharpness of its claws. The claws became like missiles as they exploded against the sacred beings of the Megazords.

"Damn!" shouted Blue Ranger.

"How are we gonna finish off this creep!" asked Yellow Ranger.

Black Ranger and Pink Ranger were able to stabilize the Angel Force Megazord, while Orange Ranger and White Ranger reclaimed control of the Archangel Megazord. Red Ranger did a quick scan on the monster as it began to charge after them. The information he was picking up wasn't exactly helpful enough for him to use to finish off the monstrous freak.

"I guess we'll just have to wing it," said Red Ranger. "Tommy and Junior, hit these freak with the cannon!"

"Got it!" shouted the duo.

Archangel Megazord lifted its arm up with its giant cannon taking form. The monster jumped after them, leaving it completely vulnerable for attack. White Ranger and Orange Ranger inputted the necessary commands to finish off the monster. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the duo. Archangel Megazord unleashed its attack, firing a bolt of orange and white light from the cannon that crashed into the monster.

As the monster cried out in pain, Red Ranger got the Angel Force Megazord to take flight. Their Megazord still bore the Angel Power Sword, which they would use to finish off the monster. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. The sword's gems began to glow one by one until the entire sword was consumed by raw energy. Angel Force Megazord slashed the giant sword into the monster, finishing it off with the fatal blow.

With the monster defeated, victory belonged to the Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>"Damn those Rangers to Hell!" Thrax shouted, angrily. He slammed his fist onto the railing of the balcony with his entire body fuming with anger. His entire body gave out a violent, red glow as his anger began to get the better of him.<p>

Dark Knight approached his master only to be swatted away by the mutant man. Thrax pushed his loyal knight aside as he began to storm out of his throne. As usual, Dark Knight would trail behind his master like the loyal servant that he was.

"I will not rest until those Rangers are destroyed!" Thrax continued to shout. "I want them all dead and the earth salted with their remains!"

"Yes, m'lord," said Dark Knight. "I vow to destroy the Rangers for you."

"Vows mean nothing to me! They are but hollow promises."

The pair soon disappeared into another part of Castle Pandemonium, leaving Zodiark behind in the throne room.

Zodiark watched the scene from the sidelines, while he thought of a way to deal with the trouble they were going through. The Rangers were becoming stronger and craftier in destroying the monsters that they summoned from beyond the Veil. If only they were able to call for those original monsters that he had heard so much about then the Rangers would fall. But the blood sacrifice that they had gathered was not nearly enough to power this project.

Until then, the Rangers would have to be dealt with through different means.

Zodiark sought for a method to destroy what made the Rangers strong. He understood that it was through their numbers and teamwork that the heroes were able to accomplish the impossible. If Zodiark wanted to even begin to defeat the Rangers then he needed to fight the ties that bonded them together.

And what an obvious solution to that problem it was. The Dark Prince was ashamed at himself for not thinking of this brilliant thought in the first place.

He resumed his focus onto the Nexus that stood before him. His dark hands touched the cold stone as he felt the energy that empowered this gateway to another realm. Its power was already intoxicating despite it still not being raised to its full potential. He swore to bring this gateway to its full potential so to gain the power that he so desperately sought to attain.

"I will become the ruler of it all," Zodiark said to himself. "There won't be a force in the entire universe that can't stop me once I obtain the Ultimate Power. I will breathe life to a new age, one where I am the Emperor of the Universe."

The Dark Prince smiled at how close he was to reaching those dreams now that he was assisting Thrax in defeating the Angel Force Rangers. There was room to argue that the very Powers that govern the universe were drawing Zodiark to this very point in the entire universe. The Powers That Be guided him to where he could gain the power that rivaled the gods, giving him the authority to change the very foundation of it all. When he could take the power that was sealed away within the Fade into himself, Zodiark knew that there would be nothing to stop him.

Everything in the entire cosmos would be under his rule.

With Zodiark's true intentions slowly becoming known, even in what he thought to be a private moment, a pair of eyes watched him closely.

Lightning remained hidden in the shadows as she learned of Zodiark's hidden agenda. She knew better then to blindly trust the Dark Prince, but never had she thought it possible that he sought to gain that. Then again, she should've known better. Zodiark was, after all, the former puppet of Dark Specter, the deceased Monarch of Evil.

So with this knowledge in mind, Lightning disappeared completely to find a way to inform her master of this plot.

* * *

><p>The punching bag was a total punk ass as he continued to pummel at it with all his might.<p>

Even after the moon had risen, Junior found himself still in the Command Center, using the private gym for his own pleasures. He could just as easily use the small gym in the apartment complex that he lived in or go to the gym down the street. Instead, he kept to the Command Center since he could use the facilities as long as he wanted.

And the bonus was that he could test out his new superpowers. He had to adjust to the added ability that Alice had unlocked for him. Projecting force fields was a pretty cool technique, but applying them to fit a combat situation was a little tricky. The main problem that Junior had was learning to control his force fields, but once he got the hang of that then the rest was almost a cake walk.

The rippling wave of orange energy shot from Junior's body as he pushed the punching bag with his barrier. He held the weighted bag back, keeping the shield steady as he concentrated on keeping his wall up. Junior wanted to practice applying weight against his force field since he knew damn well that their enemies would try to break it down. Of course, an actual fight would be different then a passive punching bag, but one had to start somewhere.

Once Junior felt satisfied in today's progress, he cleaned the sweat from his brow and let out a deep sigh of breath. Junior grabbed a towel from his duffel bag where he got to work on rubbing off the sweat from his body. He still was pretty much all shinny from the workout and he did smell where he'd need a shower. So that was something that would probably be a good idea to take care of now since the Command Center also had showers.

The showers reminded him of junior high. It was just a bunch of shower heads and a big, open space with zero privacy. Junior just shrugged that off since he was the only one in the Command Center with the exception of Alpha 8, but Alpha didn't count due to him being a robot. That in mind, Junior quickly cleaned himself up so he no longer smelled like dog.

Junior returned to the main chamber to say his farewells to Alpha only to find the robot wasn't present, but did notice someone at the computer. He abandoned his duffel bag where he slowly began to approach the computers to see who was there with him.

A couple textbooks were scattered about and a few papers on top. Connor was sitting on his own legs, balancing his lightweight as he did whatever it was that needed to be done. Junior took a textbook to see that it was a bunch of science stuff, meaning that this was homework.

"Shouldn't you be doing homework at home?" asked Junior.

Dropping his pen on the keyboard, Connor spun his chair to the side to face his new teammate. The boy had a pair of glasses on which Junior learned meant that the teen switched between contacts and glasses. "Too distracting," said Connor. "I always feel like my Communicator is going to go off. So I just come here and things are always really quite. I guess me being here is like monster repellent."

A light chuckle escaped Connor's throat, allowing him to take in Junior's scent. The boy smelt the musky factor of the Old Spice soap as he spun back towards the computers. "Well, it looks like your smell might be what's scaring them away," said the teen. "I guess monsters don't like sweaty guys. They prefer them when they are clean."

"I thought monsters only went after damsels and gay boys in distress," Junior said with a cocky grin.

Connor shot a mean glare in his direction before flicking his pen at him. Junior pulled up his orange barrier without much thought, causing the pen to bounce off to the corner. "It's not wise to tick off your friend," Connor told his elder. "You see, Mr. Anti-social, I actually find you mildly interesting so I will be nice to you. The others, you gotta win over to your side."

Junior seemed to disagree though as he went back to retrieve his duffel bag. He passed by the pen that Connor threw at him, deciding to avoid being nice by picking it up. "I don't need anyone's charity," said the young man. "I've made it this far on my own."

"You're part of a team, Junior," said Connor. "The Power Rangers work best together. Trusting each other is the only way we can make it through these battles."

"I'll play nice when I need to, but I'm better off by myself in the end," Junior said, rather bluntly.

Junior then teleported from the Command Center where he left Connor behind to finish up on his homework.

Connor got up from his chair to pick up his pen after watching the last of Junior's trail go by. "That is one miserable guy," he said, sadly. The boy shook his head as he went back to his chair to get the last of his work done before it got too late.

* * *

><p>Putting his key into the keyhole, Ric got into the apartment with the boxes of pizza that brought for dinner. He didn't feel like cooking and Landon couldn't boil water without setting something on fire. So today, they were just going to be fatties and enjoy the meaty, cheesy, and cholesterol covered food in celebration of their latest win.<p>

Ric started to shout at Landon to let him know that there was food. When his roommate didn't' respond, Ric started to yell at him again to get Landon's attention. Once again, that failed so Ric got frustrated with the Navajo so the Latino grabbed a box of pizza to cause Landon to sniff his way out.

"Yo man whore, I brought home some dinner!" Ric started to bang on Landon's door, but still failed to get any response from his roommate. Now, he was really beginning to worry about his roomy as he pushed the door opened.

"Landon, you alri—OH MY GOD!"

Ric immediately returned to the hallway, slamming the door shut behind him just as a girlish scream and Landon's yelling went off. Ric felt like his eyes were burning as he pressed the hot box of pizza against his face. It wasn't exactly the brightest idea, but it was something that needed to be done. He had to erase that image from his mind and the pain would do just that.

The door opened up with Landon stepping out in just a pair of boxers. Ric could hear someone stumbling around in Landon's room, which affirmed that he did see what he thought he saw.

Slowly, Ric turned around to face his roommate, still holding onto that box of pizza. "You…you and Alice!" Ric nearly yelled. "Since when did that happen! How? She's too smart for you."

"Fuck you," Landon said, grabbing the box of pizza.

Landon returned to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him, leaving Ric standing like an idiot. He could tell that the Red Ranger was not happy at all because of the intrusion and this meant that there would be a lot of convincing to get Alice back into bed.

But Ric would never be able to erase that image from his mind. It would constantly be replaying in his mind until the end of days. Well, maybe not so dramatic, but it would be a difficult one to get rid of.

The image of catching a naked Alice riding the dick of a very naked Landon would be stuck with him for a long time.

When they were done, Ric was going to have to bet the information from Landon to find out just how long that's been going on.

"I never thought Landon would dig black chicks," Ric said to himself. "He's always been picking up white girls. Huh, now we have to worry about some crazy chick that will never go away if things go sour."

* * *

><p>Across town, Haley did a quick run to the store to pick up some ingredients for a bake sale she was helping at this Sunday. She had promised to bake the special marble cake that she and her mom always baked. There was no way she'd get out of this promise, which wasn't so bad since her mom did have tomorrow off, meaning they had all day to work on it. As long as no monsters attacked the city then everything would run smoothly.<p>

Now because Haley even had those thoughts, a monster would attack and ruin all her plans. Why did she have to be so stupid and think about that?

Haley just kicked herself in the back as she finished getting everything that she needed to bake the cake with. She carried the bags out to the parking lot, in a bit of a hurry since she wanted to get home and sleep. It had been a long day of fighting evil and she felt that she really did deserve a good night's rest.

But before that could happen, she ended up running into Tommy in the parking lot.

They were both, initially, surprised to run into each other. Haley nearly spilled the contents of her bags had Tommy not realized who he was about to crash into. It would turn out to be one of those awkward moments, started by the stupid giggle fits that they both began to suffer from.

"I'm sorry about that," Tommy said, keeping the sugar from spilling. "I promise, I didn't mean to run into you like that." He sounded too sweet when he said that. He wished he could retract his words because it was just too awkward and flirty the way that he said it.

"No big deal," said Haley. "Everything is safe. So long as the eggs aren't broken then you don't have to die."

Tommy was able to see some of the things in the bags peaking out just a bit. He raised a curious eyebrow as he tried to figure out just what she was doing with all those ingredients. "Are you baking something?" asked the clone. "It's a little late to be working in the kitchen, don't you think? We did just save the city from evil and you want to celebrate by baking?"

"Don't judge me," Haley said, laughing a little. Tommy caught the joke as well, and he too began to laugh, although it was a tad awkward. It looked like it would be one of those nights. "I have to help out at this bake sale Sunday. My mom and I are making our special marble cake. It's something we do together and it's insanely delicious."

"That sounds very sweet," Tommy said, nodding his head. He stuffed his hands into his pockets with his head pointed downward before looking back up at the girl. His own awkwardness was beginning to stick out like a sore thumb. "You and your mom should defiantly bake one for the rest of us then." He couldn't believe he just said that, especially in such a flirtatious kind of way. This was the second time in this conversation alone!

"That's a possibility," Haley said, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I'll leave you to your shopping and I shall be coming home. Night Tommy."

"Goodnight Haley," Tommy said, stepping aside so she could walk off.

Haley kept on walking, while Tommy began to make his way towards the entrance of the grocery store. For a second, she paused and thought about what had just happened back there.

It was plenty obvious to any fool what had just gone on. They were practically screaming at each other with their awkward flirting. She felt like a total idiot for not catching onto it sooner, Alice would've straight up smacked her in the back of the head. It was especially worse when one considered just how hard that Haley was crushing on Tommy.

So coughing up the nerve, Haley turned back around and caught Tommy's attention. She walked into his direction, stopping the few cars that were crossing in the process. "Umm…I know this is all of a sudden, but would you like to go out on a date sometime…with me?" asked the young woman.

And at that instant, Haley wanted to smack herself in the face. She just asked out Tommy in the dorkiest way possible. Well, not the dorkiest, but it was so bad that she wouldn't be surprised if he laughed and walked away right now.

But that didn't happen.

"Yeah, I'd really like that!" Tommy said, full of excitement. Now he felt like the fool for sounding like a damn puppy. He had to toughen up a little, he couldn't seem overly eager. That was just creepy. "Call me when you get home so we can set up a day."

"Okay," Haley said. "Bye Tommy."

"Bye Haley."

The two were forced to break apart as cars started to honk at them. They took off in their separate ways with traffic resuming as goofy grins began to form on their faces.

* * *

><p>With morning here, Zodiark felt it was the perfect time to initiate his plan to destroy the Power Rangers.<p>

Zodiark wandered into the castle where he expected to find Thrax there with his usual companions. However, the mutant was nowhere to be seen and neither was his knight. The only person present was his loyal warrior. She stood next to Thrax's throne as she had a group of Putties surround the Nexus.

This sudden greeting did not come as a surprise to Zodiark, considering that he was well aware that Lightning had heard what he said yesterday. The Dark Prince was actually amused to see that she was taking action against him. He could respect those who showed loyalty to their masters, it was a respectable quality indeed for even someone evil to posses.

Lightning drew her Blazefire Saber up with the sharp blade pointed at the Dark Prince. She kept her guard up, expecting the worst, while keeping her eyes focused on his cloaked form. "You will not get away with this, Zodiark," said the warrior woman. "I will not allow you to harm Thrax."

"And you honestly believe that you have the power to stop me?" asked Zodiark. He drew his sleeve up a bit as he began to step closer to the throne. Lightning continued to keep her weapon drawn even as he got closer to her. "You might be a strong warrior, Lightning, but your power is nowhere near mine."

"I will stop you," growled Lightning.

Zodiark smirked as he finally reached his intended destination. He pressed his own neck against the tip of the Gunblade, keeping enough distance not to break skin though. "If that is your wish," said the Dark Prince, "then kill me now. This is your opportunity to do just that. You can stop me, right now, and save your precious master."

Lightning's suspicions quickly got to her as Zodiark handed her this opportunity. Her instincts and experience told her that there was something seriously wrong with this picture. Zodiark was toying her along, he wanted to appear weak because he wanted something from her.

"I'm no fool, Zodiark," said Lighting. "I can see through your bluff. Even from this range, you'd strike me down before I could slice into the skin."

A light laugh escaped Zodiark's being, seeing that Lightning was far smarter than he had originally imagined. He snatched her Gunblade and drew it aside, taking hold of the slender, but firm arm of the woman. "You should really switch allegiances, Lightning," said the Dark Prince. "I could take you down a path where true power awaits us all. I am so close to obtaining the Ultimate Power that I can practically taste it."

"That power will destroy you," said Lightning. "A power that great cannot belong to one person without leading to their demise."

"We'll see about that," Zodiark said, completely disarming her. He took hold of her weapon, examining it closely for a moment. "Tell Thrax of what I'm planning, if you wish, but all you'll be doing is sealing his demise. If I find Thrax useful enough then I'll allow him to live once I'm through with the Power Rangers."

Zodiark stepped away from Lightning, returning his sight back onto the Nexus. He easily tossed the Putties aside that guarded the archway aside with the force of his mind. The Putties scattered away in an instant, allowing Zodiark to touch the Nexus to feel its power against his bare hand.

"Today will be the end of the Power Rangers," said Zodiark. "This monster will shatter the ties that bind the Rangers together. With nothing to hold them together, the Rangers will fight each other to the death and the Nexus shall have the blood it needs then nothing will stand in my way. I will become ruler of this universe once I find the Well of Power that I seek."

Lightning watched as Zodiark summoned a monster, realizing just how wrong she was to attempt to face Zodiark in such a direct manner. She quickly reconsidered involving her master in this mess, simply to spare his life from the Dark Prince's wrath. If possible, she'd relinquish her own life to sedate Zodiark.

But Zodiark did not want Lightning dead, she was far more valuable to him alive. Now, he just needed to find a way to get Lightning to join him and add her power into the collective he was gathering. If she gave him her sword then he'd gain a powerful ally in the empire that he was working on building.

* * *

><p>Panic began to fill the streets of Angel Grove as the people scrambled away from the Putties that surrounded the latest Fade monster. Dressed in white robes, this particular monster didn't appear to be terrifying at first since she hid her face behind a golden mask. Her petite form also kept her from appearing even the slightest bit intimidating, but the fact she was a monster made her a threat.<p>

Fiducia walked along the streets with the Putties making a bit of a mess in the process. She kept her mouth covered by the sleeve of her robes as she hid her laughter from the public.

It felt so nice to be out and about again. It had been so long since the last time she was wandered around in the World of Man. Over two thousand years she's been locked away in the Fade, the world has since changed so much during her imprisonment.

"Well, it seems that I have a bit of work to do," said Fiducia. "Now, I must dissolve the rope of trust that binds these humans together. Trust is what maintains harmony amongst the overly paranoid humans, but once that trust has been dissolved the fighting is the only option left. Strife will then blossom from these ashes and the humans will surely slaughter each other like the mindless apes that they are."

But before she could begin her assault, a few scattered shots began to attack her Putties. She sighed as she watched the mindless minions fall apart, while the others continued to wander about.

Fiducia looked up to see six figures dressed in a variety of colors. She knew these to be the Power Rangers that she had heard so much about from Zodiark. "Ah, I was wondering when the heroes would show," laughed the monster. "You have been fighting against my brothers and sisters. The dishonor your brought our family for their demise is truly revolting."

"Maybe you lot should be nicer then!" said Red Ranger. "Alright guys, you know the drill!"

The Rangers scattered about, going after the Putties before they took on the monster. Without their Orange Ranger, they would really have to be able to handle this situation until he showed up. Then once all seven were together, the real fun could begin.

Either way though, Fiducia had plenty planned as she watched the scene unfold.

A Putty hit Black Ranger in the back, causing the boy to fall till he was flat on the ground. Some Putties took advantage of this by swarming him like the mindless servants that they were. Black Ranger was able to swat a few of them away by kicking them as hard as he could. Still though, there were a few more then he could handle in such a compromising position.

Lucky for him that Blue Ranger came to the rescue. Blue Ranger started to pull a few of the Putties away, while breaking others apart with a fist to the chest. Once the coast was clear, Blue Ranger bent over to help his young lover back to his feet.

"There we go," said Blue Ranger. "Do you think that you can handle it now?"

"I got it," said Black Ranger. "You just concern yourself with watching your own back."

Black Ranger kicked an incoming Putty where its groin was supposed to be. That initial shock left the Putty vulnerable, giving the Ranger a chance to hit it in the chest.

Blue Ranger gave out a half-hearted applause before focusing his attention back on the fighting.

A few feet away, Yellow Ranger was fully armed with her Holy Pistols which she shot freely. Her bullets would fly across the road until they found a Putty to rip through. Then a hearty laugh would escape her as she kept on firing to take a couple of more down.

Then two Putties tried to get her from her sides at once. She crossed her guns over her chest and pulled the trigger, hitting them in the chest with her bullets. Those idiots began to break apart with Yellow Ranger spinning her pistols around for a moment.

White Ranger dove behind Yellow Ranger as she continued to shoot Putties. He too had his gun out and started to take aim at the Putties. His blaster shot the Putties down a few pegs which he then finished off by swinging his Solar Blade after them.

They were really dropping like flies as this rate.

Pink Ranger did a few flips over the road, using the environment to keep her bouncing to confuse the Putties. She finally stopped her flipping when she was right in front of a Putty. "Hey dude," she said, waving at it. The Putty started to wave back at her just before she tapped it on the chest, causing it to crumble apart.

"You really ought to pay attention to what you're doing," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She then went after a few more Putties that tried to avenge their companion.

Red Ranger faced nearly a dozen Putties on at once, which was nothing in his book. He made quick work of them with every punch and kick that he delivered at the clay-freaks. He got them all to explode into pieces in no time at all.

With the last of the Putties done for, Red Ranger turned his sides on Fiducia who just stood there. He leaped towards the monster as he drew his Angel Sword to strike at the monster. Once he was close enough to pierce her, Red Ranger took the swing only to have his sword blocked by the monster's hand.

"How?" said Red Ranger.

"I'm tougher then I appear," said Fiducia. She, effortlessly, pushed the Ranger back causing him to land on his back. The other five Rangers began to circle around her in result of this. She gave out a disappointed sigh, knowing that one of them was still missing. "You know, I can't have fun destroying you if you're all not here."

"Sorry to keep you waiting then!"

A few blasts of orange light started to hit Fiducia from behind. She dropped down to her knee as she gasped for air with smoke rising from her back.

Orange Ranger showed up behind the monster with his blaster in hand. He pretended to blow out the smoke, even though his helmet was preventing his breath from doing that. He returned his blaster to its holster then dusted off his hand, pretending like he did a lot of work.

"Took you long enough!" Red Ranger said, back on his feet now.

"I'm sorry, guys," said Orange Ranger. "I had a job interview. Being a Ranger doesn't pay nowhere near as much as it should."

"Better late than never I suppose," said Black Ranger.

Orange Ranger shot him a thumbs up just for the heck of it as Fiducia started to stand on her feet once more. The monster stumbled back a bit with all seven Rangers present to fight her at once. The Rangers were ready to take this monster down before she could actually do anything evil to the city.

It wouldn't be that easy, however.

"Now the real fun can begin," said Fiducia.

The monster's mask began to glow with a strange shine that worried the Rangers a bit. They attempted to rush her in order to prevent whatever it was that she was planning from happening. However, the Rangers didn't move fast enough to stop Fiducia. Her mask released the glow that was building up that hit the Rangers like a great wave

Only Orange Ranger was unaffected by this attack as he pulled up a barrier around himself. He was too far away to protect the others from this blast as well, which caused them to stop in their tracks. He dropped his shield down just as the light faded away from view.

Orange Ranger turned to his companions, seeing that each one was holding onto their heads. For the most part, they didn't seem injured by the attack. If anything, it just caused each of them to have a killer headache.

Fiducia began to laugh as she disappeared from sight, leaving the battleground and the Rangers.

Red Ranger was the first of them to shake it off. He started to charge towards the spot that the monster once stood, hoping to get an attack in before she had completely vanished. "Damn," said Red Ranger. "She got away." He stomped his foot into the ground, angry at himself for letting Fiducia escaping.

The other Rangers decided it would be best for them to take off now and just be prepared for when she'd show up again.

They began to teleport to their intended destinations, unaware of the affects that Fiducia's attack had on their mental well-being.

* * *

><p>Back at Castle Pandemonium, Zodiark bore a villainous grin on his face as he watched the Rangers get hit with Fiducia's special talent. Slowly, the trust that the Rangers shared with one another would dissolve until they would fight against one another. They would destroy themselves, leaving the Earth and the universe vulnerable to the continuation of this toxic spread.<p>

Lightning kept herself back in the sidelines, while Zodiark saw his plans beginning to unfold.

"It will only be a matter of time now," Zodiark said, turning back to Lightning. "If I were you, Lightning, I'd strongly consider joining me. It is best to serve those with power then to make an enemy out of them."

Even then, Zodiark didn't get an answer out of her. He let her be as he returned his focus onto the mayhem that would spread throughout the planet.

And while this plot continued to unfold, a great exhale of breath found its way into the throne room. Kratein began to saunter into the throne room with a very jaded expression on his pale face. Even the noise that the Prince's armor made couldn't compare to fed up sounds he would make as Helios would follow his lead.

Zodiark turned to his child, while the boy's protector bowed before the Dark Prince. The Dark Prince took Kratien's hand in order to deal with what was troubling the boy. "And what is upsetting you, my son?" asked Zodiark.

"I'm bored," Kratein said, sounding truly upset. "This rock is very boring. I thought the whole reason we came here was to battle. I've been trapped here since our first encounter with those bloody Rangers."

It was true, Kratein had been locked away for such a long time now. It was no wonder that the boy was contemplating "rebellion" against his father. There was a simple remedy to this problem, one that Zodiark thought to exploit.

"Alright then," said Zodiark. "Go down to Earth and join Fiducia in her cause. Help her in ridding us of the meddlesome Power Rangers."

With that done, a large grin appeared on the boy's gentle face. His features darkened in a way similar to Umbra's when he desired to destroy things. Kratein began to bid farewell to his father as he turned away from him.

"Helios, we're leaving!" ordered Kratein.

"Yes, my Prince," Helios said, loyally following his Prince.

Kratein and Helios soon disappeared from the moon where they would arrive to Earth and spread more chaos.

* * *

><p>Now that the city was safe for now, Ric ended up back at the apartment to find Landon and Alice lounging about. The three of them were suffering from a bit of a headache now since their battle handed ended which probably had to do with that flash of light that Fiducia hit them with. Each one took an aspirin to cure that mess, but the pounding was still there in the background.<p>

The TV showed some mindless show about some idiot housewives, arguing about some nonsense. None of them were aware why they were watching this garbage as one of the housewives started to threaten another. In a few moments, they would go to blows, which seemed rather dumb.

Landon was the first to become fed up with this. He sprang to his feet and turned the TV off, ending the moronic arguing that was going on.

"I was watching that shit!" shouted Ric.

"Tough," said Landon. "It was retarded anyways just like you." He wasn't certain where that came from, but it felt good to say that. It was fun yelling at his dumbass of roommate.

"You're the fucking retard, bitch!" Ric snapped. He was just as confused as Landon about where the source of that was from. That didn't stop Ric though from enjoying the bit of empowerment that it gave him. "Why don't you go back to your room and fuck Alice with the lights off. Clearly, you don't trust me enough to know about your relationship so why don't you just fuck off!"

Landon marched towards Ric where he then slugged him across the face. Ric ended up falling onto Alice's lap who seemed completely disgusted by him. She pushed Ric to the ground then slapped Landon across the face.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alice shouted.

"Shut up, dumb bitch!" Landon did something very out of character then. His hand went across the air as he slapped Alice back with his heavy hand.

Alice fell back onto the sofa, feeling the vicious sting of the blow. In that moment, she knew that there was no way that she could ever forgive Landon for that. The trust she had for him was out of the picture and the only way to rectify that was to kill him.

Alice then kicked Landon in the balls, while he was exposed like that. Landon covered his injured privates then had Alice punch him in the throat.

Ric got back up from the ground where he elbowed Alice in the chest. He then picked her up and tossed her across towards the tiny dining room. Alice crashed into the table, but not rough enough to worry about alerting the neighbors to their fighting.

Landon tackled Ric then pulled him back to the ground where they began to punch the hell out of each other. Ric tried to get his hands around Landon's neck to strangle him, while Alice grabbed a chair and started to stumble towards them.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Haley just got off the phone with her mom who was busy helping out a cousin in the next town. That meant that baking the cake would have to be pushed aside for a couple hours until she could get back. Haley was a little disappointed in her mom, but didn't think too much of it because of a headache that she had going.<p>

The young woman made her way into the living room where she noticed a new picture on an end table. Where a picture of her and her parents once was had been replaced by a picture of her parents with Connor on the couch. She knew that it was only to make Connor feel more at home with his new family, but deep down something snapped.

And that caused something ugly to come up to the surface as she clenched her fists as tightly as she could. She turned her head towards the staircase before marching up there to get after Connor. Even though his bedroom door was shut that didn't stop Haley as she pushed it opened to find the boy on his bed.

"You little shit!" shouted Haley. "You're trying to replace me! I'm my parents' only child! You are nothing."

"What the hell are you talking about?" said Connor.

Haley didn't bother to respond though as she grabbed Connor's hair and dragged him off the bed. She swung him towards the wall, which he cracked a bit from the immediate impact. His own headache began to go out of control at that point as he looked at Haley with bloodlust in his eyes.

Connor started to stand back up, knowing what he knew all along to be true. The orphan could never be welcomed into another family. He was completely on his own.

When Haley tried to get him again, Connor caught her arm and slammed her against the door with all his might. He might be weak, but he had learned a lot from his lessons from Jason. So he used her own father's teachings against her.

The two grabbed onto each other then threw themselves into the hallway where they cracked another wall in the process. A picture frame fell down and the glass shattered in the process. Haley picked the frame up and smacked Connor in the chest with it. He stumbled back and nearly fell down the stairs in the process while she came at him again.

This time, Connor latched onto her leg to pull her down. Haley fell down onto her back with the frame landing on her own hip. She tried to kick Connor back, but he started to roughly drag her down the staircase. Haley managed to kick away Connor's hand then kicked him down the last couple of steps as she got back up to get at him again.

* * *

><p>A white beam of light entered the Command Center as Tommy began to take physical form.<p>

Adam and Alpha 8 were working on trying to locate the monster that the Rangers had fought earlier that day. They were already detecting some trouble going on in the city, but the sensors were going wild at this point. They couldn't narrow down a source, but they were certain that it was caused by Fiducia.

Tommy started to walk over towards his "father" with a hammer in hand. His eyes were completely glazed over by a thick haze that blanketed all reason that he had in him. All that he knew was that he couldn't trust Adam for a penny because of what a monster that he was.

"See if you can pick up something in Sector 8, Alpha," said Adam.

"Will do," said Alpha.

Adam was going to check another area of Angel Grove when he felt something behind him. He turned back just as Tommy was about to hit him with a hammer. Adam was quickly able to avoid getting hit by the tool, which Tommy didn't like one bit.

Alpha began to panic with Tommy taking another swing at Adam with his hammer.

"Tommy, what the hell is wrong with you?" Adam said, jumping away.

"You're the problem!" shouted Tommy. He took another swing, this time the hammer almost got him. Tommy attempted to get closer, but Adam jumped behind the sofa to put more distance between them. "You did this to me! I'm not a real person, I'm just a clone! You made me a freak!"

"Easy Tommy," said Adam. "Let's talk about this."

"No!" said Tommy. "I cannot trust you because you made me an abomination! I have to kill you to cleanse myself of your sins!"

Tommy jumped over the sofa and tried to attack Adam again. If only Adam was back in his prime then he could've easily fended Tommy off. But he was in his mid-thirties, he wasn't a teenager anymore which meant Adam was a lot weaker compared to Tommy at this point.

Adam got away from his mad son. He swung his leg around to knock the hammer out of Tommy's hand, which actually did work. At least with Tommy disarmed then the odds were a little more even.

But Adam didn't get the chance to get after Tommy as an orange light came into the Command Center. Junior showed up at this point to see how berserk Tommy was going, while Alpha continued to panic. Doing the only natural thing to do, Junior tackled Tommy down before the clone could get another chance to attack Adam.

"Has everyone gone insane?" Junior asked, holding Tommy down.

"I have no idea," said Adam. "Alpha, activate a containment field! Lock Tommy up. Junior, when I tell you to move."

"Gotcha!" Junior responded.

Alpha pressed a few keys, which would start up the containment unit. Adam gave Junior the signal, which Junior quickly exploited as he got away from Tommy. The clone got back on his feet, but a bubble of energy began to wrap around him, preventing him from escaping.

Adam watched as his son tried to hammer at his prison, while Junior sighed with relief.

Junior went towards Alpha and started to mess with the monitors. He was able to show images from throughout Angel Grove that showed people fighting against each other. It was slowly becoming a bloodbath, and he had a good feeling that he knew who was responsible for this.

"It's the monster," said Junior. "She hit the others with this weird glowy thing. I was able to block it with my shield, but the others were hit. She must be doing that trick to the rest of the city as well. I actually had to hit some old lady to keep her from killing me."

Alpha began to go off about the dangers, while Adam immediately got to work on checking on the other Rangers. He pulled up two screens to see that Rangers were going at it. They had turned against one another and were now attempting to kill each other.

"Fuck," Junior said, softly.

Adam quickly began to teleport the Rangers to the Command Center then activated a few more containment fields for when they arrived. Flashes of red, blue, black, yellow, and pink light entered with a field of energy trapping each one. Six Rangers were trapped into these containment fields to prevent them from going after one another again.

Junior could hear all of their yelling as each Ranger began to pick one each other, while trying to break the energy field down. This was not a pretty sight at all to see. He knew that this was so not their usual behavior.

"Whore!" Haley shouted at Alice.

"Bitch!" Alice shouted back.

"Faggot!" Landon said to Connor.

"Leave my fucking bitch alone, Landon!" shouted Ric.

"I'm not your bitch, wet-back!" snapped Connor. "You're all assholes! I hate you all."

"Shut the fuck up, you whinny queer!" shouted Tommy.

And there was plenty more where all of that came from. Junior, Adam, and Alpha did not like this one bit as they realized just how bad things were just from this scene. The city was far worse since there was nobody to contain the chaos that was beginning to consume Angel Grove.

Junior removed the bracelet from his wrist, causing his Crystal Morpher to take form. "I have a mess to clean up," said Junior. "I'll try to find a way to break whatever spell that this monster has one them. As soon as that happens, tell the others to join me."

"Be careful, Junior," said Adam. "You're the only one who can save the city."

"May the Power protect you," said Alpha.

"Thanks guys," Junior said, feeling their words give him strength. While everyone else was losing their trust, Junior felt that he was stupid for not believing in others and himself. As amazing as it seemed, trust actually kept things stable.

And from the images that came throughout the city showed what life could be like without trust.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" Junior shouted as he morphed into the Orange Ranger.

* * *

><p>In downtown Angel Grove, Fiducia had focused her attacks onto that point. The few people that remained there were already suffering from the effects of her trust-based powers. As their trust began to unravel, fighting was all but inevitable as humans reverted to a primal state. The people continued to attack one another, much to the monster's delight.<p>

She watched with a great deal of laughter escaping her when she felt something coming towards her. She would not allow herself to be attacked from behind once more so she danced aside, avoiding the incoming energy bullets. The orange bullets barely missed her, but it allowed her to see the enemy who dared to attack her like that once more.

"You really should turn away, boy," said Fiducia. "It would not be wise at all to face me."

Orange Ranger twirled his Celestial Ray around a bit before switching it around to its blade form. A glowing blade of orange energy took form as he prepared to kick this monster's ass. "Well, I have a bit of a learning disability," said the Ranger, "so it takes a bit of effort to get the message through to me. Maybe I should just knock you around a little bit until you reverse that spell you have on my friends!"

Fiducia began to giggle as she covered her masked mouth with her hand. She straightened herself out though as she faced her opponent. "Oh, so strife has taken over your companions then?" said the monster. "What a marvelous thing. They will surely kill each other now and soon the Nexus shall have enough blood to free the oldest of our kind!"

"I have no idea what that means, but it won't happen!" shouted Orange Ranger.

The Ranger took to the offensive as he charged after the monster only to be stopped by bolts of black lightning. He gave out a loud cry of pain as he was thrown aside by the raw power of that particular attack. Fiducia appeared very surprised to see the Ranger defeated, especially since that lightning did not come from her. She looked back when she heard the sound of clinking armor.

Kratein walked up towards the monster with Helios faithfully following behind him. The Prince struck the ground with his sword as a very cocky smile began to blossom on his handsome face. "Well, look what we have here," said the Prince. "A single Power Ranger thinks he can stop all of us. I'm sorry to say, Orange Ranger, but you are sadly mistaken."

Orange Ranger struggled to get up to his feet at this point, while Helios stepped his way towards him. "Great, just what I needed," said the Ranger. "You really made my day, freaks. Who the hell are you, anyways?"

Helios struck the Ranger with his sword, slashing the hero across the chest. Orange Ranger dropped to the ground as Helios continued to stand above him. "Do not insult my prince, impudent fool!" said the Guardian.

"Play nice, Helios," said Kratein as he looked at his nails. "We wouldn't want this one to break easily."

The Guardian listened to the command of his Prince as he lifted Orange Ranger up with one hand. The Ranger had to admit that he was impressed by the display of strength, but realized he'd soon regret that compliment. Helios effortlessly tossed him across the plaza without batting even an eyelash at him.

Orange Ranger landed on a bench, where his back popped against the metal railing of it. He groaned in pain as he struggled to get back up by now. "Hey, three to one isn't fair!" said the Ranger.

"Is that really any different from how you Rangers fight?" said Helios. "There's strength in numbers."

Helios grabbed onto Orange Ranger once more, this time deciding to toss him towards Kratein and Fiducia. The Ranger landed before their feet where he was left very exposed to a direct attack from either one of them. Kratein simply bore a smile on his face as he drew his sword up before bringing it back down to the ground.

Orange Ranger turned his head to the side, which kept the blade from piercing his head. A bit of a sigh escaped the Ranger as he didn't hear Kratein try that move again.

However, Fiducia soon drove the heel of her foot down upon his chest with a great deal of force. It forced the Ranger to howl as the air was slowly being crushed out of his body as Kratein laughed alongside the monster. First though, Kratein stomped on the Ranger's left hand with his heavy metal boots, making the pain all the stronger for the hero. Helios soon reunited with the two of them, joining in as they really put the Ranger down for the count.

The heel continued to force itself down on his chest, keeping him from taking in a successful breath. Orange Ranger's head was really beginning to feel light headed at this point as he struggled to find a way out of this. He tried hard to keep himself from panicking since that would spend the last precious breaths that he had. He just had to maintain some severity of calm if he was to survive this mess.

And then it dawned on him, he had that power within him.

"Get…off…me!" howled Orange Ranger. Tapping into his abilities, the Ranger was able to pull a force field around himself that he used in a very offensive manner. He threw his enemies aside with a remarkable amount of force. The Ranger then took in a long overdue breath of air as he got back on his feet to pull himself together.

Kratein was the first back on his feet though as he did not want to be outdone by some simple Earthling. He had his honor to fight for as a Prince. So Kratein began to gather the darkness that submitted to his will, using it to consume himself in a heighten state of awareness.

Orange Ranger felt this power and realized that this was going to get very interesting.

Kratein sprang after him then, retrieving his sword in an instant. The Prince swung his blade around with a stream of darkness following with every movement that was made. With each swing that the Prince threw Orange Ranger's way, the Ranger would find a way to block the attack by pulling up a shield around himself. The sudden impact created enough friction that made the Ranger's knees weak, but refused to bow down to some pubescent brat.

As Kratein continued to attack the Ranger with his darkness, Helios soon revived himself and joined him. The Guardian leaped across the plaza until he was within range to add his own sword into the attack. He slashed away at every opportunity, weakening the power that Orange Ranger would apply into his shield.

Soon, it would be impossible for Orange Ranger to hold his own against these two at once.

"I won't give up," said Orange Ranger. "I have to keep strong. I have to save the others. They need me!"

"Die, Ranger!" Kratein said, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"NO!" the Ranger shouted, powerfully.

A burst of orange light completely consumed the Ranger as he dug into his power. He gave more strength to his force field as he held back the tide of darkness that Kratein brought down upon him. The Ranger's knees began to buckle, but he continued to remain strong.

"Spirit of Sunlight, burn my enemies!" yelled Orange Ranger. He began to completely manipulate his force field into doing something new. He condensed the shield into a ball in his hands, which he then hurled at Kratein and Helios as a flaming orb of light.

The ball of sunlight whizzed across the plaza, pushing both the Prince and his Guardian back with a remarkable amount of force.

Now that they were taken care of, Orange Ranger pulled all the strength he had left in him to focus on Fiducia. He glared at the monster as she began to rise up. He had to prevent that, however, which he would do with his Celestial Ray. "Not so fast!" said the Ranger. "Celestial Twilight Ray!" A sphere of orange light rocketed from his blaster, which managed to hit Fiducia in the shoulder.

The monster stumbled back down to the ground, giving the Ranger the opportunity to deliver the final blow.

Running towards his fallen lance, Orange Ranger retrieved his Celestial Lance in an instant. He used his lance to volt himself into the air as he called upon the last of his power. "Shinning Celestial Leap!" shouted the Ranger. He was propelled into the sky where he disappeared for a moment.

As Fiducia thought herself to be safe, she began to rise up once more. But just as she got back on her feet, Orange Ranger came back to the ground where he struck the monster at that precise moment. The burning lance mixed with the sudden impact proved to be too much for her to handle. Fiducia cried out in pain as Orange Ranger walked away from the monster as she began to explode.

With the monster defeated, Orange Ranger knew that the other Rangers and everyone else would be free from her dark spell.

* * *

><p>In the midst of all the shouting and threats, everything finally went silent in the Command Center. As Adam and Alpha watched Junior fighting from the monitors, the other Rangers began to fight through the haze that had fogged their thoughts.<p>

Finally, they felt free from whatever spell that Fiducia had over them.

"Everything hurts," Landon said, rubbing his back.

"My skull hurts," said Connor.

"My tits hurt," Alice said, covering her chest.

Adam and Alpha looked back to see that the other Rangers had finally broken free from the spell. They were both able to sigh with relief as Alpha dropped the shields that kept the Rangers trapped, while Adam went over to them with healing devices. They didn't even time to get them a full treatment, but a few doses would be enough to help them at least make it through a fight.

"What happened to us?" asked Ric.

"Why were we fighting each other?" asked Tommy.

"Why were we being so mean?" asked Haley.

Adam shook his head as he worked with Alpha to help get the Rangers back to their feet. "No time to explain right now," said their mentor. "All you need to know is that you were under a spell. Junior is fighting the monster right now as well as two of Zodiark's warriors. You need to hurry because he desperately needs your help."

Landon and the others agreed as they chose to save their questions for later.

Quickly, each one began to morph, and soon teleported to the city to help Junior in his fight.

* * *

><p>With Fiducia defeated, her spell also shattered. The daze that blanketed the trust of every single individual had been cleared away to restore harmony. Orange Ranger felt uber exhausted as he hefted his Celestial Lance over his shoulder. It took a lot of effort to stop this monster, but it was well worth it since the city was now a safer place.<p>

Orange Ranger turned back around in time to see that Kratein was not pleased at all as Helios helped his Prince up. Kratein's blue eyes were filling with a tide of malice as he lifted his blackened sword in the direction of the Ranger.

"I will make you pay!" shouted Kratein. "You cannot get away with humiliating me!" Kratein swung his sword forward, unleashing a tide of dark energy. The energy flew across the plaza until it crashed into the weakened Ranger.

A painful grunt escaped Orange Ranger as he was blown backward by the sheer force of Kratein's attack. Orange Ranger managed to somehow land on his feet with his lance being used to keep him steady.

Helios returned the gesture by firing a bolt of energy from the tip of his sword. The bolt exploded not too far from where Orange Ranger stood, making the experience a little more painful on his part. Orange Ranger refused to submit to the two villains though as he kept his feet on the ground, taking in deep breaths now as his exhaustion began to take over him.

"Is that the best you bitches got for me?" laughed Orange Ranger. "It'll take a lot more then that weak ass shit to take down the son of a Power Ranger!"

"Then we'll up the voltage!" shouted Kratein. He brought his hand to his chest, gathering streams of darkness into the palm of his hand. He flung a stream of energy from the darkness in his hand that surely would be the end of the Orange Ranger.

However, it wasn't Orange Ranger's time to perish just yet.

"Flaming Aurora Strike!"

"Hurricane Glory Rang!"

Fire and wind came together to push Kratein's attack back, dissolving it down until it was nothing. Kratein, Helios, and Orange Ranger were very surprised to see this. For Orange Ranger, this couldn't have come at a better time. Well, it could've, but he wasn't about to complain as he finally got the help he needed.

The other six Rangers finally joined their fellow Ranger during his time of need. Red Ranger and Blue Ranger carried their weapons in hand, while the others came in unarmed, mostly. With all seven of them united together, the tide of this battle had drastically turned into their favor.

Kratein knew how much a disaster this would be to fight the Rangers all at once. The Prince knew that he could easily defeat the Rangers if he fought at his full power, but he depleted too much of his power fighting Orange Ranger. As much as he hated to say it, it would be best to retreat for now and get back at the Rangers another day.

"Curse you all!" Kratein said, angrily. "Helios, we're leaving!"

"Yes, my Prince," bowed Helios.

The two warriors vanished from view, leaving the Rangers with this victory. The six of them began to applaud Orange Ranger for saving the city on his own, but that celebration would have to be held back. The Rangers looked up to see a bolt of darkness come down from the sky, courtesy of Zodiark, touching down on the spot where Fiducia once stood.

Smoke gathered until Fiducia returned to the world of the living and began to grow into a gigantic threat. The lady monster gave out a terrifying laugh as she began to attack the city with her newly revived body.

Knowing damn well that she couldn't get away with this, the Rangers quickly summoned the Zords to deal with this problem. Immediately, they activated the Megazord sequence to form the Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord. With both Megazords present, the Rangers knew that they had the power to stop Fiducia once and for all.

"Careful, everyone," said Red Ranger. "We don't know what she can do at this size."

"Other than smash buildings with her fat ass!" laughed Blue Ranger.

"Let's take this seriously," said Orange Ranger. "She doesn't look it, but she is rather tricky to fight."

And a tricky fight this would soon become.

Fiducia stomped across the city and began to swat at the Megazords with her robed hands. The ends of the robes became slightly sharp, allowing her to lay actual damage onto the Megazords. Her laughter was a little premature though since this wasn't exactly the easy victory that she seemed to expect it to be.

When Fiducia was about to strike Angel Force Megazord, Archangel Megazord intervened by grabbing hold of her arm. Archangel Megazord then pushed the monster aside, tossing her towards a nearby building. Thankfully though, she didn't crash into it thus preventing a bad situation.

"This ends here!" shouted Pink Ranger.

"Time to use the big sword!" said Yellow Ranger.

Angel Force Megazord summoned its Angel Power Sword at that moment. The five gems on the blade began to shine as the Rangers empowered their weapon with their Crystal Morphers. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. Angel Force Megazord unleashed the fully energized attack at that moment, unleashing a great slash of energy at Fiducia.

Once again, the monster howled in pain as her body was torn apart before she exploded into nothing, putting an end to that nightmare.

"And the day is saved!" said White Ranger.

"Looks like another monster bites the dust!" laughed Black Ranger.

* * *

><p>Zodiark was not pleased at all as he saw that Fiducia had been destroyed by the Rangers. Even by making the monster grow with his own powers, Fiducia still couldn't gain victory over the heroes. Much less, his own child and his protector had been defeated as well. Kratein and Helios returned to the moon defeated with Zodiark's plans coming to a tragic halt.<p>

The Dark Prince turned to the Nexus with a deep sigh escaping his lips.

Thrax entered the throne room with Dark Knight trailing behind him. The mutant man met eye contact with Zodiark, and soon his anger began to boil to the surface. "You! How dare you use my Nexus without my permission," said the mutant. "You attacked the Rangers without consulting me first! The two of us are supposed to be working together, Zodiark."

"I was being a team player, Thrax," Zodiark said, using his rhetoric to calm the mutant down. "I was merely giving you a chance to rest, while I sprang a trap on the Rangers while they were still tired. As you can see, it still wasn't enough to rid us of them." He began to approach Thrax before briefly shooting a glance over to Lightning who remained silent. At least he could see that she wouldn't interfere with his plans. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

Zodiark met Thrax in the middle, pretending to respect the presence of the mutant. "I shattered the Rangers trust for one another and spread fighting throughout Angel Grove," said the Dark Prince. "I was so close to getting the Rangers to kill each other, but they still found a way to reunite in the end. However, there is one silver lining to all this mess."

"Which would be?" Thrax asked, angrily.

The Dark Prince turned to the Nexus, pointing at it as the blood was still be cultivated. With so many people fighting one another, the blood had flooded the Nexus like a river, giving it a great abundance of power. "The Nexus is nearly complete," said Zodiark. "There is nearly enough blood to summon the Patriarch of Monsters. A few more drops then we'll be able to summon the Fathers to attack the Rangers then the heroes won't stand a chance against us."

Thrax started to smile upon hearing that. He could smell the blood that was being poured into the Nexus and it filled him with a great deal of joy. "Yes, I suppose that is an excellent point," said the mutant. "I would very much like to see the Rangers fight against the Fathers so that they might finally be destroyed!"

Zodiark agreed with his "partner" as he noticed Lightning's silence and the Dark Knight's own suspicions growing. At least he had one of them under his thumb now. Lightning would make an excellent warrior under his control, as for Dark Knight, that would be a problem that needed to be more carefully dealt with.

* * *

><p>While darker plans were brewing, the Rangers rejoiced in their victory today.<p>

Junior was hailed as the big hero for fending off against Fiducia, Kratein, and Helios on his own during one of the darkest hours that the Rangers had gone through. While they were too busy fighting each other, Junior had done all the heavy lifting for them. It was shameful how they turned against each other the way that they did, but it only served as a grave reminder how fragile trust was.

And it almost showed the Rangers their darker sides.

Even though they had came together to triumph over evil, the Rangers remained scattered apart. It was an ugly experience for all of them as they went after each other with the cruelest words and thoughts possible. They nearly killed each other in the process with the exception of Junior who didn't get hit by the spell.

"I think the question that should be asked," Junior said, interrupting their negativity, "is did you mean it? Did you mean all those awful things that you said to each other or was it just the monster who got the best of you all?"

There was still silence in the Command Center, a frightening level of silence that worried Adam, Alpha, and Junior. This could be the very moment that breaks the team apart if this matter wasn't solved quickly.

Haley was the first out of all of them to speak up. Her own thoughts and troubles were what brought her to this conclusion. "It's probably debatable," she said. "Sometimes I worry that Connor might steal my parents away from me. I know it's stupid, but I've been an only child for so long that I don't know how to share their attention."

"I wouldn't do that," Connor said, sadly.

"I know that, sweetie," Haley said. She got up from the chair she was sitting on to hug him, apologizing for what happened. He apologized as well.

Landon went over to Alice, getting down onto his knees as he took her hand for a moment. "I'm sorry that I hit you," he told her. "I'm not that kind of guy at all. I would never do something like that."

"Yeah, I know," Alice said, touching his cheek. "I'm sorry for kicking you in the balls." She leaned forward to kiss him. And with a simple kiss, she pretty much announced that they were in a relationship to the others. She then looked over to the silent Ric. "I'm sorry that I hit you with a chair."

"It's alright," said Ric. "Sorry I called you a whore. And Landon, sorry about all that mess." He then went over to Connor just as Haley left to do her apologies as well. He sat down beside him, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm sorry I called you my faggot bitch. I didn't mean it."

"Sorry I called you a wet back, a beaner, a meathead, and stupid mother fucker," Connor said, mumbling that last bit.

"You didn't call me a stupid mother fucker," Ric said, catching that last part.

That was a little embarrassing for Connor as he looked up to his boyfriend. "I guess I didn't say that one out loud then," he said, turning red.

Tommy went over to Adam, barely making eye contact with his father. "I'm really sorry about attacking you," he told him. "I didn't mean any of it."

"Yes you did," Adam said. "Don't be sorry though because I know that would be a problem you'd always carry around with you. Just know, Tommy, that I love you and I will always love you like you were really my son."

A smile began to form on Tommy's face as he hugged his father.

Junior watched all of this mess unfold then decided to approach Connor. He had a grin on his face as he placed a gentle hand on the boy's damaged shoulder. "Looks like you were right all along," said Junior. "We can't function if we don't trust each other. I just wish that we didn't have to find out this way."

"When will you people learn," Connor said, laughing, "I'm always right."

The others overheard that last bit and began to laugh at their youngest companion. Connor continued to go off about how he was always right, while the others just continued to laugh at him. Even Junior was laughing as well as he joined in with the rest of the companions that he finally learned to trust.

* * *

><p>End. Again, if this chapter was a little...extreme in the violence, I apologize. There was just a mood I was trying to write through. I actually felt a little sick writing the parts where the Rangers fought each other like that.<p>

On the next chapter, Landon begins to grow jealous of Tommy and Junior's strength. As those two become the big heroes, Landon feels unworthy of being Red Ranger. So in order to remedy that Landon takes goes on a spiritual journey to his native lands. Meanwhile, Thrax decides to personally dispose of the Rangers as he fights them during this moment of weakness. Can the Rangers survive without their leader? Will Landon make it back to Angel Grove in time before the city is destroyed? Find out in **Asta Hastiin!**


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Warning, there is a man-on-man lemon in this chapter. Now, there is some Navajo culture involved in this story. I do not know much, I just mainly used what I remembered from what an ex-boyfriend told me. So if I offend, I apologize right away. That is pretty much all I have to say. Read and review.**  
><strong>

**Asta Hastiin:**

Hanging onto a bodybuilder of a monster, the Rangers were getting their asses kicked by this single monster. It was just mountains of pure muscle with its green skin being covered only by tattered pants and red suspenders. The monster also bore massive boxing gloves on its fist, which it used to beat the Rangers around.

They were all being tossed around like little rag dolls by the strength of this monster. Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger were already down for the count after taking the blunt of a heavy attack. Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger were attempting to restrain the monster, while Red Ranger attempted to finish the creature off.

However, as Red Ranger was going in for the kill, the monster struck first. The monster was able to break free from Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger's grip. It struck them both down, sending the two flying back just as Red Ranger was closing in on it.

Red Ranger swung his Aurora Sword at the monster, only to have the sword being caught. The monster laughed at the Ranger as Red Ranger tried to reclaim his sword. The monster stripped the man of his weapon then began to punch the Ranger with all its might.

With a final punch, Red Ranger went sailing away just like his friends before him. The Ranger struggled to get back on his feet, drawing his Angel Sword next to get back at the monster. But he was stopped before he could make a move.

Orange Ranger and White Ranger finally showed up to the party. The two Rangers took the charge after the monster, greatly turning the tide of the battle.

White Ranger would rapidly strike the monster with his clones. Each clone was armed and dangerous as they used their bodies like the lethal weapons that they were trained to be. The monster didn't know where to attack as its senses were completely baffled by the number of copies that were around him.

As for Orange Ranger, once his buddy was out of the way, began to tangle the monster up with his shields. He bent the shields around to trap the monster's feet to cause their muscular friend to fall down. He then held the monster down by slamming a larger shield on top of him, pressing the monster down to the ground.

The monster eventually freed himself though, but it cost a lot of its strength to do that. As the monster was getting back up, the two Rangers decided to put an end to this miserable monster.

The Rangers held their blasters up where they took aim at the monster. As they gathered power from their crystals, the Rangers prepared to put an end to this monster's existence. "Celestial Twilight Ray!" shouted the duo. Flashes of orange and white light escaped from their blasters where they rocketed across the path until crashing into the monster.

A loud roar escaped from the monster as its body was torn apart by the fully charged attacked. The white and orange lights began to burst forth from its body, causing it to explode into a great blast of nothing.

With another monster down, the city was safer, but it was with a price.

Red Ranger was back on his feet now with his head held down. While the other Rangers were congratulating their companions, Red felt ashamed of himself for not being able to stop the monster.

* * *

><p>Afterwards, Landon lay in bed where he had a pity part for himself. His door was locked so that Ric couldn't bother him, he had all of the lights turned off, and he just wallowed in his own state of misery. He just couldn't process it all. This was no how a Red Ranger was supposed to be.<p>

The Red Rangers are strong, courageous leaders who have the power to lead a team of Rangers into greatness. They were the best and toughest of the all the Rangers. The Red Rangers were the ones who led the teams out of terrible situations, turning the tide of battle to their favor.

Where did Landon fall in this equation? Ever since Tommy and Junior joined the team, Landon felt himself falling further and further behind from this ideal Ranger. Landon felt that if he couldn't leave up to be the ideal Red Ranger then he'd never be a good Red Ranger. He felt himself to be a shame on the legacy of all the Red Rangers before him.

But then there might be something else that was wrong.

Landon couldn't answer it, but there was something else troubling him. Even as he continued to stare up to the ceiling, it was left a complete mystery for him. Landon was just trapped in so much internal strife that he couldn't figure out where was up and which direction was down.

It was troubling for him, a fate which Landon did not enjoy one bet. Landon never felt so uncertain about himself, he always felt strong, brave, and confident. Yet here he was, being all miserable and alone in the darkness.

"I can't keep living like this," Landon said, softly. "I can't stay here any longer."

The minute those words crossed his lips; Landon immediately knew what he had to do. It was the only option that he had left. It was the only way that he'd be able to save himself from all this self-loathing and shame.

So Landon quickly got up from his bed and grabbed a bag of clothes. He didn't bother to bring anything else with him as he told Alpha to teleport him to a certain place.

Landon Samuels was going back to the home of The People.

* * *

><p>Thrax could no longer tolerate all of these failures as he bellowed loudly inside his palace. The mutant struck the ground with his staff as the anger continued to waft off his exposed skin. His Putties had scrambled out of fear for their master taking his fury out on their pathetic existence. Lightning and Dark Knight knew better then to intervene, so they just stood out of the way as much as possible.<p>

Zodiark had dismissed his crew back to their ship, while he watched as Thrax behaved like a spoiled child. The Dark Prince huffed in disgust of Thrax's behavior. He already knew that the mutant failed to have any sense of control over himself, but this was just downright insulting. What kind of self-respecting leader would whine like a child before those who served him?

Zodiark crossed the steps to approach the throne that Thrax sat at. "You are making a fool out of yourself, Thrax," spoke the villain. He began to circle around the mutant with his amber-colored eyes watching closely. Thrax began to bare an awful scowl at the man, which Zodiark did not seem to pay much attention to. "It is downright insulting how you bemoan yourself. I wonder how Dark Knight and Lightning have yet to abandon you in favor of a far more suitable leader."

At this moment, those weren't exactly the words that Thrax wanted to hear.

In his mind, Thrax took that as a serious threat as he rose up from the throne. He gripped onto his Z-Staff where he began to take aim at the dark-skinned man. "Are you challenging me, Zodiark!" spat the mutant. "I shall not tolerate such threats in my palace!"

"These are no threats, child," Zodiark said, brushing the staff aside. He forced Thrax to sit back at the throne of his which he began to approach. "You are shaming yourself. You are shaming the evil names that your parents once held. Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were feared! They were respected amongst the community even after being driven away from the Earth by the Machine Empire. They brought Zordon and his Power Rangers to their very knees! And this is your honor them?"

"My parents are human and dead now, Zodiark!" shouted Thrax. "I will claim vengeance by ridding this world of the Power Rangers!"

Zodiark huffed once more as he turned his back upon the mutant. He started to draw himself away, abandoning the throne room and the crying mutant who pretended to be a lord. "You do not even know where to begin," said the Dark Prince. "What a pitiful creature you are, Thrax. It is no wonder why that the Power Rangers defeat you at every corner. You fear the Power Rangers because generations of them rose up to destroy you. Now you have a second chance, but you squander the Fate's kind hand. There is no ounce of power in that pathetic body of yours."

As the brutal words escaped Zodiark's lips, Thrax remained perfectly silent for once. Zodiark disappeared into darkness, leaving behind nothing but his words.

Thrax sat back against his throne with utter silence soon weighing down upon him. There was not a single word spoken as Thrax lost himself into thought.

Dark Knight and Lightning began to draw away to give their Lord Thrax time to himself. However, Thrax ceased such action as he called the duo back to his side. The two warriors bowed before their lord, showing their continued respect for him. It was their loyalty that Thrax could not afford to lose during these times.

"Zodiark is right," said Thrax. "He speaks the truth just as Beelzebub before him. I am weak."

"You are not weak, m'lord!" said Dark Knight.

"But I am," said Thrax. "I've brought shame to my family. I had sought to avenge my parents and attempted to reform a united evil only to have my life taken by the Power Rangers. Now that I've returned from the afterlife, I have done nothing to reclaim vengeance."

"You've sent over a dozen monsters to attack the Rangers," said Lightning. "Plus, Knight and myself have tried to destroy them as well."

"Yet I have personally done nothing," said Thrax. "No longer. Tomorrow, the three of us and the Putties will go down to the Earth. We shall attack and we shall destroy the Power Rangers!"

There was no denying just how determined Thrax was now as the mutant finally attempted to claim the power that belonged to him. And without any hesitation, his servants agreed to follow him to battle that next day.

* * *

><p>Even while dark forces plotted against them and their leader taking off, the Rangers still enjoyed the downtime that they had to themselves.<p>

It had been a week since they set up a time so now they were finally going to go out on that date. Haley met Tommy at an Italian restaurant across town for a dinner for two. This was the moment that she had been dreaming off for a while now; she was finally going to have that big romantic date with Tommy.

Haley looked awfully beautiful in the black dress that she wore with a golden necklace dangling around her delicate neck. The heels she wore gave her a little more lift, giving her the chance to catch up to her date in height. Her hair was bouncing in beautiful, chocolate colored curls as she entered the restaurant to look for signs of her date.

Tommy stood up from the table he was sitting at with a very cheerful smile on his face. The young man had cleaned up nicely for this date. He had a white shirt that was tucked in and a black tie around his neck. He wore with that a pair of black slacks and a nice pair of shoes.

The two greeted each other with a hug before making their way to the table where Tommy pulled the chair out for Haley. Like a perfect gentleman, Tommy assisted the lady before taking his own seat. Haley had to admit, normally she would hate that kind of stuff, but with Tommy she didn't seem to mind.

All of it just began to click when they were together.

So the rest of the night was spent talking with a lit candle in front of them, some delicious food, a light dessert, and ended with a kiss on the lips.

When it came to that point, Haley leaned up a little as Tommy leaned forward a bit. Their lips met at the middle which is when Haley felt just how soft Tommy's man lips were. She was surprised by this as she felt herself losing all sense of control into the kiss.

Not in that she became a wild slut, but that she just lost all sense of who she was before this moment. When this time came, Haley could no longer doubt her feelings for Tommy as she confessed to herself and to Tommy that she was in love.

"I love you, Tommy," Haley said, softly.

With all the honesty that was out in the open now, Tommy felt like he was on top of the world. He got to go out with the most amazing girl in the world, he got to kiss said girl's perfect ruby lips, and he heard those three words that made everything worth it. Knowing that it wouldn't lead to any trouble, Tommy took hold of Haley's hands which he held carefully as he kissed her on the cheek.

"I love you too, Haley," Tommy said, smiling brightly.

Haley was beginning to feel a little giddy as she held onto Tommy's big hands, holding onto them so that she'd never lose this perfect moment.

* * *

><p>Teleporting hundreds of miles away from Angel Grove, Landon finally made it just outside of his destination. It was strange being back here considering that he hasn't been here since the Venjix outbreak. He kept strong, however, as he went over to a lone tent that stood beside a small trailer in the middle of the desert.<p>

The cold wind began to blow against Landon's face as he drew himself closer to a burning fire. Landon embraced the familiarity of his old home as he briefly looked out to the horizon. The stars were all lit up with the constellations being easily to see due to the lack of city light.

New Mexico truly was a beautiful state.

Landon made it to towards the camp where he placed his bag down gently. He stood perfectly still as he watched the old man that stood by the fire.

The man's skin was leathery and full of wrinkles due to the exposure to the elements, but he still appeared strong enough even with his advanced age. His grayed hair was tied into a ponytail that stopped at the middle of his back. This man dressed rather plainly, choosing to wear only a simple pair flannel shirt and pants.

"It has been a longtime," the man spoke in Navajo. "You have been away from The People for a longtime, my son." The man then began to look upon Landon's face, seeing through him with ease. It was clear to him just why Landon was here and the struggles that he's been going through. "Please sit, child. You are always welcome at my camp."

Landon bowed out of respect for the old man as he sat down on a conveniently placed blanket. He sat with his legs crossed where he sat beside the elder. "Thank you, great-grandfather," Landon responded, in his native tongue. "I have been away for too long. It is good to be back home, even if it is only while."

"Yes, time is certainly against us all," said Landon's great-grandfather. "The wind speaks to me all the time. A great change looms upon us, one that shall bring many misfortunes before a great good can awaken."

"What do you mean great-grandfather?" asked Landon.

"All in due time, great-grandson," said the elder. "I cannot tell your much about the future since you are the one who is tied to these coming events." He took some dirt from the ground and flicked it onto the fire. Instead of soothing the flames, this action only served to strengthen the flames' intensity. "I know of the path you've chosen. I know that you came here searching for strength."

Landon couldn't help but to smile about that a bit. He knew there was no hiding from the ever-seeing eyes of his great-grandfather. "Then you understand why," said Landon. "I cannot save my friends, much less this world if I am not strong enough. Red Rangers have to be strong."

"That is true," said his great-grandfather. "It will not be easy, Landon, but I can help you on this journey for the strength that you seek. You must focus, however, because there is not much time for you to squander."

Landon didn't have to ask what his great-grandfather meant as he began to listen to the creation stories of The People that would be his foundation.

* * *

><p>Once again, Connor looked himself at the mirror in Ric's restroom. The teenage boy felt very nervous about this as he touched his naked skin for a moment. This was too soon; it wasn't how it was supposed to be.<p>

Connor had nearly decided to take off when he opened the door to find Ric standing there. The older boy was completely naked as well. Ric soon took Connor's hands and held onto them for a long moment, while the boy's breathing quickened.

"You don't have to be afraid," Ric whispered to him. "I promise that I'll keep you safe."

The butterflies in Connor's stomach began to dissipate at that point. He finally decided to take the plunge as he allowed Ric to lead him back into his bedroom in the empty apartment. Ric closed the door behind them, out of habit, before lifting Connor up to carry him to bed.

They both landed on the bed and soon enough their bodies were drawn to each other. Like a magnetic pull, Connor and Ric latched onto each other in a fiery display of love. Connor clung onto Ric with all his might as their lips parted to allow tongue to entered the other's mouth. Ric pulled Connor closer to him, holding him in place with his stronger body as he felt the delicate flesh of the boy.

Connor's toes began to curl up as Ric's hand touched the cheeks of his ass. The nerves fought to return to scare Connor away from Ric's bed, but the boy fought to keep them in check. This was what he wanted; this was what they both wanted to do. Connor trusted Ric with this gift; he knew that Ric wouldn't do anything to willingly harm him.

Still, it was easy to be afraid when your boyfriend's penis was over nine inches.

Ric understood this size problem since he's been with girls who were equally worried about it. But Ric knew how to control himself to keep his partners from feeling pain. So to distract Connor's thoughts, he kept the boy on his back as he began to kiss every part of his body. He kept his own penis back so that the size issue wouldn't be constantly on Connor's mind. He wanted to keep him distracted so that he'd be less afraid of when the main event actually began.

Taking both nipples and rubbing them with his fingers, Ric was able to cause a jolt of pleasure to invade Connor's body. The boy's dick responded to this touch as his uncut penis began to leak with pre-cum. Ric smirked when he saw this as he resumed the trail down the boy's body. He didn't know much about foreskin, considering he was circumcised, but he knew to pull the excess skin back before taking the head into his mouth.

Connor let out a sharp gasp of breath as Ric's mouth completely swallowed him. It wasn't that difficult since he wasn't exactly huge, but Ric still made it feel like he was king of the world. "You sure you've never been with another guy before?" Connor asked, trying to chain his desire.

Mouth full of penis, Ric managed to say no.

As tongue began to travel up his shaft, Connor covered his mouth from being too loud. His inexperienced body could not contain himself as he warned Ric that he was about to cum. His boyfriend heard this and pulled his mouth away, but used his hand to stroke Connor into his climax. The boy gave out a softer cry while Ric's firm hand brought him release. About four shots of cum later, Connor was already locked in a daze, while Ric had a thought in mind.

Ric got on his side, but with his penis pointed after Connor's face. He took as much as Connor's cum into his hand to use as lube for him. As the boy was still in post-orgasm bliss Ric used this time to slide a finger inside of Connor after using his own spit to serve as extra lubricant. The cry that escaped him was nearly breathless as only Ric's knuckle was able to make it in.

Connor's mouth was hanging open and the scent emanating from Ric's penis hit him hard. Pure desire mixed with virgin nerves hit Connor hard, but it cleared the haze. Connor stretched his neck out where he took in Ric's head into his mouth, which got Ric very excited as his entire finger got sucked inside of Connor.

They were both locked in a state of pleasure as they took the time to pleasure each other. Connor's completely inexperienced mouth tried to imitate what Ric had done to him, while Ric used his fingers to prepare Connor's ass for the penetration.

Once both felt prepared enough, Ric grabbed a condom from the nightstand. He slid it down his shaft, while Connor watched in a daze cloud of teenage lust.

"How do we do this?" Connor asked, nervously.

"Get on your side," Ric said, softly. "It'll probably be easier that way."

Connor did as he was told and prepared himself for the worst. Ric advised him to just breathe as he aligned himself to penetrate his boyfriend. Kissing his neck and rubbing his chest, Ric kept himself at the hole of Connor's ass until he felt the boy relax a little. This made the actual penetration easier as Ric was able to slide his way inside, but Connor's tightness still made it a challenge.

The virgin tunnel was attempting to fight Ric, causing Connor to cry in a fit of pain. Ric continued to kiss his boyfriend, while whispering how much he loved him. This seemed to work as Connor slowly started to relax enough for him to get half of his cock inside of him.

At that point, Ric began to slowly rock himself back and forth inside of Connor. The tight heat felt amazing, which made Ric's eyes roll back. It's has been too long since he's been with somebody in this type of situation. Yes, Ric enjoyed sex very much, but this was very different. Sex with someone you loved was far better than sex just to have sex.

"I love you, Connor," Ric said, holding onto Connor's waist.

The boy couldn't say a single word as he held onto the sheets and the pillow. He gave out cries that were a mixture of pain and pleasure. Ric listened carefully to Connor's cries in order to make sure that there wasn't too much pain in them.

But Connor surprised Ric as the boy stroked himself and his cries got hotter. The tightness in his ass began to loosen up as well, making it easier for Ric to get more of him in. Connor was biting down on his bottom lips yet his cries still were escaping him until he blew. Connor came for the second time, and watching him enter this blissful state again was too much for Ric to handle.

Normally, Ric could last a lot longer, but his formally virgin boyfriend was a little too much. Ric let out a heated grunt before reaching his own climax, filling the condom he wore up to its very limit. He easily managed to slide out of Connor, leaving them both completely bare as they laid flat on their backs.

Connor curled onto his side, drawing himself towards Ric. His head touched the firm pec with his small hands resting on the six abs, feeling the light bit of chest hair that was growing. "I love you, Ric," the boy whispered, softly.

Ric started to smile as he removed the used condom then wrapped his arms around Connor's naked frame. He kissed the boy's forehead, before noticing that Connor was knocked out. That made him laugh a little bit, but he wasn't tired so he just laid there and listened to Connor's breathing and felt the boy's lithe body against his muscular one.

And to think, just moments before, Connor was afraid of having sex with him. Now, Ric knew that Connor liked it so they would be doing it a little more often now.

* * *

><p>The sun was just beginning to rise over their heads at this point.<p>

Landon embraced the feeling of warmth that was gradually coming with the rising of the sun. He kept his eyes shut though as he continued his mediation with not a single article of clothing to keep him covered. The shallow breathing and the faint movement of muscles showed the only signs of life as he sat on the mat. His entire body was exposed to the natural elements as he exposed himself to the environment as his People did in the past.

Great-grandfather watched the young man, carefully monitoring the progress that he was making. The special tonic that Landon had drank provided freedom for a piece of his spirit. Even as his great-grandfather watched him, Landon was partly out of his physical body. Out in the open, Landon was able to feel the webs that connected the Four Worlds together.

All of the spiritual energy led to Landon hearing his great-grandfather's powerful voice even from beyond this gap.

"Asta Hastiin," came the voice of his great-grandfather, "he is First Man. He brought about great changes, helping to bring forth the existence of our people, and helped in our protection. First Man is amongst our most treasured."

"Into every generation, a boy is born with a fragment of First Man's spirit," continued his great-grandfather. "He then becomes Asta Hastiin. He is the leader of our people, spiritually and physically."

"But there is more to being Asta Hastiin then birth. Asta Hastiin must learn, he must grow to understand the responsibilities that he owes to The People. The Eagle is tied to that spirit. The mighty Eagle is the one who guides Asta Hastiin on his journey to enlightenment."

Landon's spiritual and physical form listened to the words of his great-grandfather. He remained still as he felt the words touch every fiber of his existence. "What are you saying, great-grandfather?" said Landon. "I do not understand what you mean."

"I am Asta Hastiin, but my time is coming to an end," said his great-grandfather. "A new Asta Hastiin must heed the call to lead The People through these times. Not just our People, but all who live in this universe."

"Then who is that will take your place?" asked Landon. "Must I search for him?"

"So young, child," laughed his great-grandfather. "Landon, you are Asta Hastiin, you are part of First Man. You are the leader who will help bring about the journey to Fifth World."

Oddly enough, this bit of information didn't seem to come as a shock to Landon. He had heard stories of Asta Hastiin/First Man since he was a child. This was an honor that Landon spent his life dreaming of. "But doesn't the journey mean the destruction of Fourth World, this world?" said Landon. "Even if I am Asta Hastiin, I don't know where to begin. I am still just a boy in these ways. I am just a child who has yet to learn to gather his thoughts."

Great-grandfather's voice was clearer at this point as Landon was finally able to see his great-grandfather's spiritual form. "Which is why we are here," said the older man. The ethereal form crossed into the spiritual fade that Landon's essence was journeying through. He was not alone though in spirit, a few more shapes trailed behind him. "The People shall help you on this journey, Landon. We are always together, always connected. That is the most important lesson for you to learn."

As the words continued to cross the threshold, Landon's spirit began to ache as he felt lights gathering all around him that were brought forth from the rising sun and the beautiful moon. It was almost immediately that Landon felt at utter peace with all things as he further submitted himself to the coming spirits. They were all so strong, so caring, and so wise that it seemed almost overwhelming to Landon at this point.

But he was Asta Hastiin, or at least he was supposed to be. Landon closed his spirit form's eyes to fall into the depths that waited for him.

* * *

><p>With the morning finally upon them, the Rangers all went over to the Command Center where they noticed that someone was missing.<p>

Alice had to rub her eyes to make sure that her contacts hadn't decided to quit on her. She looked around to see that their leader wasn't present amongst the group, which was beyond odd. "Why isn't Landon here?" she decided to ask Ric. "Is he not feeling well or something? You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I did nothing," Ric said, shaking his head. He sat down on a chair with Connor sitting down on top of him. A brief flicker of last night popped into both their minds at that point, making them both grind a little. "Landon took off for New Mexico. You should ask Alpha about the details."

Everyone looked over to Alpha who had just entered the chamber with Adam following behind them. They did their usual greetings, but were a little disturbed by the silent treatment that they were getting from the Rangers. Well, Adam wasn't the one who was suffering, it was more Alpha who got the cold shoulder.

"What's the matter, Rangers?" asked Alpha. "Is there something you need to say to me?"

"Yeah, why did Landon decide to go M.I.A all of a sudden?" asked Junior.

Alpha did a robotic gulp as he went over to towards the group of teenagers. "Landon needed to return home," said the robot. "He felt…he felt too weak to continue being Red Ranger. So he left to find a way to make himself stronger."

"Why would he think that he's weak?" asked Tommy. "Landon always kicks ass."

"Not compared to you and Junior," Connor blurted out. "The two of you have been doing all the saving the day lately. Granted, you made our jobs easier, but Landon kind of suffers from an inferiority complex."

"It's amazing how you can psychoanalysis someone in like two seconds," Haley told him. "Anyways, Landon is always trying to be a better leader, but here come two new Rangers that are constantly showing him up. It's no wonder that he took off."

Alpha sighed alongside the other Rangers as they wondered if Landon would ever return.

Adam just kept to himself as he began to do the hourly scan of the city. Normally, this would be Alpha's job, but since Adam had today off then the mentor decided to do all the routine check-ups. So before Adam had the chance to begin a search, the sirens in the Command Center began to go off at full throttle.

The alarming ring was so loud that it was enough to make everyone to cover their ears.

Alpha was the only one able to do anything as he silenced his hearing sensors to reach the keyboard. He began to key in a few things to silence the alarms, while pulling up an image of an apparent attack on the monitors.

The screens began to light up one by one, revealing to Adam a great fear for him.

The Rangers drew themselves closer as they saw Lightning and Dark Knight with an army of putties. A strange, red-skinned man was present amongst them, obviously leading the pack of villains and their soldiers.

"Who is that ugly fucker?" said Junior.

"You're looking at Thrax," said Adam, "the Son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. They very mastermind that you guys have been fighting against since the beginning."

"Oh," Haley said, softly. "So that's Thrax, and he's brought all his friends."

"And here we are short a Red Ranger," said Ric.

"It looks like we have to hold down the fort until Landon shows up," said Tommy.

The Rangers knew what they had to do as they broke apart to morph. They removed the bracelets from their wrists, giving life to their Crystal Morphers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. Raising their crystals up into the air, colored feathers began to swirl around each one as they transformed.

Alpha immediately teleported the Rangers to where Thrax and his warriors had gathered, hoping that they would be enough to stop this coming destruction.

Meanwhile, Adam got to work on tracking Landon down, knowing that the Rangers would need their leader no matter what.

* * *

><p>Scattered explosions began to go off along downtown Angel Grove as Thrax made himself very well known to the citizens. Everyone was running as far away as they could get, moving as quickly as humanly possible. Thrax did not seem to show any mercy as he flung bolts of energy from his staff, while his warriors and the Putties followed behind his trail.<p>

Fires began to run wild along the streets as some buildings and plenty of cars erupted into flames. Thrax used his dark powers to fan these flames, causing them to spread in size. Soon enough, Angel Grove would burn to the ground, leaving nothing but ash behind. It was so wonderful in Thrax's mind that he did not even seem to care that the Rangers would show up soon.

Lightning and Dark Knight, however, were a little more cautious then their master. The warriors kept themselves vigilant as the citizens continue to scatter about, while new explosions started to go off. Lightning dressed in her golden, battle armor, while Dark Knight keeping his blade drawn at all times. This mayhem would cause the Rangers to act against them, which they knew must be swiftly dealt with.

In almost no time at all, six gliders began to fly above their heads. Thrax and the others looked up to the sky to see the Rangers coming down from their gliders, ready to do battle against them. The six Rangers took their positions, standing united against Thrax and the forces that he had assembled with him.

"Well, this is certainly surprising," said White Ranger. "You finally decided to show yourself, Thrax!"

"Did you get tired of hiding behind those weak monsters that you constantly send out?" asked White Ranger.

"Yeah because we'd much rather kick your ass!" shouted Blue Ranger.

Thrax listened to the cocky words of the Power Rangers, restraining himself from laughing at their foolishness. They were attempting to talk tough to mask the present fear that was pouring out from them. Thrax could see through this façade and saw them for the nervous children that they really were.

The mutant man stepped away from his assembled forces, baring a dark grin on his face. He briefly looked at each Ranger to size them up now that he could see them with his own two eyes. "A bunch of teenagers with attitude," said Thrax. "Isn't that what Zordon was searching for when he recruited the first Power Rangers of Earth? It seems that Earthlings only know to sacrifice their young to fight their battles for them."

"Rag on Earth all you want, Thrax, but that isn't going to change things," said Pink Ranger.

"We're still going to show you that we aren't to be messed with!" said Yellow Ranger.

"So you might as well just pack your bags and hit the road," said Black Ranger.

No longer able to contain himself, Thrax started to laugh as he continued to listen to these extra threats. They were so entertaining that Thrax would almost miss the Rangers when they were all dead. "Silly Earthlings," said Thrax. "You stand no chance. Your Red Ranger seems to understand that which is why he isn't present!"

Before the Rangers could react, Thrax unleashed a bolt of energy from his Z-Staff. The power ripped through his weapon and shot across the road until it exploded in front of the Rangers. The six heroes were easily thrown up into the air then landed scattered away from each other as the smoke and flames continued to grow.

Not wasting a beat, the Putties started to take off after that to charge after the Rangers. Over three dozen Putties started to flood the street to take on the enemies of their master.

All while Thrax watched alongside his warriors.

The Rangers fought apart from each other, choosing to face off the Putties on their own. They would unite together to handle the larger threats which were Thrax and his warriors.

Pink Ranger grabbed a hold of her Sacred Claws to fend for herself. The Putties tried to swarm her with their superior numbers, but soon found themselves being diced up. She easily slashed through the incoming Putties, sending each Putty flying back.

White Ranger started fight off the batch of Putties with his Solar Blade. The glowing blade radiated magnificently against the morning light. He slashed the Putties that were coming after him until a Putty managed to disarm him. After that, White Ranger resorted to using his hands and feet. He started to use every part of his body as a weapon to prove a point to the Putties that he wasn't to be messed around with.

Orange Ranger pulled up a force field and wrapped it around a band of Putties. The clay freaks were soon trapped within it and were getting their bodies crushed by it, while he faced off against another group. This time, Orange Ranger just jumped straight into things as he took on every Putty that dared to get caught by his fists or legs.

Blue Ranger found his super strength to be very handy in this fight. The massive bodies of Putties that kept coming after him in waves would've tired out a normal Ranger. He kept strong though as he felt a surge of power just burning to come out from inside of him.

"Alright then, I show you suckers a real trick!" shouted Blue Ranger. He brought his arms to cross over his chest as he gathered this power. The wind began to kick up around him with the Putties continuing to charge at him. "Spirit of Wind, blow my foes away!" He uncrossed his arms and moved them forward, unleashing a great gust of wind. The coming wind proved to be a little too much for the Putties as the crushing gale smashed into their chests, causing them to break apart.

Yellow Ranger jumped above the heads of Putties, pulling the triggers of her Holy Pistols. The yellow bullets struck some of the Putties down as the others continued to circle around her at this point. It wasn't fun being her at the moment so she knew that she really had to show them what an earthly body could do against them.

"If this is how you want to play then I can dish it right back!" shouted Yellow Ranger. She brought her pistols down to the ground with her fingers just itching to pull the trigger. She couldn't spring the trap just yet though as she waited until the Putties were all around her at this point. "Spirit of Earth, crush my foes!" Finally, pulling the trigger, Yellow Ranger trigged an earthquake all around her. The earth rumbled beneath the Putties, which caused them to drop down and repeatedly getting smashed down until they began to break apart.

Black Ranger raced through the crowd of Putties where he slashed them away with his Angel Sword. His quick movements gave him an advantage in a fight, allowing him to dispatch quite a few Putties without much difficulty. But even his speed couldn't protect him against the growing numbers that kept on trying to consume him.

"Well, this is no fun for me at all!" said Black Ranger. "I guess I have to teach you all a lesson you'll never forget." He returned his sword to its sheath, while taking hold of his Heaven Bow. Briefly twisting his bow around in hand, Black Ranger called forth new strength to give him power. "Spirit of Shadow, pierce my enemies!" He then swung his bow around in an arc with the black wings glowing darkly as a wave of energy coursed out. The first wave was enough to take down about half the Putties present. So he swung his bow once more to finish off those that remained, using the other wing to strike back.

As the last of the Putties were vanquished, the Rangers gathered together to face off against Thrax, Lightning, and Dark Knight. Once again, it was decided that they should split up to face off against the trio of baddies. White Ranger and Orange went directly after Thrax. Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger headed towards Dark Knight. Black Ranger and Pink Ranger teamed up against Lightning.

The fighting grew as the Rangers used everything against their enemies. It was exceedingly difficult since they usually fought as a single unit to fight against one of these warriors. With Lightning and Dark Knight fighting together, alongside Thrax, that just served to make everything so much more difficult for the colorful heroes.

Dark Knight brought his heavy sword towards Blue Ranger who only blocked it by connecting it with his Glory Hammer. Blue Ranger made sure to use his super strength to keep the knight restrained, while Yellow Ranger snuck up from behind. With the knight distracted, she fired a few bullets from her Holy Pistols that pierced the cape and left a dent on the armor.

That done, Dark Knight felt some anger boiling up inside of him. He brought their weapons up, causing Blue Ranger to lose contact with the knight's sword. That accomplished, Dark Knight grabbed hold of the Ranger by the neck with his gauntlet then tossed the Ranger towards an overturned car. As Blue Ranger crashed down, Dark Knight dragged his sword through the crowd to pull up a dark shockwave. This attacked crashed into Yellow Ranger, hurtling her towards her beaten friend.

As for Lightning, she faced off against Pink Ranger and Black Ranger. They were both armed with their Angel Swords, using their weapons to face off against this master swordsman. Lightning barely seemed to be breaking a sweat as she held them both back with her Gunblade. A soft smirk began to draw Lightning's lips apart when she pushed the Rangers away from each other then faced off against Pink Ranger.

The armored warrior continuously began to meet Pink Ranger blow for blow. With every crack of their swords, Lightning could feel that Pink Ranger was becoming exhausted by the tingling impact of their blades. Even with Pink Ranger using her superior agility to mess some of the attacks, Lightning was also very quick on her feet. She easily managed to swipe the Angel Sword out of Pink Ranger's hand just as Black Ranger was coming up behind her.

Lightning struck Black Ranger with both blades, sending the boy back. Tossing the Angel Sword aside, Lightning turned back around with her Gunblade in its gun form. She pulled the trigger on Pink Ranger, taking the young woman down by a single bullet to the shoulder.

With most of them done for, White Ranger and Orange Ranger kept on fighting their hardest against Thrax. Although Thrax was no warrior, the mutant man seemed to hold some form of combat experience. Thrax was able to brush aside some of their attacks, while using his mighty Z-Staff as a weapon against the two Rangers.

Orange Ranger attempted to take Thrax down in a solo attempt. He started twisting his Celestial Lance around him as he neared the mutant. Thrax barely made an effort to lift a finger as brought his hand up, which began to burst with a crackle of dark energy. Once Orange Ranger tried to get the mutant with the tip of the lance, Thrax pushed his attack to the tip to shock the Ranger. Effortlessly, Orange Ranger was thrown aside, leaving behind his companion in white.

White Ranger quickly took notice that he was the last Ranger who was still standing. He gripped onto his swords where he looked back to see that Thrax had been joined with Lightning and Dark Knight. The two warriors brought their swords together, while Thrax placed his Z-Staff against them. White Ranger didn't even have a second to blink before a rushing wave of energy escaped from their combined weapons, crashing into his very body with a remarkable amount of force.

A loud howl ripped through White Ranger's lips as he fell to the ground, disarmed and broken. He struggled to move even at the slightest, but the pain was soon travelling all over him and put a stop to that. "Landon…Landon, where are you?" White Ranger whispered. "We need you."

The other Rangers attempted to call for their leader as well, but felt that it was pointless. They were too badly beaten to do much besides twist and turn in pain. This was a state that all the Rangers were in, while Thrax and his warriors celebrated their victory against the heroes.

* * *

><p>The tide began to wash over Landon as he felt the generations of spirits that were touching the various parts of him. A deep sigh escaped him in this euphoric, spiritual state that was locked inside. The People were all around him now, becoming part of him, and guiding him to the path that would lead to his very destiny.<p>

It was a slow process, but it was one that Landon had the patience for.

His human mind was running at a million hours per hour as he listened to the loud chorus of voices in his head. They were all vying for this attention, which he somehow managed to listen to every single one of them. Each voice was important, but more than that, they showed something that Landon really needed to hear.

All things were interconnected to each other. The life forms in this universe were all tethered together, which was what created balance amongst the cosmos.

Gathering all of the knowledge that he has gained, Landon finally had reached the conclusion that the spirits were guiding him to. The painfully obvious solution was one that he had been trying to avoid due to its simplicity. "It's not all about strength," Landon said. "There are other things that make us who we are that give us our power. But when we are all brought together, a power unlike any other is possible to be achieved."

"That is what First Man teaches us," said voices of The People. "That is the wisdom our People."

"And it is with that wisdom that I have a chance to improve upon myself," said Landon. "I understand now, thanks to all of you. I know that true strength lies not with one's own selfish desires for power. True power lies with those who work together, who seek to protect those who do not have the strength to protect themselves."

The spirits hummed in unison, causing a soothing voice to ring throughout Landon's mind. The People showed Landon the trouble that his friends were going through back home. They were badly beaten and were in great need of his help at this point. The voices were strong as they pushed him to begin this new path of his.

He felt the voice of The People eventually calm down to a dull ping before ceasing all together.

When Landon finally opened his eyes, he saw that he was back from his spiritual journey. The New Mexico landscape created him with open arms as Landon slowly began to stand. His nude form kissed by the gentle warmth of the sun, which fanned a kindling fire within his body.

As the feeling of his People touching his spirit, Landon looked around to see that he stood on top of a barren cliff. There was no sign of life, no sign at all of his great-grandfather ever being present. There was only Landon, who stood completely naked, and his clothes laid flat on the ground.

"It seems that my time to lead has finally come," Landon said, touching his naked chest. He felt the beating of his heart against his large palm. The tingling sensation left behind by The People would forever change him. The fears of his past were now just a memory, one that he'd learn from in order to further his spiritual growth. "I am Asta Hastiin. I am the leader of my generation. I shall not only guide, but I shall fight to protect those who cannot defend themselves."

With this fiery determination inside of him, Landon thanked his great-grandfather for everything that he did for him. He quickly gathered up his clothes to get dressed when he saw an eagle descend down from the sky. The eagle landed not too far from where Landon stood and simply watched the young man.

Landon held his hand out to the eagle, which the bird of prey responded to by flying towards him. Even as the massive eagle drew near, Landon did not think of wavering for a second. He stood tall and the eagle respected this as he ascended back into the sky, leaving behind a gift within the heart of the young man.

Nodding his head, Landon finished getting dressed before teleporting to Angel Grove to help his friends.

* * *

><p>Explosions kept going off around the Rangers with Thrax raining down hell upon them. The Rangers were taking in a serious beating that they had no time at all to pick themselves back up. Whenever one attack would end another wasn't too far behind to keep them down to the dirt.<p>

Thrax laughed as his lightning zapped the life out of his enemies. The Power Rangers were crumbling apart to nothing at this point. He didn't understand why he just didn't do this in the first place. He could've saved himself from so many headaches had he just directly attacked the Rangers, showing no mercy at all for them.

Lightning and Dark Knight watched the scene unfolding before them. Their master had the Rangers down for the count. Only one powerful blow would be needed to finish them off for good. So the warriors joined their master once again, crossing their blades with the Z-Staff. They held up their weapons, calling forth a powerful bolt of energy.

But before the villains could strike, a stream of fire began to wrap around the villains. The fire prevented them from unleashing their attack thus sparing the lives of the Rangers. Everyone was surprised as they wondered just where these powerful flames came from.

"Thrax, this ends here!" Red Ranger made his grand appearance in the fight. He showed up behind the villains, far away from where his friends were badly beaten. "I will not allow you to harm my friends any longer!" he shouted. "It's time that you face me."

Thrax and his warriors were not impressed to see Red Ranger here since he was only one Ranger. It was so easy to defeat the other six that this one Ranger would be defeated in no time at all.

"What an arrogant brat you are, Red Ranger," said Thrax. "Lightning, Dark Knight, let us join our power as one to finish this Ranger off!" He held his Z-Staff up with his warriors bringing their swords together. Their dark powers grew to extremes as they prepared to obliterate the Red Ranger with a single blow.

Red Ranger would no bow down, however, not after what he went through. The journey he went through had gave him the spiritual strength that he needed to fight for his friends and overcome evil.

Their evil energy began to rip through their weapons as it soon rocketed towards Red Ranger. He stood his ground even with his friends yelling at him to get out of the way. The bolts of dark energy were coming dangerously close and would finish off Red Ranger if he did not react quickly to this attack.

Red Ranger took his Angel Sword and Aurora Sword out then brought his weapons together. A scorch band of fire began to take form, which he then pushed towards the villainous attack. The burning flames neutralized the dark energy produced by Thrax, Lightning, and Dark Knight, which surprised everyone there.

That wasn't the end of things though as Red Ranger tossed his swords aside.

The Ranger brought his hands together to concentrate the spiritual energy he had gained. The voices of The People continued to ring in his head as he felt the weakening spirits of his friends. He would not allow them to suffer at the hands of these villains. He called on their own spiritual strength, borrowing would they could offer him.

"I am Asta Hastiin," chanted Red Ranger. "I am the leader of The People. I fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I challenge the power of those who wish to harm others. I am one with the Eagle!"

Hot flames began to spread from Red Ranger's hands, but failed to scorch the Ranger as he wielded them freely. The Celestial powers of his Crystal Morpher responded to his spiritual energy by giving him a greater power to wield. "Eagle Man Burning Strike!" shouted Red Ranger. He pushed his hands forward, unleashing a stream of fire from him.

The fire, however, shifted its form to take the image of an eagle. Even the sound of an eagle escaped the flames as it flew quickly towards Thrax. The intensity of the flames pushed Lightning and Dark Knight away from their master with its remarkable strength. The eagle then brought its wings around Thrax, consuming the mutant man with the burning flames. Thrax cried out in horrific agony as the flaming eagle exploded around him, drowning him in scorching fire.

Slowly, the flames began to settle down to reveal that Thrax still live but he was down on his knees. The mutant man was covered in burn marks with his Z-Staff cracked as it laid on the ground. He was unmoving and appeared to be dead at first glance, despite his very shallow breathing.

Dark Knight and Lightning gathered around their master, immediately evacuating him from this area.

Red Ranger cracked a smile underneath his helmet embracing victory for a moment, before going over to help his fallen friends.

* * *

><p>Back at the Command Center, the Rangers flocked around Landon after his amazing display of power back there. Landon torched those baddies with some serious firepower that left them all wondering just what the hell happened to him.<p>

"Dude, did you take some Navajo steroids or something?" asked Ric.

Landon shrugged his roommate off as he went over to a chair. He sat down to rest his tired head, while some of the others watched him all starry eyed. The others were just too exhausted to do more than life their heads up. "I went on a spiritual journey," Landon told them. "I learned more about myself and my People. They were my guides to enlightenment."

"So you're Buddha now," said Junior.

"I think he entered Nirvana," Alice said, making ghostly noises.

They were both ignored by Landon without much difficulty on his part. He just shook his head as he faced the others, including Adam and Alpha. "The things I learned well help us in future battles," said the young man. "I truly understand now that strength does not come from one person. We all have our talents that make us extraordinary, but it's only when we bring them together that we can accomplish the greatest of things. True power lies within the heart of a tribe, not of an individual."

Haley nodded her head as she went towards their hero, flicking him on the noise with her nail. Landon didn't seem to appreciate the move, but there was a point behind it. "Isn't that a lesson that I've been trying to teach you for months now?" said Haley. "You need to start listening to me, Red! There's a reason why I'm your second-in-command."

"Sorry, Haley," Landon said, rubbing his noise. "I suppose that the lesson took a bit of reinforcing for it to stick."

"We could try hammering it into your brain," Connor said with a smile.

"Or maybe even tying you up on top of a flag pole?" suggested Tommy.

Adam got between the two of them before they could pull out the chicken feathers and glue. There was no need for things to reach that point. "Easy on the hazing suggestion, boys," Adam said, interfering with their plot. He went over to Landon, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "You did good today, Landon. Had you not been able to defeat Thrax then things would've certainly ended a lot worse."

It was nice to be complimented every once in a while, but today was not the time to bask in it. There were things that Landon needed to make clear to the others. There was a part of his journey that they needed to be informed about. "It's far from over, I'm afraid," said Landon. "The People told me that something far worse looms in the horizon." He up from the chair and took out his Crystal Morpher, holding the red crystal on the palm of his hand. The others watched him carefully, perplexed by what this could possibly mean. "The very fate of the entire universe rests on our shoulders."

Even with this nice piece of information, the Rangers were still clueless as to the dark forces that they would be facing up against in the near future.

* * *

><p>Holding onto his wounded side, Thrax nearly collapsed to the floor of his palace before his Putties were able to catch him. The mindless servants were able to save their master from falling flat onto his face after the shameful defeat he suffered at the hands of the Power Rangers. Once again, Thrax was vowing vengeance, cursing the very Rangers for the injuries he was suffering from.<p>

The Putties started to assist Thrax in removing him from the throne, while Dark Knight followed right behind him. The knight had ordered the Putties to take Thrax to his chamber for rest. The evil energies that Thrax wielded had become weak and depleted from the fight, only a period of rest could spare Thrax from certain doom.

Zodiark watched this scene unfold alongside Umbra. The two saw as the badly beaten Thrax was sealed away in his own chambers. Dark Knight remained beside him to monitor the healing progress of his master, hoping that he'd come back to full healthy quickly.

It would take a long time, however, considering the damage that Red Ranger had done to him.

Umbra held onto Zodiark's arm, silently whispering something into his ear. For a moment, Zodiark seemed astonished by what Umbra had told him before regaining his composure. Zodiark then cast his glance upon Lightning, who stood to guard the throne of her master from those who'd wish to take the castle's powers.

Now was the time to make some real progress with the plans that Zodiark had laid out.

Lightning took caution as Zodiark and Umbra began to make their approach. She was well aware that any attempt at concern for Thrax would be some ploy to strike while he was down. So it was why she took hold of the handle of her Gunblade, preparing should they try anything unfortunate.

"Is there something you need, Prince Zodiark?" asked Lightning.

"Your assistance, if you don't mind," Zodiark said, cheerfully.

That sounded a little odd to Lightning, but she kept herself open to listen to what his request might be. Zodiark saw the willingness in her eyes so he got closer to her before pointing out to the distant sun. Lightning seemed a little confused by this as she feared what Zodiark might possibly want to do with a sun. It was frightful to think how much energy the sun could emanate and if Zodiark wished to play with that power then he risked all their lives in the process.

Zodiark noticed the look of concern in her eyes. He had already figured out her initial theory, which he quickly put out to ease her fears. "There is something on the sun that belongs to me," said the Dark Prince. "It was a gift that was stripped from me by Dark Specter long ago. I have finally found that it was hidden on this solar system's sun."

"What would that be?" Lightning asked, timidly.

A smile began to take form on Zodiark and Umbra's face at that point. Zodiark turned back to Lightning with that grin growing very wickedly. "It's a weapon, of course" Zodiark said, simply. "It is a weapon of mass destruction." He watched as Lightning nearly dropped her Gunblade in complete shock as those fatal words escaped from Zodiark's mouth. The Dark Prince knew that Lightning would get a kick out of that one.

A weapon of mass destruction…but just what form this weapon could take to survive the flames of the sun was a complete mystery to her.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, while Thrax is away, Zodiark begins to run the show. He sends his warriors to attack Earth where they capture Connor to begin work on unlocking this weapon of mass destruction. As the Rangers try to rescue their friend, Alice and Adam work on harnessing Landon's Eagle Man abilities into their own weapon. WIth the clock ticking, the Rangers go up against their largest threat to date as Zodiark uncovers the weapons he seeks. Find out how things will end in **Ultimate Weapon**


	17. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **Another fun filled chapter is done. I'm tired and my head hurts, but I decided to add a few things. I decided to throw in some crossovers with other Rangers which include Jungle Fury, RPM, and Samurai. Each one will have a chapter dedicated to them in the near future. I also have a lot of things planned for Galactic Pirates. I'll try to make that a balance between the Sentai (because I love that season) and my own random mess. That's all that needs to be said. Read and review! And I mean it. REVIEW DAMNIT!**  
><strong>

**Ultimate Power: **

Things have been a lot quieter since the Rangers defeated Thrax just a week ago. The Earth wasn't under constant attack and the Rangers actually had time to resume their personal lives. It couldn't have come at a better time for Haley and Connor since they had midterms at school. They actually had time to study now since they weren't so consumed with saving the world.

But all of this free time gave Alice time to work on some projects. Her most important project right now involved Landon and his new spiritual abilities. She knew that if they could harness that as a weapon then they'd be able to stand up against the dark forces that were coming after them.

Hence why she was going over their last battle with Adam and Alpha 8 to see what she could do.

They all watched the screen as Landon used his Eagle Man powers to strike down Thrax. Alice could remember the heat brought to life by the intense flames. It felt like raw power had slapped her across the face, which it literally did to Thrax upon impact

"How do you plan on harnessing that power, Alice?" asked Adam. "I don't know how you'll be able to tangle up Landon's spiritual abilities with your Ranger powers."

That's where Alice knew that Adam was purely wrong. As wise as their mentor was, he still failed to understand their own Ranger abilities. "I beg to differ, kind sir," said Alice. "If you've noticed, all our Ranger powers are spiritually based. We call forth on spirits, even our Zords seem to harness some form of spiritual energy. Landon's powers skyrocketed when he mixed his Asta Hastiin abilities with his crystal. If we can somehow transfer that to the rest of us then who knows how much damage we can do against Thrax and Zodiark."

"You'll be unstoppable!" Alpha said, excitedly.

"Exactly what I was thinking, Alpha," Alice said, cheerfully "You read my mind."

Adam had thought about everything that Alice said and mentally went over every bit of it. Her theory was pretty solid. He was almost certain that if anyone could pull this off then it would be their incredible Alice King. Her mind was most suited for situations like these. Adam was very grateful to have her mind on their side.

"I'll bring Landon over here then," said Adam. "It'll be easier to test this theory with him present."

"Good thinking," Alice said, running a simulation on the computer.

Alpha quickly went over to assist Alice in this simulation, while Adam brought Landon to the Command Center to be their guinea pig. This would be a long, interesting day for all of them.

* * *

><p>As Thrax slumbered in order to recover from the injuries he sustained from Red Ranger, Zodiark took control of the castle. Dark Knight was out of the picture as well, leaving no one that could fight the Dark Prince's authority. Lightning had already submitted to his ruling as she joined Zodiark's warriors inside their ship.<p>

The spacecraft took flight where it was programmed to fly towards the Sun.

Lightning was nervous as they approached the massively bright star. This weapon that Zodiark was searching for seemed so unreal to her as they were nearing Venus. Nothing could survive on the surface of the sun that much she was certain of. Any weapon that might have been there surely would've been destroyed by the intense heat of the star. But she also wondered just how Zodairk expected them to uncover this weapon, their flesh and bone would be reduced to ash upon coming to contact with the Sun.

Bakari and Helios continued to steer the ship with the Sun getting closer by the second. Lightning clenched onto the necklace around her neck as she tried to contain the fear that was building up inside of her. Kratein and Umbra sat at their stations, looking rather bored as they stared off to the vastness of space. As for Zodiark, the Dark Prince was brimming with pride as they finally reached their destination.

The ship landed on Mercury, the closest planet in the solar system to the Sun. Zodiark began to stand with his dark cloak rippling around him as he approached the front of the deck.

"There it is, my friends," announced Zodiark. "On the surface of the Sun rests the Ultimate Weapon. Once we reclaim what was taken from me then nothing in the galaxy could stand up against us. The Power Rangers will be crushed before my feet!"

Umbra started to chuckle as he rose up from his seat. He approached his spouse, wrapping his arms around the solid arm of the Dark Prince. "And just what is this Ultimate Weapon?" asked his Consort. "You keep going on and on about it, but won't deem us worthy to share this key detail with. How is it that it possible that it will lay waste to all our enemies?"

Zodiark bore a gentle smirk on his face as he used index and middle finger to tilt his Consort's chin up. He laid a soft kiss against Umbra before pulling away to retrieve a blackened remote from his robes. "I'll tell you what this weapon is," said the Dark Prince. "Behold, the Sun Crusher." Zodiark held his arm out then pushed on the power button to trigger his surprise.

On the surface of the Sun, great flares began to burst as something began to rise. Zodiark's warriors began to gather at the screen where they watched this coming weapon be brought to life. The Sun itself seemed to rise with a golden dot beginning to approach their ship. Zodiark could only laugh with joy as his precious weapon was coming closer to them. The others had fallen into a state of shock as they realized just what it was that Zodiark had been searching for.

This Sun Crusher was no ordinary weapon of mass destruction. The Sun Crusher it was far more than that.

It was a Zord, a colossal, golden Zord.

The Sun Crusher Zord landed on the surface of Mercury now, allowing everyone to see the magnificence of this Zord in person. The golden Zord was condensed into its standby form as it waited for Zodiark to reclaim it after all these years. The form it took was that of a bulky, fortress ship that bore heavy guns hidden behind the golden armor. In this form alone, it was already larger then all of the Rangers' individual Zords, which made it all the more frightening.

"Behold the Sun Crusher Zord in all its splendid glory!" proclaimed Zodiark. "My Zord might be severally weakened due to its containment on the Sun, but it shall rise up and destroy the Power Rangers soon. All it needs is some repairs and a great source of power to ignite its spark."

And so Zodiark began to plot, knowing just where he'd find this power source.

* * *

><p>While a great power was stirring, the Earth was feeling the aftershocks of this. This disturbance caused a series of earthquakes that hit throughout the planet. The seismic waves circled the entire glob, making the Earthlings panic as they feared the worst. They were unaware that it was Zodiark that had caused these minor earthquakes due to the awakening of his Zord.<p>

Over in the Command Center, the Rangers were feeling the devastating effects. Their base was underneath the city, which meant that they could potentially be in a great deal of danger. Adam had to reassure them all that they would be safe due to the magically webbing that surrounded the Command Center. The wards put into place would keep them safe from the earthly elements and enemy detection.

Landon looked around the base to see that everything was still in one piece even after the earthquake. He glanced at the others to see that they were all fairing well. Adam was helping Alice and Alpha back up. Ric's legs were a bit like jelly that made him useless in helping Connor which led to Junior picking the kid up. Haley was hanging onto Tommy for support before she had fallen flat on her ass.

"Is everyone alright?" asked Landon. "Nobody's injured?"

"Maybe my pride," said Ric.

"We're all fine," Adam said, speaking up for everyone.

That was a relief to hear. They all braced themselves though for any incoming aftershocks though, while allowing the computers to pull up a damage report. The Rangers needed to know if there was any immediate action that they needed to take because of this earthquake.

Alpha returned to the computers with no signs of an aftershock insight. That came as a breath of relief to the Rangers as they joined their robotic friend. "Everything seems alright," said Alpha. "However, it's strange that the entire planet was hit by an earthquake. The same seismic activity circled the entire planet before dissipating."

"That is a little strange," said Alice. "Earthquakes normally don't work that way. Is there anything specific that might have caused this?"

"It wasn't the Earth's plates moving, I'm certain of that much," said Alpha. "It seems that these earthquakes were caused by a gravity-based disturbance. If I just expand the search to the solar system then maybe I can find something."

Alpha did exactly as he said he would and was greeted with some promising results. Alpha gave out a worried sound when he analyzed the data. "It was the Sun!" said Alpha. "Something had emerged from the surface of the Sun, which trigged a gravitational disturbance among the interior planets."

"Can you tell what it was that came from the Sun?" asked Junior.

"No," said Alpha. "I can't tell."

Alice and Adam tried to add their computer expertise to see if they could figure out what Alpha couldn't. However, that proved to be impossible as their search was rather fruitless. Their sensors could only pick up a disturbance, nothing more. So they would be left in the dark as to what triggered this earthquake.

Before the Rangers could disperse though, the sirens in the Command Center began to go off. The loud ringing warned the Rangers of a major attack. Adam pulled up the sensors to narrow this down to Angel Grove. The screen was turned on to show that the city was under attack by Zodiark, Kratein, Helios, and Lightning.

"Just what we needed," said Haley.

"I wonder what's next," Connor said, sadly.

"Let's not fret, guys," said Tommy. "Let's kick some bad guy ass!"

Landon agreed as he gathered the Rangers together to morph. They each removed the colored bracelets from their wrists, activating the power of their Crystal Morphers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the seven Rangers. Light began to flood into the Command Center as each Ranger was surrounded by plentiful feathers.

Once the transformation was finished, Adam immediately teleported the Rangers to Zodiark's location to deal with the Dark Prince and the forces he assembled.

Whatever it was that Zodiark was up to, it just couldn't be good.

* * *

><p>The scorching heats of the Arabian Desert were less than exciting for Umbra and Bakari, more so Bakari since he was getting nothing out of this.<p>

Bakari was sweltering in this heat as he followed the lead of the insane Ranger Hunter. The strategist had already stripped off most of the layers that he wore, leaving behind only his pants as he used cape as a turban. Now, it made sense to him why the people of these lands used these things. They actually did provide a decent amount of shade, which kept him just a few degrees cooler.

However, his rosy skin would beg to differ. Every exposed bit of him was burning and he would need to drown himself in aloe just to sooth the sting.

Umbra didn't seem to care even the slightest as he stomped over the skin. Fully dressed in all his tight-clothing still, Umbra seemed perfectly fine. The heat didn't bother him despite the darker colors that would've suffocated an ordinary person. Sometimes Bakari would forget the amount of darkness that was swimming inside of Umbra's body at this point. Had the hunter been a normal person then he'd be drowning from all the dark powers.

"We're nearly there," Umbra said to his escort. "You can stop all your bitching soon enough. We'll be back on the Moon in a few more minutes."

Bakari tried to defend himself, but he knew that the Consort wouldn't give a damn. Umbra was just special in that sense, which meant there was no point for Bakari to fight. The General just surrendered to the commands of his superior as they wandered deeper into the desert.

The desert only got hotter though as time passed. Bakari just couldn't get used to the accursed heat of this godless place. Now all this planet's religious proclamations made in these biblical lands finally made sense to him. These prophets had all gone mad in the head because of this damn heat! Pretty soon, Bakari was certain he'd start babbling his own prophecies unless they finally found the damn weapon they were searching for.

After uncovering the Sun Crusher Zord, Zodiark had informed his crew of another Zord hidden in the desert. Umbra was promised this Zord, which meant that he'd get a new toy. Bakari was fearful of this since the pale-skinned lunatic wasn't exactly the best person to give a massive weapon to. The General wouldn't question his Dark Prince, however, so he kept his mouth shut and followed his orders.

Eventually, Umbra finally came to a stop as he took in a deep breath. The desert wind burned as it touched his flesh, but it was through the burn that he felt its presence. Umbra started to smirk as he pulled out a flat remote that had been given to him by Zodiark.

Bakari watched with a great deal of interest as Umbra pushed the fatal button.

The sand began to part as something slowly began to rise up from the ground. Umbra was perfectly still as this giant figure started to make its existence known once more. Bakari was jaw-dropped as he stared at the very giant that stood before him. It was no mistaking that this was a Zord, a weapon of great power that seemed almost on par with the one that Zodiark wielded.

"My Chaos Shadow Zord," laughed Umbra. "I cannot believe it still stands. I surely thought that Zordon would've had it torn to pieces. It seems that the old wiseman was not as wise as we were all made to believe."

The robotic weapon was hunched over as a shell-like covering was perched on top. The legs of the Zord were crouched to give it a more animal-like appearance. The two, double beam cannons were at the very top of the purple, gray, and black Zord.

Bakari couldn't speak a single word as he, along with Umbra and the Zord, was transported back to the Moon for repairs. The Chaos Shadow Zord, like the Sun Crusher Zord, had been dormant for far too long. Repairs were needed to bring them back to their full potential so that they may destroy the Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>Angel Grove's moment of peace came to a crashing end as Zodiark took a stroll through the city with his warriors. Kratein, Helios, and Lightning contained their urges to attack as they simply made their presence known. Only Zodiark was allowed to do the really fun stuff as he hurled orbs of dark energy at buildings, cars, and the occasional person.<p>

The explosions would cause enough of a disturbance that the Rangers would show up in no time. If their presence wasn't enough then the mayhem would get their attention.

Zodiark's attention grabbing behavior did exactly what he was hoping for. Seven streams of light were coming down from the sky with the Rangers making themselves known. The Rangers appeared were they united against Zodiark and the warriors that he had assembled.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of getting your asses kicked?" shouted Blue Ranger.

The Dark Prince bore a light smirk on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Cocky, little shit," said the Dark Prince. "You will learn your place, boy." He waved his arm forward to signal his warriors to begin their attack. Without hesitating for even a second, Zodiark's warriors sprang into action against the Rangers.

Kratein went up against Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger at once. He waved his longsword about, unleashing waves of dark energy after them both. Orange Ranger pulled up shields around them both to keep the attacks from reaching them. Blue Ranger took out his Glory Hammer then grabbed onto his buddy's Celestial Ray from its holster.

Orange Ranger dropped his shield for just a second, giving Blue Ranger an opening. He took aim and aimed at the Prince's wrist, forcing him to drop the sword. Blue Ranger returned the blaster before they both sprang up with their weapons.

Kratein was caught off guard by their quick movements. Blue Ranger swung his hammer around, while Orange Ranger brought out his lance. Darkness began to coil Kratein to strengthen his defense before he unleashed a heavy wave of energy at the duo that knocked them both down.

Helios was busy dancing with White Ranger and Pink Ranger. The couple faced off against the Prince's Guardian with everything that they had. White Ranger met the Guardian's blade blow for blow. Pink Ranger went into to really distract the Guardian with her Sacred Claws, but Helios was far faster than they had expected.

The two Rangers were about to cross blades with Helios, only to have a surprise. Helios quickly grabbed the Angel Sword from Pink Ranger's sheath to use it against them both. He mixed his own powers with her weapon, unleashing a tide of energy after them both. The Rangers got hit hard and were easily brought to the ground.

Lightning faced off against Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger at once. The warrior woman moved with a great deal of skill as she dove through everyone of their attacks. The Rangers tried to knock her down with their Angel Swords, but she was far better than they were at swordplay.

With only one arm, she easily held them at bay with her Gunblade. Even though they had faced off against Lightning only a week ago, she seemed so much stronger now then back then. Neither one of them knew what Zodiark could've possibly done to heighten her natural abilities.

That didn't matter at all though. Lightning disarmed them both before slashing at them both, sending them down for the count.

Zodiark and Red Ranger were waiting for the other to make their move just like their first encounter. Red Ranger remembered how bad things went the first time he faced Zodiark so he wasn't about to make those same mistakes. He would strike first, but he'd follow Zodiark's lead this time.

The Dark Prince armed himself with his Shadow Fang Blade, wielding a demonic-looking black sword around. He barely even had to move as he allowed his darkness to do all the work for him. Stream after stream began to fly out from the sword, causing Red Ranger to have a great deal of difficulty as he tried to block the attacks with his sword. Red Ranger couldn't hold on for long though. Even after everything he learned, Zodiark's powers were still far too strong to stand up against.

Red Ranger was blown down like the other Rangers before him. Zodiark's warriors began to flock around him with all the Rangers down for the count in nearly no time. This wasn't how things were supposed to end, Red Ranger refused to let things fall apart so soon.

He forced himself back onto his feet with his aura burning bright. He tapped into his Eagle Man power once more, feeling that power burning all around him. "Eagle Man Burning Strike!" shouted Red Ranger. He released the fiery power of his People mixed with that of the power brought from his Crystal Morpher.

A flaming eagle flew across the space where it made contact with Zodiark. The Dark Prince held his hand out to withhold the incoming attack. The intense heat was almost strong enough to get through Zodiark's defenses, which helped the man to respect why Thrax was in such bad condition now.

Red Ranger couldn't believe that even after all of that Zodiark was still standing. His strongest power still wasn't strong enough to dethrone this Dark Prince. "You've got to be kidding me," said the Ranger. "What else can I do?" He struck the ground with his Aurora Sword, unsure of what else he could do to stop Zodiark and his warriors.

But that is when he felt a new burning sensation. His Crystal Morpher appeared in his hand and was glowing stronger than it ever had before. This brightness seemed to mean something important so Red Ranger knew that he had to roll with it.

Red Ranger threw his Crystal Morpher up into the air before taking a leap of faith. He jumped as high as he could until his chest made contact with the crystal feather. Bright rays of red light began to spring forth, illuminating the immediate area in the process.

Fire completely consumed Red Ranger as a new power was unleashed. Born from his spiritual abilities and his desire to fight for his friends, the Crystal Morpher gave him a fighting chance. Once he returned to the ground, the flames diminished to reveal a whole new appearance to Red Ranger.

A layer of chainmail covered his chest and legs with red fabric on top of that. The red fabric bore a shield at the front of his chest with a cross over that. Around his forearms and calves were thick, golden bracers that offered a greater deal of protection. In his hand was his Aurora Sword, which Red Ranger proudly held up to the sky with the flames gathering around his weapon.

"Job Class Form, Red Warrior Ranger!"

This Warrior form that the Ranger had taken couldn't have come at a better time. His powers had been greatly enhanced as he called on a greater power from his Crystal Morpher, dipping into his true potential. Everything about him seemed to ooze a greater deal of strength as he bravely faced off against Zodiark and his warriors on his own.

Red Warrior Ranger charged into battle without hesitating for even a second.

Lightning was the first to go after him as she took aim with her Gunblade. Firing her strongest bullets, Lightning had hoped to slow the Ranger down. However, they'd soon learn that nothing would stop this Warrior. Red Ranger continued to charge forward with his sword raised up. Once he was close enough to Lightning he swung the Aurora Sword after her, releasing a wave of burning, red energy.

Kratein and Helios came after him at once as Lightning had fallen to defeat. The lovers brought their swords together to hurl a tidal wave of darkness after Red Ranger. As the attack came closer, Red Ranger didn't bother to do a thing but stand still. When it looked as if he'd surely be defeated, Red Ranger pulled up a wall of fire from the very ground. The fire was his shield against the darkness as it purged it clean.

"Not so fast, boys!" said Red Warrior Ranger. He jumped into the air with his sword creating a great stream of fire. He released these burning flames that encircled around the Prince and his Guardian, knocking them both down until they couldn't fight any longer.

Once he was back on the ground, Red Ranger set his eyes for Zodiark next. This would be the true test of his new powers, which he'd release the purest amount possible.

Red Warrior Ranger took charge once more as he held onto his sword with both hands. Fire began to grow wild around Red Ranger as it completely consumed his body once more. "Holy Fire of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Warrior!" shouted the Ranger. "Burning Warrior Aurora!" He transformed into a ball of fire that rushed across the road to where Zodiark stood.

This time, Zodiark met a great deal of difficulty as he tried to contain the overwhelming power that Red Ranger had unleashed against him. The uncontrollable, unadulterated power that Red Ranger summoned was proving to be nearly too much for Zodiark to withstand. The intense heat of the flames mixed with the Ranger's fury nearly left the Dark Prince unable to battle any longer.

A fiery explosion erupted, creating a large pillar that reached the height of some of the surrounding buildings.

Red Ranger returned to his non-fiery, physical form. He managed to land not too far from where his friends were spread out. The Job Class Form that he called upon faded away because of the attack, leaving him completely exhausted in the process. It took every bit of strength that he had left just not to pass out.

The flames from the explosion settled down, which revealed Zodiark to be down on one knee. The Dark Prince was gasping for air as he met his first, real challenge in a long time. It was actually a little exhilarating to have someone use a power that was almost greater to his own.

Zodiark began to stand up once more as he slowly began to recover from the injuries inflicted upon him by Red Ranger. This came as a great surprise to the Rangers as they wondered how they could defeat him after Red Ranger used up all that power.

"I applaud you, Red Ranger," Zodiark said, still gasping for air. "Now, I know that you, Rangers, are a worthy threat for me. I'll never underestimate your power again, but you'll learn not to underestimate me as well!"

The Dark Prince vanished into a cloud of darkness. His warriors remained behind, which made the Rangers wonder if he was really gone.

Black Ranger was getting up on his feet first when a cloud gathered around him. Before any of the Rangers had a chance to say or do anything, Zodiark had wrapped his arms around the Ranger. A larger cloud of darkness began to grow as it consumed them both.

Taking this as their cue, Kratein and the others made their leave as well.

Blue Ranger tried to go to the spot where Black Ranger was being dragged away to, only to be too late. Zodiark had taken one of their own away from them to places unknown.

* * *

><p>The victory that the Rangers should've been celebrating had been cut short thanks to Zodiark. The computers at the Command Center were working on overtime as the Rangers tried to track down Connor. Even with Landon kicking some serious ass after unlocking his Job Class Form, the awesomeness of it had been shattered with one of their own being kidnapped.<p>

"I managed to pull up a faint energy trail from Zodiark," said Alpha. "I am zeroing on the single as quickly as I can before it vanishes."

Alice and Adam were at the computers too, doing everything that they could to track Connor. Alpha and Adam had been working on this since the moment that Zodiark had taken their friend away. The sensors were set to work as hard as possible in order to find where Connor was being taken towards.

No doubt, their companion was being taken to the base of their enemies. This could serve to the Rangers' advantage as it would reveal the location of Thrax and Zodiark's headquarters. It would give the Rangers a devastating opening to strike while the kettle was hot.

"Damn!" Adam spat. "They're out of the Earth's atmosphere. The signal is weakening, but I got them now."

"Where is Connor?" shouted Ric as he got behind Adam.

"The Moon," said Adam. "I should've known better. Zedd and Rita had their base on the Moon as well; it would only be natural that Thrax would do the same."

"So then it looks like we're heading to space," Landon said, picking up his helmet.

Alice had to disagree though as she snatched Landon's arm before he took off. Ric and the others were already about to spring out of there when she called for them to stop. "There is no way we can make it to the Moon," she told them. "Their base has enough wards in place that they'll detect us even if we could. Our only chance is to send two of us to the Moon, while the rest of us monitor things down here. It'll make it harder for us to be detected and it'll ensure a safer escape."

"Well, I'm going!" said Ric. He smashed his fists together with the veins exposed even through the gloves that he wore. It was virtually impossible for him to control his anger as he was ready to rip some heads from some bodies. "I can't let those freaks hurt Connor. I'll do this myself if I have to!"

"Easy there, cowboy," said Junior. Their friend in orange took his helmet and approached Ric. He placed a hand on the Latino's shoulder, keeping the younger man in check for a moment. "If you go there alone then you and Connor are as sure as dead. I'll go with you. I gotta protect my fellow Asian." At least that's what Junior told him he was doing. In the back of his mind, he had his own reasons for going out to rescue Connor, ones that he wouldn't acknowledge.

Ric thanked Junior for the backup as he retrieved his helmet. The two put their helmets back on just as Alpha opened up a spacial, teleportation bridge. Alpha had to apply more strength to the teleportation system if Ric and Junior were going to make it safely to the Moon.

With the others waiting in the sidelines, Ric and Junior were sent up to the Moon to rescue Connor.

"Good luck, guys," Haley said, clasping her hands in prayer.

"Don't get yourselves killed," said Tommy.

* * *

><p>There was a thick cloud that blocked out all thought from his head. Nothing at all could seem to reach through, not even his own will could fight through the haze. Connor was left virtually lifeless as he was laid flat on his back with Zodiark watching over him. The Dark Prince had spent the last couple of minutes just watching the boy in his unconscious state.<p>

Zodiark bore a smile on his face as the innocence of this boy just wafted off. There was so much light within him, yet the darkness had made a nest inside the heart of the boy. "It seems there is more to you than meets the eye, Connor Song," whispered Zodiark. He got down to the floor and sat beside the head of the boy. His gloved hand touched the pale cheek, feeling the spark of connection once again.

It was frightening just how Zodiark felt some form of connection to this insignificant child. No matter, the Dark Prince had what he needed now to revive the Titans that slumbered outside of the castle. And in order to do so, he would need the power that Connor held in his possession.

Snapping his fingers together, Zodiark released the cloud that kept Connor's mind bound. In an instant, the boy was freed from this spell with his eyes slowly beginning to flutter open.

"My head," whispered Connor. His hand began to touch his forehead purely out of instinct. He slowly began to move before feeling a sharp pain in his shoulder that kept him down for a moment longer. "Ow…my shoulder too. Damn, what the hell happened? Ric, where are you?"

"He isn't here, Connor."

After hearing that dark voice made Connor ignore all of the pain that he felt. The boy shot up from the ground with his eyes opened as he looked to see that Zodiark was sitting beside him. Connor immediately reached for his Morpher, while pushing himself as far away from the Dark Prince as he could get.

His heart was pounding loudly as his greatest fear at the moment came true. He was in Zodiark's hands now, meaning that there was no escaping him without a lot of luck.

If he could morph then he could get the hell out of here.

Then it began to dawn on the boy that he didn't even know where he was. His brown eyes looked around at the dark, soulless throne room that he inside of. As the boy was left staring at his new surroundings, Zodiark slowly began to rise up where he was easily able to see the boy's Crystal Morpher in hand.

That was far easier than he expected. And now the boy was too shocked by his new surroundings to even think of escaping at this point.

Connor managed to snap out of this trance though. He pushed further away from Zodiark until his back crashed into something cold and made from stone. Slowly, he turned his head back to see a sinister-looking archway that made his body shiver in terror. He had no idea what this was, but every nerve in his body told him to fear this.

"Do you like it?" Zodiark asked. He now stood behind the frightened Ranger. The Dark Prince touched the stoned archway, relishing in the feel of its primal energy. "All the monster that Thrax and I have sent after you and your fellow Rangers come from here. This is the Nexus, a source of great power and malice."

"It creates monsters?" Connor asked with his voice cracking.

"No, it summons them," corrected Zodiark. "The monsters that we summon come straight from the home world of all monsters. Our goal is to gather enough human blood to release the original monsters, the Primordial Fathers of the monsters. With them at our disposal, nothing can stand in our way. You and your fellow Rangers will be overwhelmed by their power."

Connor gulped as he pictured just why Zodiark had brought him here. He clenched onto his Crystal Morpher, knowing that he might be able to escape this fate with enough luck. "You're going to sacrifice me to this Nexus then?" asked Connor. "Is that why you kidnapped me?"

Zodiark chuckled a little as he dropped down to one knee. He reached out to take hold of the boy's cheek who kept trying to pull away from his grasp. "A beautiful creature like you shouldn't be used as a bloody sacrifice," said the Dark Prince. "I'm afraid I just need your power for a greater purpose. I need the powers of a Celestial to awaken my Ultimate Weapons."

That word rang into Connor's memory as he thought about Zordon's message. The Celestials were the ones who gave Zordon the powers of the Angel Force Rangers. If Zodiark needed their power then he must know just who they were.

And if he knew about the Celestials then it was possible he knew about the Dark Lords. Since his life didn't seem in complete jeopardy then maybe Connor would be able to talk his way out of this one.

"How do you know about the Celestials?" asked Connor.

"I'm far more educated, I better understand your own powers then you even do," laughed Zodiark. He moved his hand from Connor's face then grabbed his arm to yank the boy up to his feet. The sudden movement was far too quick for even Connor to catch. The boy stumbled forward, crashing against Zodiark's chest, thus having to use him for support.

Zodiark kept a firm hold on Connor, which downright frightened the boy. Connor was shaking in terror as he feared just what could happen to him at this point.

But there was no reason to really be afraid. As manipulative and dark as Zodiark was, he respected the free will of an individual. He wouldn't dare to use unnecessary force on someone as young as Connor.

"So beautiful," Zodiark said, tilting the boy's face up with his fingers. "Yes, I can see why the Celestials marked you with their power. They would only choose a human how has beauty that rivals their own angelic existence."

Even in the frightening daze that Zodiark had him in, Connor was able to catch that last bit. It seemed very much like a clue as to who the Celestials were. "Angelic?" whispered the boy. "The Celestials…they're…they're angels?"

"They have many names," Zodiark told him. "But yes, Earthlings would call the Celestials angels. The Celestials have bestowed their own angelic powers upon you and your companions for good reasons. The Dark Lords must be stirring after all, those damn Fallen have a talent for making messes. It seems that an Apocalypse must be looming over the horizon."

Zodiark's gloved fingers began to trace the boy's lips for a moment. It was disturbing this connection that he felt with this boy. He did not like this at all. Zodiark did not enjoy not understanding things like this, while Connor was quivering as the Dark Prince held onto him.

Pushing this connection aside, Zodiark needed to make progress with his purpose for kidnapping the boy. The Dark Prince removed his hand from the boy's face in order to snatch away his Crystal Morpher. Connor tried to reclaim his Morpher, but Zodiark sealed his arms together with his dark powers. This left the boy completely defenseless and fully at his mercy.

Watching the terror in Connor's eyes was like a drug for Zodiark. It was very attractive to him for some bizarre reason. It was all becoming very disturbing for him as he removed his gaze from the boy and focused onto the black, crystallized feather in his hands.

"If I were more like Umbra, you'd be doomed, Connor," said Zodiark. "You are quite fortunate that I am an honorable man."

Connor wasn't sure just what Zodiark meant by that, but he had to suppose that it was a very good thing. Considering how vulnerable he was right now, Connor truly feared what could possibly happened to him. It was a mystery to him just how far Zodiark's honor went so Connor knew that he was nowhere near clear from drowning.

Connor could only pray that the others would find him, where he was, and soon.

* * *

><p>The arrival to the Moon wasn't as traumatic as the Rangers expected it to be.<p>

Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger managed to slip pass anything that would've detected their arrival. It could've been their stealthy skills or that the bad guys were expecting them anyways so that they didn't care. Either way, the Rangers were just happy that they were able to make it inside without much trouble. Now, the hard part was figuring out how they were going to get out of this place with Connor all in one piece.

Orange Ranger found it far stranger the fact that they could breathe while on the Moon. It defied the fact that the Moon was supposed to have no oxygen, which meant that they surely should've died by now. He knew that their enemies needed to breathe oxygen too so he took for granted that they probably had developed some kind of technology that would allow them to breathe. His buddy in blue could seem to care less though as he was focused with solely rescuing his boyfriend from these evil freaks.

There was no disagreement on that front as they both took off running. They crossed the moon rock until they approached a large palace where a ship was docked right next to it. Orange Ranger could tell that this was where they'd find Connor in that palace since bad guys loved their castles.

As they neared the castle though, the Rangers heard some noises in the distance. This alarmed the duo as they snuck behind a mountain of rock to make sure that that there was nobody following them. Blue Ranger stuck his head to peep around the corner so that he could figure out what was going on.

What he saw was far from what he could've expected.

"Oh sweet Jesus," whispered Blue Ranger.

"You see something?" Orange Ranger asked. He peaked around the corner as well to see what it was that Blue Ranger saw. Expressions hidden behind helmets, Orange Ranger was equally as shocked as his friend was when his eyes gazed upon these giants.

Across from all the moon rock, the Zords that Zodiark and Umbra retrieved stood proud. The weapons were undergoing repairs, led by Bakari, due to their years of confinement. Sun Crusher Zord and Chaos Shadow Zord stood as the massive Titans that they were, waiting for their opportunity to strike.

"Those…those are Zords! We really have to find Connor," said Orange Ranger. "We have to find him like right now!"

"So we can get the fuck out of here and tell the others," said Blue Ranger. "Let's hurry! Who knows when Zodiark might let those weapons out!"

The Rangers ran towards Castle Pandemonium, hoping that they could reach Connor before it was too late.

* * *

><p>Connor was dragged out to the balcony of the palace where he too saw the sight that Blue and Orange Ranger had seen. He was in total awe of the Titans that stood before him. It was easy to tell that these were Zords, which is what made Connor especially nervous as he realized that these were Zodiark's Ultimate Weapons.<p>

It wasn't bad enough that he realized that he was no longer on the Earth, but on the Moon. After seeing the Blue Planet in the distance, Connor was nearly ready to piss himself as he dropped to his knees. Now how was he supposed to escape if he was on the Moon with two, giant Zords that could easily crush him?

"How is this possible?" said Connor. "I thought only Power Rangers could pilot Zords."

Zodiark disagreed as he removed his firm hold from the boy's wrist. He continued to hold onto the Crystal Morpher, however, as he approached the railing to look at his beauties. "Rangers have the most direct connection to Zords, but they're not the only ones who can pilot Zords," said Zodiark. "Anyone can operate a Zord with proper training. Many of the adversaries that the Rangers had went up against in the past had used Zords of their own."

The Dark Prince held the Crystal Morpher up to his face, examining the sparkling beauty of the crystal reflected against the light of the sun.

Connor still wasn't done with the dark-skinned man though. The boy fought to pick himself up to his feet, averting his gaze from the Zords to face Zodiark. "How is it that you know so much about all of this?" asked Connor. "You know so much about Zords, Celestials, and God knows what else! Just who are you really?"

"About time one of you asks this question," Zodiark said. He dropped his arm to the side as he turned to face Connor. It was time that some of the truth to be exposed for all to know. "Long before I was a servant of Dark Specter, I was born on a planet called KO-35. I was a Power Ranger. I was the Gold Space Ranger."

"Dark Specter laid a trap out for me. He captured me and corrupted me with his dark essence, stripping me of my Ranger abilities," continued Zodiark. "This corruption spread Umbra as well. We bore a mental connection due to our union so Dark Specter's corruption completely damaged Umbra's fragile psyche."

"Our Zords were then hidden from us by Zordon. He kept these weapons hidden so that we would never be able to spread Dark Specter's empire throughout the cosmos. Now that Zordon is dead, I can finally reclaim our lost Zords. The Sun Crusher Zord and Chaos Shadow Zord will cast down our enemies, allowing me to create a new empire! I will rule as emperor and bring about true peace for the entire universe!"

Connor had to shake his head though as he refused to believe this to be true. There was no way that somebody was wicked as Zodiark could ever be a Power Ranger. It was even harder to believe that Zodiark wanted to bring about peace.

Zodiark didn't care if the boy believed him or not. What he said was the truth, which was all that mattered. If Connor couldn't accept the truth then that was his problem. Zodiark, however, was more concerned with his own agenda.

Releasing the Celestial powers of the Crystal Morpher, Zodiark pointed the crystal at the Zords. He forced his own power to tap into the powers that Connor wielded. The Zords responded to this by using the Celestial energy to ignite their stalled sparks. With this done, Zodiark was one step closer to unleashing the full power of his Titans.

Once he was done with the Crystal Morpher, he tossed them aside with its proper owner. Connor touched his Morpher where he felt the lingering burn of Zodiark's dark energy. It stung him, and he could feel the near infinite power that the two Zords possessed.

Chaos Shadow Zord was the first to respond to this power revival. Its own power source was active now thanks to the Celestial jumpstart. It was ready to wreak havoc upon the people of Earth, which brought Zodiark a great amount of joy.

"Umbra!" Zodiark shouted. "It is time. Take your Zord and destroy Angel Grove, destroy the Power Rangers!"

* * *

><p>Once again, Angel Grove soon found itself in peril as the sky darkened by an incoming weapon. Landing just outside of the city, Umbra sat at the cockpit of the Chaos Shadow Zord, ready to lay waste to the city. Everything would be quickly destroyed now that Umbra was in possession of an Ultimate Weapon.<p>

As the Chaos Shadow Zord was inching its way closer, resistance was met at the outskirts.

The Power Rangers had picked up the incoming figure on their sensors and moved out to deal with it. Although, they couldn't form their Megazords to face this threat, they were willing to do what it took to fight off Umbra. They piloted their Zords, ready to fight and keep Umbra away from the city.

"Such small, insignificant toys," laughed Umbra. "I should blow them all to pieces!"

Pushing down on the trigger, Umbra charged up his double-barreled, beam riffles. The charged blasts of energy escaped and attempted to obliterate the incoming Zords. The Rangers steered their Zords out of the way before Chaos Shadow Zord could've destroyed them with a single short.

Umbra was laughing, however, as his attack tore part of the ground apart. Just from the heat of the laser blasts was enough to scorch the ground and left a nasty mark. The Zord began to stomp closer to the city with the Rangers attempting to stall its approach.

Tiger Zord fired a few blasts from its mouth, which exploded against the torso of the Chaos Shadow Zord. Dolphin Zord also shot a few laser blasts from the gun on its fin. Their firepower proved to be almost useless against this Zord, however.

Wolf Zord ran closer towards the enemy Zord where it latched itself onto its leg. Wolf Zord sank its robotic fangs into the leg, but was easily brushed aside. The leg of the Chaos Shadow Zord then managed to hit the side of the Wolf Zord, sending it away.

Angel Zord attempted to bombard Chaos Shadow Zord with explosive spheres of light. The spheres blew up all around the enemy Zord, but proved to be of little use.

None of their attacks were powerful to even come close to laying a dent onto the armor of Umbra's Zord. It was downright hilarious for the Ranger Hunter as he unleashed a barrage of missiles from its sides.

In no time at all, Umbra would have the Rangers done for.

* * *

><p>Feeling completely drained of his energy, Connor laid his head against the wall of the throne room with shallow breaths escaping his lips. It was difficult just to keep his eye lids open and maintain a conscious state. The power that Zodiark had drained from his Crystal Morpher took a lot of Connor's strength from him.<p>

The boy couldn't fight his exhaustion for long. He had a feeling that just being in this fortress of evil wasn't exactly helping him either.

If only he could just get away from this place.

Zodiark stood alone as he watched the progress of the battle from a viewing screen. A smile graced the villain's face as Umbra's Zord proved to be more of a challenge to the Power Rangers then the heroes could've ever anticipated. It amused him to see the Rangers becoming desperate to do something.

But there was something that was bothering him, Zodiark started to notice that there were two other Rangers missing. Blue and Orange Ranger were missing from the fight, which could only mean one thing.

"Damn!" Zodiark shouted. The Dark Prince looked over to Connor to see that the boy was still semi-conscious. He was about to draw his weapon when a heavy blow struck him from behind by something large and heavy.

Zodiark went sailing across the throne room, crashing into an opposite wall. He slowly began to rise and saw the missing Rangers in the very throne room.

Blue Ranger raised his Glory Hammer over his shoulder with the other hand on his hip. "Well that should teach you not to get anywhere near my boyfriend, sick freak!" shouted the Ranger. "I would stick around to really kick your ass, but our friends need our help."

Orange Ranger went over to Connor's side, lifting the young Ranger up into his arms. Connor whispered softly about how happy he was that they were there. "Save your strength, kid," said Orange Ranger. "Thank us after we get out of here in one piece."

"Like right now! Alpha, teleport us out of here!" shouted Blue Ranger.

As Zodiark was about to fire a bolt of dark energy after the Rangers, they were consumed by light. The Rangers were teleported out of the castle just in time before Zodiark's attack could've stopped them.

No matter, Zodiark grinned because everything was still going according to his plan. He told the sensors to track the teleportation trail of the Rangers.

* * *

><p>Back on Earth, the other Rangers continued to have a difficult time as they faced off against Umbra's Chaos Shadow Zord. They kept firing everything that they had at the enemy Zord, but without the ability to form their Megazords then they were powerless.<p>

Luckily, Orange Ranger and Blue Ranger arrived not too far from the others with Connor in their arms. Connor looked completely pooped and wouldn't be much help without a jumpstart. So his friends transferred just a little bit of their power over to him. The power boost was enough to revive Connor's strength, allowing him to stand on his own as he morphed into Black Ranger.

With all those measures taken care of, the trio was able to call upon their Zords. Joining in the fight was Bear Zord, Unicorn Zord, and Rhino Zord. The incoming Zords charged towards Umbra's Zord, releasing their full might upon them.

"Sorry for being tardy to the party," said Blue Ranger.

"It won't happen again," said Orange Ranger.

"Don't sweat it," said Red Ranger. "Connor, are you okay buddy?"

"Peachy," said Black Ranger. "Now let's form the Megazords and kick some serious ass!"

"Yeah!" shouted Yellow, Pink, and White Ranger.

The Rangers inserted their Crystal Morphers into the slots, activating the Megazord sequence. The Zords split up into their group to form their separate Megazords.

Angel Zord shortened its limbs to give room for the coming parts. Bear Zord and Dolphin Zord formed the arms, while Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord formed the legs. The five Zords combined together as one with Angel Zord's chest plate opening up as a larger head replaced it. Angel Force Megazord was completed and ready for battle.

Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord marched across the ground before throwing themselves into the air. Rhino Zord twisted itself around to form the legs and waist of the Megazord. Tiger Zord switched a few of its parts around as well. The Tiger head came forward to make the chest with the Zord's front legs becoming the arms and the hind legs switching around to connect to Rhino Zord. The Megazord head rose up from the Tiger Zord to finish forming Archangel Megazord.

The two Megazords were finished and ready to fight against Umbra.

However, Umbra had his own trick up his sleeve. It was simply adorable to him how the Rangers thought that they would have him now that they formed their big toys. "Sad children," laughed Umbra. "You shall learn your place now. Come forth, Shadow Fortress Megazord!" Umbra pushed down on a key, activating his own Megazord sequence.

The top of the Zord flew off on its own as the legs were revealed to be more than just legs. It was also the full body of the Zord with the pack that was on top turned out to contain most of the Zord's weapons. The Zord twisted around before forming a complete body.

A thick layer of armor covered the entire Megazord that would keep it safe from harm. The feet of the Megazord were three claws, two at the front and one at the back. It dug into the ground as Umbra straightened his weapon out. The head of the Megazord rose up, giving the machine new life as the green lenses began to light up. The pack finally connected to the Megazord's back, finishing the transformation process.

Shadow Fortress Megazord stood taller than both the Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord. It was a far superior weapon as well, which Umbra would soon show to the Power Rangers.

"What a shame that your young lives will be extinguished so soon," laughed Umbra. "Now, Rangers, prepare to meet your maker!"

Umbra raised the Megazord's arms up, firing the single barrel blasters. The high-powered blasters were still powerful enough to do some serious damage. The attack made immediate contact with the Rangers' Megazords, creating explosions off their robotic bodies.

Angel Force Megazord attempted to counter by charging after Shadow Fortress Megazord with the Heaven Power Sword. The Megazord swung its sword at the fortress where it soon found that not even its sword could lay a single dent onto the body.

"Not good at all," said Yellow Ranger.

Shadow Fortress Megazord punched the torso of the Megazord, sending the Rangers inside of it flying back. Archangel Megazord tried to get revenge for their fallen friends as it grabbed onto the enemy Megazord. Umbra was a skilled pilot, however, and was able to break their grips before sending four sets of punches after the Archangel Megazord.

White Ranger and Orange Ranger were getting thrashed within the cockpit of the Megazord before Umbra delivered the final blow. Archangel Megazord landed not too far from where Angel Force Megazord was down.

Umbra continued to laugh at just how easy it was to knock the Power Rangers around. "Now for the fun part," said the Ranger Hunter. He pushed down on another key to release the Ultimate Weapon's strongest attack. "Plasma Thermal Destroyer!"

The beam cannons on the pack of the Megazord began to sizzle up. Shadow Fortress Megazord took a balance stance as the cannons were calling forth enough power to destroy the Rangers with a single blow.

However, the attack would backfire on Umbra.

Due to Shadow Fortress Megazord spending so many years dormant, the Megazord wasn't able to use such a powerful attack so soon. The Megazord ended up overheating which triggered a few scattered explosions along its own body. Umbra cursed his damn luck as he shut down the cannons before the entire Megazord went boom.

"It looks like today is your lucky day, Rangers!" shouted Umbra. "I'll have to kill you all another day. For now, I need to finish the repairs to my Megazord."

Shadow Fortress Megazord ceased its offensive actions as it began to take to the air. It flew high into the sky before breaking through the atmosphere in order to return to the Moon.

The Rangers Megazords weren't fairing much better than Umbra's was. The fight nearly depleted all the energy cells, which meant that they would be screwed if they had to fight again in the near future. The best they could do was to send their Megazords away for repairs, hoping that they'd have enough time to come up with a plan before the next fight.

* * *

><p>Returning to the Command Center, the Rangers were down in the dumps. They had nearly lost Connor to Zodiark, and what was worse was that Zodiark had obtained some powerful weapons in the process. Nothing else seemed to matter but finding out how they were going to stop Zodiark's Zords before they had a chance to become fully operational.<p>

If that wasn't the worst of it, Connor began to tell his friends about the information that he received from Zodiark that day. He told them just who the Celestials were, about how the Dark Lords were going to start the Apocalypse, and how Zodiark was once a Power Ranger.

The information was just too much for the Rangers to deal with right now as they felt completely hopeless.

Things couldn't possibly get any worse than this. They had two unstoppable Megazords to worry about and now these Dark Lords that they knew nothing about were spinning the Apocalypse wheel.

Bad things were just going to continued coming after them. Without something good to balance out the bad, things could only get worse before they'd get better.

* * *

><p>And everything was about to get significantly worse as Beelzebub found his way to another planet.<p>

The Dark Lord looked around this once, beautiful utopia crumbling apart to nothing. It once stood as the pinnacle of pride and unity for the people of this planet. Now, all their cities were being breaking down to nothing as their greed had consumed them. The battles had tainted the soil, leaving nothing behind but the skeletons of those who lived here.

Now, the treasures of this planet were gathered to a single location. A palace made from the bones of those who resided on the planet served as the last beacon of life. The core of the planet had already been tainted by all the death and war. Soon enough, this planet would reach its end be destroyed.

It was obvious to Beelzebub who was reasonable for this. Were Lilith could turn the sexes against each other, only one Dark Lord could force the pious to become greedy. That honor belonged to Barbatos, the Dark Lord of Greed.

Beelzebub made his way to the palace that Barbatos had built for himself. The leather-clad Dark Lord reached the top where he saw sparkling treasures gathered around for one, greedy old man. It was almost funny to Beelzebub just how Barbatos behaved when around the shinny riches of this lowly, plane of existence. It had always been that way, but since the Fall, they had all changed.

Barbatos took the form of an old man that dressed in colorful, sagely robes with several talismans dangling around his neck. His hands were large and thick, blood red nails grew from his fingers. A long, white beard grew from his face that went down just below his waistline.

"Why are you here, Beelzebub?" said Barbatos. He held up one of the diamonds brought to him, which made his wrinkly face light up. He used his powers to carve the diamond until it could fit perfectly into one of the rings that decorated his fingers.

"Lilith has found Belphgaor," said Beelzebub. "She needs your superior power to break the seals that keep him locked away."

"Your power is strong enough. You can do it your damn self." Barbatos didn't bother to say anything else as he grabbed a stunning, pearl necklace next. It really was true beauty, one that he would treasure until he found something else that was far more beautiful.

Beelzebub growled with disgust for his fellow Dark Lord as he stomped his way after him. He snatched Barbatos by the shoulder then forced the Fallen to stand on his feet. "Listen to me, Barbatos," said Beelzebub, "you will do as I command! The King placed me in charge after he was sealed away. I won't allow you to fuck up our plans because of your cursed greed! So you will assist Lilith so that Sloth can be released. Then you will search for Wrath and Envy so that I may return to Earth."

"What's so special about that damn planet?" growled Barbatos.

"The King is sealed away on Earth that's why," said Beelzebub. "And that is where a foolish mutant has brought the Nexus to. You know what lies inside of the Fade. I'm sure you're aware just how spiteful those creatures are sine we're the ones who sealed them away. If Thrax frees the First-Borns then they will do everything in their power to free the Mother-of-All next."

Barbatos's eyes widened at that moment as he remembered the war that they waged. Before the Fall, it was the Dark Lords who had imprisoned the monsters into the Veil in the first place. Those vengeful monsters would not only ruin their King's resurrection, but they wouldn't stop until all the Dark Lords were dead.

"She must not be allowed to rise!" warned Barbatos. "The Mother is far too close to that well of power! The Nexus must be destroyed."

"And it will be," vowed Beelzebub. "Just find the other brothers, while I destroy the Nexus. I will call for you when it is time."

Barbatos agreed to follow Beelzebub's commands now that a greater threat was about to be released. The return of their King was far too important to be prevented by those low some creatures.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Zodiark sends out a new monster to attack the Rangers, which proves to be to much for them to handle. In the meantime, a new girl arrives from space. Just who is this Serena and what does she have to offer the Rangers? Find out what happens in **Say Violet If You're Violent!**


	18. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **Come on people, where be my reviews? Haha. You know how much I appreciate reviews and need them to develop better chapters. I see so many favorites and alerts but not very many alerts. As for those of you who do, thank you. But there are some of you who like to only put two words into your review. If you're going to say "good job" or "nice job" then please make a full sentence out of it at least. Make it actually worth all the time I take out of the week to write this story. Anyways, I hope you like this update. We finally get to have our complete team. Read and review.**  
><strong>

**Say Violet If You're Violent: **

Navigating across the vast star ocean in the Astro Megaship Mark II, a young woman found herself on a journey.

Trouble was brewing throughout the galaxy, but one point seemed to be focused and drawn to this danger. It was why she had left home to journey across the stars to Earth. The Blue Planet would be the battleground for the coming war that everyone in the galaxy felt was coming closer. So many signs were pointing to this inevitable conflict, which meant that she had to play her role in humanity's survival.

It was frightening though as she was alone for the first time in her life. She had always been surrounded by people for one reason or another. Be it family, friends, or acquaintances. There was never a moment of peace for her until now, hopefully, it would last too long. Being alone was a dreadful fate for this social butterfly.

"D.E.C.A., how much longer until we reach Earth?" asked the young woman.

The onboard computer did a calculation sequence, which meant that she would have to wait a moment. She took the liberty to examine the fading, ruby-red nail polish that had coated her nails. It was going to have to be salvaged one way or another. She'd have to remove the polish to either re-paint it or leave it natural.

So far, she was debating to go natural, but violet was also sounding good.

"According to my calculations," responded D.E.C.A., "we are about six hours away from Earth. If you wish to rest, Serena, I'll wake you once we're within Earth's orbit to prepare for landing."

Serena adjusted the ponytail that her blonde hair was braided into. She stood up with her Astro uniform riding up a bit. The black jacket with the Astro Ranger symbol was imprinted on her back. She had a matching skirt that cut off just above the knee with boots that went pass her ankle. Underneath the jacket was a purple, v-neck shirt that kept her breasts in check. Well, that and she wore a bra after-all.

Her frame was fairly thin, especially when one compared to the life that she lived back at the colony planet. Things had calmed down considerably since the Space Rangers' victory over the United Alliance of Evil, but some things would never change on KO-35. It was just the way things were, but Serena was happy with the way her home had managed to shake of its dark past to rebuild and grow a prosperous one.

"You know that doesn't sound like a bad idea," said the pale-faced, young woman. "I think I will take that nap. As soon as we reach Earth's orbit, wake me up, D.E.C.A. I give you permission to use Delta Alarm Sequence if necessary."

"As you wish, Serena, sleep well."

Serena abandoned the deck of the Astro Megaship as she walked down the hall to one of the empty rooms. She had the pick of whatever room she so choose since she was the only crewmember, passenger, and captain of the ship. She could virtually do whatever she damn well pleased. She could run down the halls naked, screaming at the top of her lungs if she wanted to.

And that was exactly what she did during the second day of her voyage. For her final day aka day three, she would just spend the remainder of it napping until landing.

The minute that Serena's head touched the pillow, she began to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The ride back into town was fairly uneventful for Haley and Connor. Although, the smell of the fish they caught was awfully strong even though they were properly iced and sealed away in the coolers. All those fishes were going to make good eating as far as the Scotts were concerned once they pulled into the driveway of their home.<p>

Jason got Connor and Haley to help him unload all of the gear, while Kimberly went inside to situate the soon to be fishy mess. It had been a nice, long weekend at the lake, but it was so good to be home before it was too late to do anything else. Haley still had a project to work on, which she would spend the remainder of her Sunday afternoon on. As for Connor, he just wanted to head over to see Ric.

The teens helped Jason in rushing everything inside the garage or into the house before splitting up. They would leave their father with the clean-up, while they went upstairs to get themselves cleaned up. Really, Connor was the one who wanted to shower more than anything since he could still smell the dead fish on his skin. Haley was used to this so she allowed Connor to go ahead of her.

With the hot water running down his back and the soap leaving behind a fresh scent, Connor felt himself better at ease. Even after being kidnapped by Zodiark that awful day was almost a distant memory for him. Still, it bothered him greatly to know that Zodiark was once a Power Ranger and now he was an evil menace. It really was a tragic story of how the virtuous had fallen from good grace.

Still, Connor thought something could be done about that. It was Dark Specter who turned Zodiark into the man he is now. With the Grand Monarch of Evil left in the pages of history, maybe this was a window of opportunity to rectify the damage that was done.

It was stupid and possibly dangerous, but Connor felt that it was the right idea.

As he stepped out of the shower, Connor rubbed the water off his skin with his towel before wrapping that around his waist. He left the bathroom where he met up with Haley who was waiting with her own towel so that she could shower. The fact that there was only a towel keeping her from seeing him completely naked no longer seemed to bother him like it did before.

To think, a few months ago, Connor would be curled up into a ball, trying to hide all of his scars. Now, most of the bruises and cuts were completely gone from his skin. Only a few traces of his past were left behind on his body, the rest were nothing but the past. It was a good feeling to know that he was free from that horrid part of his life and that he could be comfortable in his own skin again.

Haley waited for Connor to get out of the way when she noticed a strange look on his face. This pensive look was beginning to bother her as she realized what this could possibly mean. "You're plotting something," said Haley. "I don't like it." She went up to him with her face nearly at his. She could see the worried lines forming and it had nothing to do with the close proximity that they were to each other. "Better spill, kid, what are you thinking?"

"It's nothing," Connor said, trying to deflect her.

But Haley could not be stopped when she was on a role. Connor knew that so he had no choice but to surrender to her superior skill. There was that and he didn't want to risk getting put into a headlock when she still smelled like rotten fish.

A light sigh escaped the boy's lips as he looked down the hall to hear their parents were in the kitchen. No one else would interfere with his thoughts, which was more than what he could say since he was about to rat himself out to Haley. "I want to have a talk with Zodiark," said Connor.

"What!" Haley said, holding back the scream. She grabbed Connor's arm and dragged him into the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, she looked at him with a baffled look, while the muggy heat ate away at her hair. "You're insane, you know that. Why would you even consider that? Zodiark is part of Team Evil, remember? He wants to kill us."

"He used to be one of us though," countered Connor. "Zodiark was once a Power Ranger, but it was Dark Specter who turned him evil. Dark Specter isn't around anymore so maybe we can find a way to turn Zodiark back into one of us. If we can erase that Darkness then think of how much stronger we could be with him on our side."

"Don't even think about it," Haley said, grabbing his shoulders. "Zodiark is bad news. There is no redemption for him. He's chosen his fate, he's our enemy and that's a fact. Going anywhere near him with your guard down is suicide, Connor. Who knows what he'll do to you if he can get his hands on you again. He nearly drained all your powers the last time. We're lucky that we were able to heal you by combining all our powers together."

Connor closed his eyes and surrendered to Haley's reasoning. He said that he was right as he left in the bathroom, running to his room to get dressed.

This wasn't over though; Haley could tell that was true. If Connor really did want to have this talk with Zodiark then it would happen. And only God knows how bad things could get if Connor was left alone with Zodiark. Her younger brother might not be so fortunate to make out of it as unscratched as he did last time.

So this meant that she would have to keep a very close eye on him.

* * *

><p>While sanity was being questioned on Earth, loyalty was about to be tested on the Moon.<p>

Lightning walked along the darkened halls of the castle to the chamber that Thrax was resting inside. Dark Knight had called on her for a brief meeting, which made the warrior woman wonder if Thrax had been restored to full health yet. It had been almost two weeks since their encounter with the Rangers, which made her very concerned about what would happen to Thrax.

Even though her allegiances were beginning to shift, Lightning still felt some amount of loyalty for Thrax. The mutant was her original master, he was the one who found her and taught of her true strength. If it wasn't for Thrax then Lightning would've rotted away into nothing on that planet of bandits and lowlifes. But then one had to consider this new road that was opening up before her, one which Zodiark was offering an unspeakable amount of power.

Silencing these thoughts, Lightning approached the door. She placed her palm onto the scanner to grant her access into the chamber that held Thrax's recovery system. The chamber was more of a lab than anything else. Chemicals were coursing through the network of tubes that would resupply Thrax with the evil energy that he lost. The right combination was all that was needed to restore the energy that had been stolen from him by the Red Ranger.

Thrax was strapped down on top of a table with his Z-Staff perched against the wall. All of the tubes were connected to various veins on his body, which sustained his dismal life-force.

Lightning checked the progress that Thrax was making by examining the monitors. There was hope for Thrax reviving soon. According to the monitors, Thrax had so much energy restored to him that he would soon stir from his slumber. Then it would only be another day before he'd take rule of his castle back from Zodiark.

"It will only a few more days now." Dark Knight stepped out from the shadows with his hand on the hilt of his sword. He stopped once he was beside Lightning, where his covered face gazed upon the weakened state of their master. "Had we returned to the castle any later then our master would've surely perished. The abundance of spiritual energy that Red Ranger unleashed nearly stole Thrax's life."

"Red Ranger has gotten too strong," said Lightning. "He's unlocked a new power, one that even rivaled Zodiark. If he is allowed to share this power with the other Rangers then they will surely become unstoppable. We must rush all progress on the Nexus at once, the First Borns must be released from their confinement in the Fade."

"There are creatures in the Fade that must never be released, Lightning," warned Dark Knight. "I have seen and heard the legends of these creatures. So frightful these monsters were that the monsters we've unleashed are nothing compared to them. These Primordial creatures hold more power than one could've ever thought possible. It took intervention from higher beings to stop them, which at best they could only be sealed away into the Fade."

"And who could dare do such a thing?" asked Lightning. "Who would have the power to do such a thing?"

The question was a valid one. It was only fair for Lightning to hear the truth, considering that it was Dark Knight who held the answers that she sought.

"The beings I refer to are the source of the Angel Force Rangers' powers," said Dark Knight. "The Rangers powers were bestowed upon them by the Celestials. They reside on the highest plane of existence. Celestials have existed since the birth of the entire universe, possibly even before then."

Dark Knight crossed away from Lightning, looking out to the window that had a view of the Earth. There was darkness that would soon coil around the Blue Planet to bring about its destruction. "Beelzebub used to be one of them until he fell from grace," said the knight. "Now, Beelzebub is part of the Dark Lords who seek to destroy the universe out of vengeance."

"I…I don't understand," said Lightning. "Celestials and Beelzebub…it doesn't matter! Beelzebub is dead, the Rangers destroyed him."

"Beelzebub still lives, Lightning," said Dark Knight. "His power was far too great to be extinguished by the Rangers at that time. He will return and no doubt he'll bring the other Dark Lords. It would be wise of us to remove the Nexus from the castle before they decided to come here themselves. They will seek the prevention of the Mother-Of-All's resurrection."

"And who is this Mother?" asked Lightning. "What threat would she bring to the Dark Lords if they're so powerful?"

"She is the Mother of All Monsters," said Dark Knight. "The first monster, the oldest, and the strongest. She could do a great deal of harm to the Dark Lords, preventing them from completing their mission. That is why they will strike the castle. We need to take these precautions before Thrax's ignorance and Zodiark's ambitions kill us all."

Dark Knight dismissed Lightning to resume focus on Thrax's progress.

Lightning just stood there for a moment, dumb-founded before turning away. She left the chamber and was mentally in shock as she walked back down the halls.

* * *

><p>Outside of the palace, tests were underway on the full restoration of the Chaos Shadow Zord and Sun Crusher Zord. Bakari was leading all of these repairs as his mechanical expertise allowed him to provide the most effective repairs. Umbra was inside the cockpit of his Zord to check out how good of a job Bakari did with his Zord.<p>

So far all of the guns were working from how Umbra blasted everything in sight. The Consort was having a field day when something began to blink on his radar. His attention was soon caught once he noticed a spacecraft nearing the Earth's orbit. Now, he'd have a moving target to blow up with his beam riffles, which would make this all the more fun for him.

Umbra was just itching to pull that trigger and blow that ship up to pieces.

"Boom boom goes the ship!" laughed Umbra. "I hope there are a lot of people onboard. I can't wait to blast it to tiny pieces."

His voice vibrated all over the moon, which soon caught Zodiark's attention as he stepped outside to check on the Zords. When he heard the cackling laughter of his partner, Zodiark knew that something was about to happen. This ship could be of concern if it Umbra started some unnecessary trouble for them.

Zodiark looked out to space as Umbra's riffles were warming up. The powers of darkness gave him the sight to see that it was the Astro Megaship that was approaching Earth. This sent plenty of old memories back to his mind, which he wanted nothing to do with. His mind pierced the ship to see that there was only one passenger onboard.

She was sleeping in her bed, but upon turning to her side, Zodiark was able to see her clearly.

Greater memories began to pour into this mind. Her face was familiar. The fresh, pale skin mixed with the platinum, blond colored hair. Even the clothes that she wore reminded Zodiark of someone that he lost long ago.

"Umbra, stand down," ordered Zodiark. "You are not allowed to shoot down that ship."

"What!" Umbra shouted from the cockpit. His thumb was still itching to pull the trigger to blow the Astro Megaship up. He wanted nothing left of that blasted ship! Why would Zodiark prevent him from doing so? "Why are you interfering? There are probably Rangers onboard.

"I said no, Umbra!" roared Zodiark.

Umbra surrendered and killed the riffles, ending the threat the Astro Megaship would've faced as it reached the Blue Planet.

Zodiark stormed inside of the castle to send a monster out there to deal with the Rangers, knowing that this young lass would get involved. He had to be certain that she was who he believed her to be. He had no doubt of her being from KO-35 like he was, but it was the blood that concerned him most. Fighting off a monster would be the best chance he had to confirm his suspicions as true or false.

The rest of Zodiark's warriors just watched on in confusion. Zodiark would occasionally grant mercy, but the way he responded this time was suspicious. It didn't make sense for why Zodiark acted this way.

Umbra was by far the most confused as he left his Zord with his eyes looking out into space.

* * *

><p>A great big smile was on Alice's face as she got all of the answers she was looking for. Well, not all of the answer, but at least she got this set. Now, she'd be able to make some real progress with all of the work she was doing for her Ranger buddies.<p>

To celebrate this, the other Rangers arrived to the Command Center to find out what was so exciting. Even Adam and Alpha 8 were curious as to what was going on. They were all forced to wait in suspense until Alice was able to pull up the image of their last fight on the screen. Fortunately, it wasn't of fighting the evil Megazord, but of their encounter with Zodiark and his warriors.

Images of Landon becoming Red Warrior Ranger were on the screen. It showed how awesome his power had become during this time before he expended all of it.

"Alright, so we've already seen how powerful the Job Class Form is," said Alice. "Since then, I've been trying to figure out how we can share Landon's power with the rest of us. I found a solution to that, one that was completely by accident too."

Connor sat on Ric's lap with his boyfriend's arms wrapped around his waist. Connor had his arms around Ric's shoulders as he tilted his head to face their smart friend. "How do you purpose we do that, Ms. Sassy?" asked the boy. "Do we start singing the Star Spangled Banner together?"

"No, my dear sweet Asian boy" Alice said, walking over to Landon. She took wrist to hold up the bracelet he wore along with showing off the one she did. Their Crystal Morphers began to glow softly in response to this, which tied into her explanation. "You see when you lost nearly all your power, we all got together to put our powers together to restore yours. But this had some unintended consequences."

"Landon's spiritual abilities got caught in the mixture," explained Alice. "When we brought our Morphers together, Landon shared all that Eagle Man power he obtained with the rest of us. It gave us all access to the Job Class Form so now it becomes a matter for us calling upon that power when it's needed."

"That's so badass!" cheered Tommy. "Do I get to become a Warrior too?"

"Not sure," said Alice. "These forms clearly take our strongest talents and make them stronger. Each of us will have a different form with different powers, but I'm sure it will still give us all an edge in battle."

"Alice, you are a genius!" said Ric. "I can't wait to get some badass super superpowers."

They all started to laugh at Ric, but the sirens in the Command Center began to go off all full blast. This alerted the Rangers to pressing danger that was coming to the city. So much for having a peaceful Sunday, it looks like it was time to get to work.

Their scanners saw that a monster was attacking the city to the Rangers quickly teleported to town to deal with this mess.

Adam and Alpha turned on all the monitors to keep an eye on the Rangers. They were just getting things going when a second set of sirens began to go off. This one was different then the first though, which led to the podium where the Crystal Morphers were originally stored rising up from the ground. The mystical case had its top blown open with the Violet Crystal Morpher flying up into the air before disappearing from sight.

Panic was the first thing that hit Alpha, but Adam had a smile on his face.

Finally, they had found their Violet Ranger.

Now they just needed to find out who that was.

* * *

><p>It was finally time to stretch out her stiff legs.<p>

Serena left the Astro Megaship hidden outside of the city as she began to take sight of the famous Angel Grove. Her eyes were all lit up as she walked around the city with people staring at her for the uniform that she continued to wear. It would've probably made more sense to change into something more fitting of an Earthly fashion sense, but Serena was just so excited to be on the planet. This was her first time in Angel Grove and Earth.

Growing up, she heard so many stories about this place from her parents. They had so many things to tell her that she practically felt like she had been there with them.

Now, she actually could say she walked in their footsteps, to an extent. At least now she was finally away from the space colony and was able to spread her wings. Okay, so she didn't have wings, but that didn't cease to make the young woman feel very liberated with this new freedom that she obtained.

"Where to first?" said Serena. "Uncle said I really have to try something called a milkshake and French Fries. I have no idea what those are, but he did say that they were delicious when mixed together. I wonder where I could purchase some."

As Serena continued to walk around, her curiosity came to a crashing halt. The first thing that caught her attention was screaming and that screaming usually only meant one thing. There had to be a monster present to create that much fear for an entire group of people.

Stepping into the courtyard with Putties all around her was the latest monster sent out by Zodiark. This monster was as female who rocked this Egyptian princess look. Colorful robes covered her chalky, brown skin with her face covered behind a face veil. The only thing clear was her ruby red eyes that just terrified anyone who crossed paths with her.

Mist seemed bored as she yawned at these silly people. Even though she had orders to retrieve blood for the Nexus, Mist didn't seem to care at first. She really only cared about getting back at those blasted Power Rangers who slaughtered all her brothers and sisters.

Unaware to any of this, Serena knew that this monster and the Putties were no good. She looked around when she saw something heavy enough to do some damage with crossed her line of sight. Serena touched her forehead with her middle and index finger, concentrating with her psychic might to lift up a discarded crate.

The mental talent got the crate into the air, which Serena threw at the incoming Putties. Only two Putties got hit, but the impact was good enough to cause them to burst apart. Now, Mist was left with only ten Putties, which did not please the monster at all.

"You are a foolish little girl!" Mist shouted, taking notice of Serena. "How dare you interfere with me? I am the Desert Princess, I am Mist!"

"And I'm Serena," said the young woman. "I really don't care who you are, but you can't go around scaring people!"

"Like you have the power to stop me?" said Mist.

Mist dismissed the girl as she lifted her arm up and waved her hand forward. A small gust of wind began to form, only it was completed by a burst of sand. Mist's ability to control sand was about to demonstrated on the earthly world with Serena being her first target.

The dirt devil hit Serena and easily threw the alien girl across the courtyard with a remarkable amount of force.

But instead of landing and getting herself killed, Serena felt some hands and arms hanging onto her. Upon opening her eyes, she gasped as she saw seven figures standing around her wearing different colored uniforms. At a second glance, it was then she realized that they were the Power Rangers.

"You should really be a lot more careful, Miss," said White Ranger.

"It would be a real shame if you hurt yourself now," added Pink Ranger.

Serena could only nod her head as the Rangers helped her back on her feet before telling her to find someplace safe to hide. Serena did as she was told, but she didn't keep her eyes off the Rangers as she found a sturdy place that would keep her protected from any sand.

The Rangers then set their attention on Mist and the Putties that she had assembled. Mist felt a smile growing on her face as she sent the Putties after the Rangers. As the Putties went in for the rush, the Rangers armed themselves for battle. Red Ranger led Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink in pulling out their Angel Sword and unleashing their Heaven Power Slash. As for White Ranger and Orange Ranger, they fired their Celestial Twilight Ray at the incoming Putties.

In seconds, the Putties were done for as the Rangers attacked forced them to crumble apart to nothing. This came as no surprise to Mist, while Serena found herself in awe of the seven heroes.

Mist covered herself in sand, creating a fortress out of this natural element. She charged towards the Rangers with a remarkable burst of speed. The sandy fortress around her easily decimated the defenses of the Rangers and soon caused them to drop like flies.

Laughter escaped Mist as she got back on her own feet with the Rangers scattered around her.

"This so was not exciting for me," said the monster. "Here I thought that the Power Rangers were actually worth something. And all of you are just lying there now like the pathetic runts that you are. Insignificant humans, I shall drown you all in sand!"

Blue Ranger slammed his fist to the ground as he felt something boiling up inside of him. He looked over to Black Ranger where he noticed not much movement coming from his boyfriend. This only further in serving to push him over the edge as his Crystal Morpher appeared in his hand.

Yellow Ranger felt a similar amount of annoyance for this monster. Sand was never a good thing with her. It always pissed her off because sand just always got all over the place whenever she went to the beach. The disgusting sand always seemed to ruin the day, which led to her taking hold of her Crystal Morpher.

Wind and Earth were called forth as the Rangers felt a new surge of power rushing around them. They threw their Crystal Morphers up before taking that leap of faith for themselves. Blue and Yellow light began to illuminate the sky with Blue Ranger being consumed by wind and Yellow Ranger being swallowed by earth.

They were both hit hard by change, which transformed them and gave them new powers.

Blue Ranger had only a lighter layer of armor cover his body. It was mostly leather looking which also had a torn looking skirt at the front of his body. A armor buckle was strapped to his right shoulder and he already carried his Glory Hammer with his left arm.

Yellow Ranger, however, had a bit more armor covering her form now. She now had bulky, shoulder pads with her torso covered in yellow armor that gave her a longer, torn skirt. That was about all the new additions that she had as she took hold of her Holy Pistols in this new form.

"Job Class Form, Blue Gladiator Ranger!"

"Job Class Form, Yellow Machinist Ranger!"

The greater power from their Crystal Morphers mixed in with the spiritual abilities that Red Ranger unlocked for them gave new power to the duo. They were now more than able to stand up and fight Mist on their own without the assistance of their injured companions.

And this sight became very interesting for Serena to watch. It was only her first day on Earth and she got to see the Rangers kick monster butt.

Yellow Machinist Ranger held her Pistols up and immediately took aim at Mist. But instead of pulling that trigger, she pointed her guns to the ground. "Holy Earth of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Machinist!" said the Ranger. "Stalagmite Machinist Holy!" Small sparks of yellow light escaped her pistols and faded into the ground.

Nothing seemed to come out of this so Mist seemed relatively unworried. However, the lights traveled across the ground until they were around the monster. Sharp spikes of earthly fury began to rise from the ground and repeatedly began to pummel Mist. The heavy earth inflicted plenty of pain upon her body with the earthly attack cracking her bones that had been hardened by sand.

As Mist dropped to her knees, Blue Gladiator Ranger decided to get involved. He dropped to one knee and held his Glory Hammer as high as he could above his head. "Holy Wind of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Gladiator!" said the Ranger. "Cyclone Gladiator Glory!" He smashed his hammer into the ground where he gave rise to a powerful gust of wind. A large, blue cyclone began to take form and immediately came upon Mist.

The fierce some winds began to tare away at her already injured body, laying a maximum amount of hurting upon her. Mist couldn't escape this suffering until she finally succumbed to the power of the Job Class enhanced Rangers. The cyclone destroyed what was left of her that the stalagmites had already started.

And Mist was defeated with the new forms that Blue Ranger and Yellow Ranger had unlocked leaving them. Those two dropped to their knees in pure exhaustion, while their friends had enough time to recover and assist them back up.

"You guys were totally killer!" said Black Ranger.

"I have to admit that I'm awfully impressed," said Orange Ranger.

"Thanks," said Blue and Yellow Ranger.

"Now that the monster is gone, we can return to the Command Center," said Red Ranger. "Let's try and salvage what rest we can get this Sunday."

The Rangers were all in agreement as they teleported back to the Command Center, while Serena simply got away from the building.

Serena had a cheery smirk as she realized how much of a good move this was. She began to walk away from the courtyard to find what she was originally looking, while unaware of the sandy remains that were left behind by Mist.

These remains began to slowly stir about, but for what purpose was to be left unknown for now.

* * *

><p>After seeing their successful victory, Serena decided to head over to the local hangout. She heard about the famous Skulls and Crosses from some guys that tried to hit up on her. It was easy to blow them off, but that was after she got the directions from them.<p>

The atmosphere of the place was certainly different than anything else on KO-35. For starters there was less drunks running around. The former rebels loved their alcohol since it was what helped them to get over the sting of defeat that they had suffered from Dark Specter's forces. It was also what led to plenty of violence amongst the rebels and cases of rape both inflicted upon women and men.

Serena found herself an empty seat at the bar, which seemed just perfect for her. She crashed out there where a pencil-necked boy was getting yelled at by a hefty man, probably the boss. She thought nothing of it until the boy called him Uncle Bulk before getting thrown out of the bar so that he could go serve some of the customers.

Bulk ran his hands down his face to let out that unnecessary steam. He quickly washed his hands before going over to the counter to serve his new customer with a menu and order pad in hand.

"What can I get you, sweetheart?" Bulk said, paying her no real attention.

"I don't know actually," said Serena. "My uncle recommended ordering a vanilla milkshake and a basket of French Fries though. Could I get that?"

"That's our specialty," Bulk said, jotting it down. He finally looked up at the girl with a smile on his face when his expression changed greatly. The uniform that she wore was very foreign, but the patch on the left side of the coat was familiar. The yellow circle was split in half with a strip running along the middle that had five, silver squares on it. He focused in on her face next as he tried to figure out who those familiar features belonged to.

Serena didn't seem to mind though since this was something she was familiar. At least she didn't have to worry being recognized for other reasons since nobody on Earth knew anything about KO-35 politics. "You know, I get that a lot," said Serena. "I really doubt you'd ever be able to guess who I am though."

Bulk just nodded his head, apologizing for his rudeness before going to the kitchen to get her order.

* * *

><p>Over where the Rangers had finished of the monster, the sandy ashes left behind began to stir.<p>

The city folk that began to re-inhabit the area again now that they thought they were safe were about to be gravelly mistaken. The sand gathered together until they formed the solid body of the Egyptian-looking Mist. Her robes were back in place with her chalky, brown skin looking as fair as it did before the fight with the Rangers.

"Excellent," she said, smiling. "Now, it's time to create a little bit of havoc."

It only took one person to notice the monster and scream to create a mess.

Mist decided to bare no mercy for the people as she began to spread her sand all over the city. The ground erupted with sand, tackling everyone that got in the way. The sand would soon drown people into oblivion as they choked on the desert sand that she could create.

The scolding sand would be more than enough to finish of this pathetic city. Mist couldn't wait until the Rangers showed up once again so that she could punish them for her very untimely demise.

And it wouldn't be that long of a wait for her either.

Five streaks of light raced across the courtyard until they finally crashed into Mist. She was forced to cancel out the sandy spell that she had over the Earthlings. This did not please her one bit as she straightened herself out after getting hit by that Heaven Power Slash.

The seven Rangers gathered together to stand up against the monster, which meant that they had found out about her revival relatively quickly. At least she would have to give the Rangers some credit for being somewhat intelligent. They found her quickly and soon she'd get to have her revenge quicker than she had expected.

"I thought it'd take you a couple more minutes to find me," laughed Mist. "Well, now we all have a chance to have another dance."

"How could we say no to a second dance with a pretty lady?" said Red Ranger.

"You flatter me, dear," said Mist.

The Rangers didn't waste any more time with the small talk. They rushed in after Mist, which she responded to in a similar manner. Mist was about to collide with the Rangers when she created six, sand copies of herself. The sand that made their bodies made them strong, hardening up until they were solid as a rock.

Mist went directly after Red Ranger, while her copies faced the others. It became a bloody fight after that, well, maybe not so bloody but it got painful.

The first group of copies reached Blue Ranger and Black Ranger. Blue Ranger quickly responded to this by grabbing his boyfriend then threw him over his shoulder. As the copies got closer, Blue Ranger got his Glory Hammer to smash the first one in the face which caused it to crumble apart. The other copy was about to attack his turned back, but Black Ranger was already ready to help him out.

Upon landing on his feet, Black Ranger got his Heaven Bow out. He charged a single arrow with as much power as he could before releasing it on his mark. The arrow flew across the courtyard where it connected with the head of the sand copy. The copy crumbled into nothing, saving Blue Ranger from a nasty injury.

Yellow Ranger decided to test a similar theory as she put up enough distant between her and the sandy clone chasing her. She jumped over a bench where she pulled out her Holy Pistols from behind her. As she landed on the ground, the sandy clone jumped over the bench to get closer towards the Ranger. This was a bad idea as it left the copy vulnerable to the open fire that the Yellow Ranger unleashed by firing a barrage of bullets. Her trigger happy persona got the better of her, which she unloaded a rapid fire of bullets until the sandy clone was no more.

Pink Ranger dove out of the way of an incoming, sandy fist. The sand clone unleashed its hardened fists in hope of crushing the life from that whinny Pink Ranger. Those same fists would regenerate by applying more sand onto its body, which allowed it to attack over and over again. Pink Ranger responded to this by taking out her Sacred Claws. The latest fists were sliced apart by her claws. She returned fire by spinning her body around and slashing the air with her claws, triggering a wave of water to come forth. Upon impact, the wave crumbled the sand copy apart, leaving behind a wet mess.

White Ranger and Orange Ranger crossed backs together as the sandy copies of Mist went after them. The two briefly knocked fists as a source of encouragement before breaking apart to take on their respective targets. White Ranger held onto the hilt of his Solar Saber where he weaved his body around to avoid incoming attacks. As soon as he got close enough, he swung his saber to slice the head of the sandy creature apart. For Orange Ranger, he charged in as well, but used his Celestial Lance to give him a boost. He jumped up into the air for a bit but tossed his lance at the clone with an aura of sunlight that caused the sandy clone to be blown to pieces.

Red Ranger took mist on directly, facing her strictly in hand to hand combat. The Egyptian-styled monster was fairly skilled with her hands as she faced against Red Ranger. They met each blow for blow and toe for toe as their paths continued to cross. Red Ranger spun his entire body around, hoping to elbow the lady monster in her face only to have his elbow blocked by the forearms of the monster. Mist easily pushed Red Ranger back before kicking him in the chest in response to that.

"Didn't your mother teach you to never hit a lady?" said Mist.

"Yeah, she did," said Red Ranger, "but she said I should make an exception for monsters."

Taking out his Aurora Sword, Red Ranger consumed his sword with flames. He swung his sword after the monster, which caused Mist to retreat before the flames could destroy her. His fire settled down as she stepped back just as the other Rangers gathered around him to provide some backup.

Soon, the Rangers would realize that this was a big mistake on their part. Mist didn't bother to hide the smile on her face, which was partly obscured by the veil she wore.

Clapping her dark hands together, Mist created over a dozen copies of her sandy figures. The sandy copies of Mist circled around the monster with Mist at the very lead. She blew a kiss at the Rangers before raising her arm up and snapped her fingers.

"Bye bye, kids," said the monster.

The Mist copies threw their hard, sandy fists at the Rangers, which were a direct hit. The Rangers were easily knocked down, which provided Mist with another window of opportunity. Mist gathered her copies to transform into a giant block of hard sand that she condensed until it was tight and heavy. She swung her arms down to drop the sand block on top of the Rangers, which crumbled apart after causing some serious hurting onto the heroes.

The Rangers were buried under a mountain of sand with Mist using her powers to further her advantage in the battle. She coiled her sand around to create a sandstorm that lifted the Rangers up from the ground and bashed them against one another. She repeated this vicious cycle as many times as she could before exhausting her arm strength. When that came, she finally released the storm and allowed them to drop to the ground where she left them riddled with pain.

It was painful to feel, but it was also horrifying to watch.

Serena had seen the entire event unfold, which left her stomach curled up in knots. At that point, she knew that there could be no hiding in the sidelines. Someone had to do something about that monsters. If the Rangers couldn't handle it then it looked like it would be up to the daughter of a rebel to do something.

Knowing better, Serena stepped out from behind a building to get the monster's attention. She found a rock, which she threw at the back of Mist's head. "Hey, Sand Box!" shouted Serena. "Why don't you pick on someone my size?'

Mist flinched upon feeling that rock against her head. She rubbed the sore spot as she turned to face that awful girl. "You again!" growled Mist. "Didn't you learn your lesson that last time I drowned you in sand. Masochism isn't a good thing dear."

"What can I say, I have to learn things the hard way," Serena said to Mist.

Before anything else could be said or done, a violet burst of light exploded in front of Serena. This briefly blinded everyone there, including the injured Rangers. However, this light had a secondary effect. The Rangers slowly began to feel their strength being restored until the light had dimmed out to reveal what the source of it was.

Floating in front of Serena was the Violet Crystal Morpher. The feather-shaped crystal just stayed there, waiting for Serena to make her move. Serena felt very drawn to the violet crystal and took it with almost no hesitation at all.

The minute she touched the Crystal Morpher, Serena's life forever changed as a set of words appeared in her mind. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Serena. The alien girl held the crystal above her head, releasing a violet burst of light. Soon, a storm of violet colored feathers began to circle around her body as she morphed into a Power Ranger.

The feathers condensed together, creating her new uniform to wear. As the feathers disappeared, the changes that took place were revealed for everyone to see.

She wore a uniform similar to that of the other Angel Force Rangers except her color was Violet. She had the same symbol on her helmet, a large cross was on her chest, a set of angelic wings were printed on her back, and she had a skirt on like the other girls. The rest of her uniform bore the similar changes that the Orange and White Ranger had. She wore a golden vest that covered the bulk of her chest with a Twilight Ray strapped to her hip.

"I control the element of the Star Ocean!" shouted the newest addition. "I am the Violet Angel Force Ranger!"

The other Rangers were in shock to see this strange girl being chosen to join their team. However, Mist seemed the most surprised to see that she now had to face a new Ranger. This was certainly not what she expected to see, and it was certainly not the obstacle that Zodiark had warned her of when he pulled her out from the Fade.

Violet Ranger jumped towards Mist with her body mid-air as she pulled out her blaster. She took fire as she got closer, hitting the monster with laser-fire with no mercy. Mist stumbled back a couple inches and got further away from the other Rangers, giving Violet Ranger another opening. Violet Ranger twisted her blaster around, forming her beam sword with the blade taking on a violet colored light.

With one swing, Violet Ranger had Mist flying across the courtyard in a way that impressed her fellow Rangers.

Even as their spirits were roused and they began to gather around her, Violet Ranger wasn't about to let the others interfere. "Allow me to enjoy my debut," she told the Rangers. "I need a moment to test out what I can really do with this bad boy." She returned her blaster to its holster when she called upon her primary weapon.

Stars flocked around her hand that soon took form of a violet wand. The wand was about as long as her forearm with stars fused onto the wand. A large, ruby gem was placed on top with a small pair of wings sticking out from the side.

"A little girly, but I can get used to this," said Violet Ranger. She pointed her Divine Wand at Mist as the lady monster was slowly beginning to get back on her feet. "How do you like me now, sweetie?"

"Please," said Mist, "have mercy on me."

"Sorry, but bad girls don't get to have any mercy shown to them," said Violet Ranger. She crossed her Divine Wand over her chest, calling forth her mastery over the stars. Her power grew stronger with the stars beginning to circle around her wand. "Starlight Divine Kiss!" Pointing her wand forward, Violet Ranger unleashed a swirl of stars from her wand which quickly engulfed the monster made from sand.

Mist howled in pain before exploding into a great wave of sand.

Victory was shortly lived, however, as bolts of darkness came down from the sky. Loud laughter began to hit the Rangers as the sand grew in size before recreating Mist's body.

"You should've shown mercy!" laughed Mist. "Now you shall all pay!"

Mist stomped the ground with her colossal foot, causing the Ranger to get as far away from the courtyard as possible before they were crushed. They managed to put enough distance between them and Mist, but it would only be a matter of time before she found them.

Something had to be done, and Violet Ranger was a little notorious for starting the something.

"We have Zords right?" said Violet Ranger. "Let's put them to good use." She looked at the Rangers before setting her sights on White Ranger and Orange Ranger. She grabbed their arms, finding that they would be the most useful to her plan. "The three of us should be working together. I mean, our uniforms are the most similar so our Zords would probably be the most compatible. That's how these things tend to work out."

"Umm…I suppose?" White Ranger said, nervously.

"As long as I get to kick ass then I'll buy it," said Orange Ranger.

The trio brought their hands together with White Ranger and Orange Ranger taking lead so that Violet Ranger could learn. "We call upon the Archangel Power!" said the trio. "Archangel Zords, we summon you!"

Light began to stream across the sky as the Archangel Zords made their presence known. The other Rangers were impressed upon seeing the Violet Ranger's Zord joining up with the Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord. A large, majestic Condor Zord took flight alongside the other Zords. The massive wings of the Violet Condor Zord seemed to be large enough to support flight functions for a Megazord.

The trio leaped into the cockpits of their Zords with Violet Ranger looking around to this exciting mess. She clapped her hands together as she cheered herself on for this new digs. "A girl can get used to this," said Violet Ranger. "Let's see what my Zord could do."

Mist took notice of the incoming Zords, which she felt she could handle easily. She kicked up a small cyclone of sand that crashed into Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord. Condor Zord, however, flew away from the targeted path. Violet Ranger pushed down on a big button, which fired the Zord's own cyclone from its mouth. A fully charged whirlwind escaped the mouth of the Condor Zord, which crushed the sandstorm that Mist called up and even managed to knock into the monster's chest.

"Alright!" said Violet Ranger. "Now let the real games begin. How do we form a Megazord?"

"Let the professionals handle this one, newbie," said Orange Ranger. "You ready, bro?"

"I'm up for it," said White Ranger. "Archangel Megazord Sequence, activating."

The trio inserted their Crystal Morphers into the designated slot to create the Megazord. Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord did their usual thing, while Condor Zord flew circles around them. As the main body of the Archangel Megazord was complete, its newest addition was about to make its nest. The Megazord leaned slightly forward with the Condor Zord docking into the back, unlocking the full potential of the Megazord.

Archangel Megazord came into its full function now that all three Rangers were united.

White Ranger and Orange Ranger took their usual spots in this Megazord. Violet Ranger appeared on an elevated level of the cockpit with all her controls around her. She leaned over to wave at her new buddies with Orange Ranger ignoring her and White Ranger waving back.

Archangel Megazord began to stomp its way towards Mist with the monster slowly beginning to get back on her feet. Mist attempted to stop the Megazord with her sand, but that failed to do any damage to this superpower. Archangel Megazord knocked Mist in across the face with its heavy fist before kicking the monster in the leg.

Mist was struggling to keep herself standing at this point, which Violet Ranger exploited. She got the Archangel Megazord to take flight. The guys understood exactly what she was trying to accomplish and did their part as well.

With the Megazord in air, their trusty cannon appeared in hand. The wings kept it flying high into the air as the Megazord took a precise aim for Mist. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the trio of Rangers. Light gathered within the cannon before the Megazord pulled that fatal trigger. White, orange, and violet balls of light escaped the cannon as the fully charged attacked went down to the ground.

Mist didn't even know what hit her as the cannon fire hit her, ripping her body into pieces. This time, there was no coming back for Mist as her existence truly came to an end.

And with another monster defeated, victory belonged to the Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>A monster was gone and a new Ranger with an upgraded Megazord was part of the team. This was certainly not what anyone expected to come out today, but it wasn't unpleasant. If anything, this only made the Rangers' battle against evil able to go a little smoother.<p>

Now, the Rangers were all gathered at the Command Center, trying to figure out who Serena was. She might be their Violet Ranger, but they knew literally nothing at all about her. Serena felt that was fair enough so she made herself into an open book, telling them everything that she was comfortable with opening up to them about.

"My name is Serena, I'm eighteen, and I was born on the colony, KO-35. Anything else you want to know?"

Adam was the one who decided to get in the way since he considerably knew more about the Karoven Outpost-35. He really took notice of her facial features, which reminded him of a Ranger that he met once before in the past. "Can you tell me who your father is?" asked the Rangers' mentor.

That's when Serena began to smile as she straightens up on the chair she was sitting on top of. "You sure that you only want to know about my father and not my mother too?" asked the young woman. The look she got out of Adam was one of alarm, but she laughed a little bit. She brought her hand to her chest, pulling out a necklace that was hidden underneath her shirt. It turned out to be more of a locket, which she opened revealing small portraits with one of a man and the other of a woman. "My father is Zhane, the Silver Space Ranger. As for my mother, she was the second Pink Galaxy Ranger. Her name is Karone, but you all know her better as Astronema."

"The Astronema?" said Alice. "Princess of Darkness Astronema?"

"Yup!" said Serena. "Only she doesn't like to be called that anymore. It's just Karone, or in my case its mom."

"Why are you here then?" asked Haley. "KO-35 is a long way from Earth."

"Not that we're ungrateful!" said Connor. "We really did need an eight Ranger."

"It's just kind of random and unexpected," added Junior.

Serena nodded her head since they were all right about it. It was kind of weird that she randomly showed up on Earth out of nowhere and completely unexpected. "I totally get what you're all saying," said Serena. "The reason I came to Earth is because there are a lot of planets that are beginning to disappear. My dad said that Adam would know how to save them before all life comes to an end."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ric.

"Why are planets disappearing?" asked Landon. "Who could end the life of a planet?"

"The Dark Lords," said Serena. "The destruction of all these planets is a sign of the End of Days. It's Armageddon out there and only the Power Rangers have the power to stop the Dark Lords before all life comes to an end."

And it was there that the Rangers learned just how grave things were about to become as the signs were upon them. Thrax, Zodiark, and the Dark Lords were all stirring which was bringing about the Apocalypse. So now more than ever, the Rangers understood that they'd need all the help that they could get.

At least now, the team was at long last completed. The eight Angel Force Ranges were needed more than ever to preserve the life of everyone in the universe.

* * *

><p>Du Du DUUUUUUUN!<p>

On the next chapter, Thrax is back in business and sends out a wintery monster to destroy Angel Grove with a blizzard. Meanwhile, Connor attempts to reach out to Zodiark in hopes of trying to save what little bits of goodness might be. And their newest Ranger, Serena, will uncover a dark, family secret that will leave her questioning everything. And just to top things off, Beelzebub returns. Find out what happens in **Snow White Queen!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **We're starting to have a little problem, readers. I know a lot of you have the story set for alerts and favorites, thank you for that. But the few of you who are actually leaving reviews, aren't doing well with the reviews. I know I messed up at saying if you're going to put good job then make a sentence out of it, well, it's not helping. Either people aren't listening and still saying only "good job" or they took me too literally. So here's the deal, start making a lot more effort with the reviews. It takes me almost four days to write a chapter for this story alone so PLEASE put an effort to write a review. I like anonymous reviews too! Heck, my anonymous reviews do a better job at leaving reviews the people with accounts on here. So please, don't make me have to put a review requirement to update a chapter. Alright, I said my peace. Now read...AND REVIEWWWWWWW!**  
><strong>

**Snow White Queen: **

Locked away in the industrial-sized warehouse in Angel Grove was none other than the Astro Megaship. This was the only place safe for the Megaship to be docked in, while Serena put down her roots on this alien planet. Despite this drastic change, Serena was actually looking forward to her time on Earth as well as being a Power Ranger.

Serena was a polite hostess as she welcomed the other Rangers to her humble abode. Not to mention, she also gained a roommate in the process due to all the room she had on the Megaship. She didn't want to live alone and the Rangers didn't think it was safe for Serena to be on her own in this potentially vulnerable place. Even Alice had sold off her apartment to move in with Landon and Ric, mostly for Landon.

Things were a little hectic as a few boxes began to flood the Megaship. Serena's new roommate was stuffing his things into his room where he'd make himself plenty comfortable. The other Rangers were assisting in placing these boxes into the room so that the rest of the ship wouldn't be a chaotic mess.

Junior wiped the sweat from his brow before turning back at Serena who stood at his doorway. "You sure that it's okay for me to live here with you?" asked the young man. He took off the sweater he wore and left that onto the full-sized bed that was in the room. "I don't want to like make you uncomfortable or anything."

"Don't worry about it," Serena said, brushing off his concerns. "I am plenty happy to have you as a roommate. Just please, refrain from leaving your clothes all over the Megaship or else I will have DECA throw you out from the emergency shoot." As cute as Junior was, there was no way that Serena would tolerate a messy ship. There was no joking around when it came to the cleanliness of her ship.

A light laugh began to escape Junior as he agreed to these terms.

Meanwhile, Landon and Tommy carried in the last of Junior's belongings. Alice and Haley were following from behind where they watched the two, young men at work. As the box was left alone, it finally began to dawn on everyone that two of their Rangers weren't present.

"Has anyone seen Ric and Connor?" asked Tommy. "I thought they wanted to take the grand tour of the ship?"

"Oh, I think they're touring something else," said Alice. It took all the self-restraint she had not to laugh at her horrible pun.

"Are they at a museum or something?" Serena asked, naively.

"Or something," Landon said, giggling a bit.

Haley rolled her eyes from disgust of the perverted couple. Tommy had quickly gotten a pretty picture stuck in his head, one that he would have trouble getting rid of now too. Junior was just disturbed by Landon and Alice with their openly, sexual behavior. Plus, it didn't exactly help that there was something going on in that head of his.

Serena was a little slower on the input, but she eventually understood what was going on. In more than one way as she caught the reactions on everybody else's faces. "Alright then," Serena said, attempting to change the subject. Going into detail or even thinking about the sexual relations between her new friends was a little much for her to bear right now. "So how about that tour? I'm sure you guys would love to see the Astro Megaship. I promise that it is totally amazing, you'll blow a gasket when you see everything that this ship could do."

"I'll be the judge of that," said Alice the techno-path.

With that said, Serena began to give the grand tour of hers and Junior's home.

* * *

><p>Things were just as dirty as Landon and Alice had insinuated with their perverse innuendo.<p>

Ric was naked on his back as he thrusted inside of a skinny boy with blond hair and light-blue highlights streaking around. The thickness of Ric's appendage was a little much for Connor even in this new position. Connor had his back against Ric's chest as he rode his boyfriend's dick to town with his toes curled into the sheets and his hands balled into fists.

Frantic moans were escaping Connor's pouty lips since they had been going at it for twenty minutes. And that time wasn't including that half an hour of foreplay. It did serve to explain why Connor's lips were so puffy, which was because Ric biting on his lips and having to take all of Ric's hard length into his mouth. Connor got Ric back though; well not so much since Ric did enjoy giving Connor head as well as rimming the boy's asshole.

Connor threw his bleached bangs back, while he nearly ceased all movement. He just let out great gasps for air as Ric pummeled his tight hole and stroked his boy wood as Ric liked to joke about. If Ric wasn't so good when it came to sex then Connor would've kicked him in the junk already. But the things that the Latin boy could do to his body made his body, especially his ass quiver.

Ric turned Connor's head to the side to deliver a heated kiss filled with heated passion. Having Ric's tongue violating his mouth sent Connor completely over the edge. For the third time, Connor reached a climax with his semen beginning to coat his abdomen and Ric's hand. As for Ric, he came because Connor finally came. Seeing the boy's blissful state and watching the orgasm shaking his body sent Ric into pure heat as he filled the condom with what felt like a gallon of sperm.

The two of them completely collapsed into a sweaty heap at that point, unable and unwilling to move at all.

Connor did initiate movement though after about two minutes. He still remembered how much it hurt to pull a dried condom out from his ass and since he was beginning to get used to anal sex, he wasn't about to have a condom ruin that adjustment. So he slid himself out and rolled onto his stomach to get some rest.

Ric got the hint and removed the soiled condom from his dick before tying it up and leaving it on the floor. He proceeded to roll to his side where he wrapped his very muscular arms around the petite waist of the boy. Lips found the sensitive spot on Connor's shoulder that was around the base of his neck.

"You know, I love this new look," whispered Ric. "Did I ever tell you how much I love blue?"

"No, you didn't," Connor smirked before kissing his boyfriend. "I wanted to do something that proved how much I love you. This way, you're with me always."

"And the obvious choice was to die your hair?" laughed Ric. He kissed Connor's neck, pulling the boy closer towards him. His once flaccid penis was beginning to get hard again as he felt the heat from the boy's ass from this spooning position. "If you wanted, I could've just given you one of my t-shirts or something less drastic."

"Hush," said Connor.

"What is your real hair color anyways," Ric said, burying his face into the boy's neck.

"Stop, jerk!" Connor laughed, trying to break free.

There was no breaking free though as Ric climbed on top of Connor where he spun the boy so that they were now chest to chest. Feeling the pounding of Connor's heart against his, Ric leaned in close to plant a gentle kiss on those naturally, rosy lips. Connor had no resistance whatsoever as he wrapped his arms and legs around Ric to keep his boyfriend against him, refusing to let go even for a second.

"I love you, Connor," Ric whispered against the boy's lips.

"I love you too, Ricardo," Connor said, smiling.

Lips met together once again as the two shared another kiss before finally calming down their hormones to get a few hours of sleep that night.

* * *

><p>On the Moon, the darkness that made up the castle seemed to grow with strength as a revival took place.<p>

Slowly making his way back to the throne, Thrax had recovered from the injuries he sustained during his fight against Red Ranger. The mutant son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa was back in full health and was ready to lay his vengeance upon the Power Rangers for such a shameful defeat. He was gallant as he returned to the throne with Dark Knight at his back where he gazed upon the surprised look on Zodiark and his companions' faces.

Lightning dropped to her knees along with the Putties out of respect for their master. Thrax bid them all to rise back up as he returned to his throne where he reclaimed control of the situation. Dark Knight cast himself to the side of his master, striking the ground with his blade as he stood proud.

Thrax looked over to the glowing Nexus where he felt new power surging through it. His threw his gaze over to Zodiark with a small grin growing on his face. "So it seems that someone has been busy while I've been resting," said the mutant to Zodiark. He held his Z-Staff with a tight grip before looking down to Earth where he felt a new presence. "We also have a new contender to fight against. The Rangers have found a new Ranger to fight alongside them?"

"Yes, m'lord," said Lightning. She continued to stay her knee, while looking down at the ground. The revival of her master was a serious matter, which she took with the utmost care despite her slowly changing allegiance. "An eighth Ranger has been selected, the Violet Ranger."

"Eight Power Rangers," growled Thrax. "Surely that is a record. There has never been a team so large assembled to fight against our side."

The Dark Prince looked upon the mutant man to see just how well the recovery process went. He could see that Thrax was back at full strength and seemed to have gained a new power even during his time of defeat. It looked like claiming control would require a little more cunning then it would've originally required. No matter, Zodiark was prepared for any unforeseen variable that might be thrown his way.

"The Rangers have never had a threat as great as us though," laughed Zodiark. He played the perfect role of a politician. He did everything in his power to butter Thrax up to reaffirm the alliance that they had forged. "Their numbers may have grown, but they still will not stand against us. Our power is superior to the goodness that they wield."

Thrax agreed with the Dark Prince as he slowly began to rise up from his throne. He retrieved his Z-Staff and held onto it, tightly, with both hands. "If we are to defeat the Rangers then we'll need a monster different from all of the others," said the mutant. "We might not have the power to summon the original monsters, but we can someone a stronger one. I think we'll need someone who can consume Angel Grove and the Power Rangers with an element of nature."

Zodiark could already foresee the benefits of such a monster. It would surely help in diminishing the strength of the monster should the creature prove to be powerful. With any luck, it would wither the Rangers' strength down to virtually nothing. However, the Dark Prince knew better than to get his hopes up as the Power Rangers had proven to be a resourceful bunch.

Thrax didn't care about any of this as he struck the Nexus with his Z-Staff. He poured some of his own power to the Nexus to call forth a monster that had the power that he sought to destroy Angel Grove.

And just as he had hoped, a monster with that power responded to his cries.

* * *

><p>It was almost springtime in Angel Grove, which meant the cold spell of winter, would finally come to an end. The air would no longer be cold and dry, but warm and humid. The green would return to the city by the Pacific so everyone was ready to rejoice as the promise of summer was gaining momentum by the day.<p>

However, this natural cycle was about to be drastically interrupted. A monster from the Fade had been summoned by Thrax to do his wicked bidding. The city was about to be locked in a state of suffering as Freeza made her appearance on the highest point in the city.

Freeza was dressed in an armored, white dress that clothed her icy, blue skin. Her silver hair was tied up into a neat bun with not a single hair out of place. There was a powder blue crown perched on top of her head that was adored with diamonds. As the sun floated high above the sky, Freeza's skin gained an almost diamond like sparkle to it's as her skin glistened against the sunlight. Despite the intimidating appearance of her sparkling skin, she actually felt terribly uncomfortable with the sun burning so bright.

"I hate that dreaded ball of gas," said Freeza. "I must punish it for trying to make me melt. My cold spell should do the trick. Thrax wants the city to be frozen then so shall it be. The humans will die as a new ice age blankets their planet!"

Part of her forehead began to split at the center. A blue diamond began to stick out as its presence began to cause the clouds to gather on the particularly, sunny day. Her power over the wintery element was already beginning to take effect as the clouds grew thick and ominous.

Slowly, snowflakes began to gently cascade from the sky down to the ground beneath her.

A small smile graced Freeza's face as she felt her chilly babies landing on her own skin. The snow was a warm welcome opposed to that hot sun that always meddled in her affairs. Her precious snow would keep that mean sun from returning as the clouds grew thicker and more snow began to fall.

In only a few hours, Freeza's true spell would begin to take effect. The fiercest blizzard that Angel Grove had ever seen would completely consume the city. Everything will become froze and that cold will eventually spread to other places.

"Delicious," Freeza said as a snowflake touched her tongue.

* * *

><p>With winter rearing its ugly head, the sirens in the Command Center began to immediately go off. The detection of a monster was provoking a reaction from the Power Rangers. Adam quickly picked up the location of the signal where he caught sight of Freeza using her freezing abilities to trap the city in snow.<p>

Alpha began to go off about how bad this was, while Adam managed to send out a report to the Rangers about what was going on. The Rangers' mentor was able to inform the team on the pressing situation.

"I'm not sure if you all have looked outside your windows yet, but things are beginning to get very chilly," said Adam. "We got a monster who is whipping up a snowstorm out there. She's downtown by the Chase Tower."

"We'll take care of it, Adam," Landon said through the Communicator.

The link was severed as the Rangers got to work on heading towards downtown. Adam and Alpha remained at their positions to watch the monitors in case anything else was heading their way. So far, the channels were clear and Freeza wasn't escorted around by any other badies, which was always a good sign.

With any luck, this would be an easy fight for the Rangers, but Adam knew better than to get his hopes up. At least he could take comfort in the fact that the full team had been brought together, which gave the young heroes a greater chance to fight the forces of darkness.

* * *

><p>The snowstorm grew strong, which made Angel Grove become increasingly colder as a result. At this rate, the entire city would be force to shutdown even though it was already slowing down to a grinding halt.<p>

Freeza was enjoying all the wintery mayhem that she was causing to the city. The Queen of Winter would soon have the entire city down to its knees. Everything would suffer and her monster brethren shall have the honor restored to them that was so ruthlessly taken from them by the Power Rangers.

And speak of the devils, colorful streams of light came down from the sky. Freeza took heed of this where she began to brace herself for battle. The lights dimmed out until it was revealed that the Power Rangers had finally decided to show up to her Winter Wonderland. Freeza couldn't be any happier as she ran her hands down the sides of her dress.

The monster leaped down from the building she was on top of to surprise the heroes from behind. They felt her chilly presence, which would make this experience all the more amusing for her. "Welcome, Power Rangers, to your downfall," said wintery monster. "I hope you had your fun because now you're about to become ice sculptures!"

Freeza proved her point by hurling chunks of ice from thin air after the Power Rangers. Heavy blocks of ice immediately began to pummel the Rangers, leaving behind no mercy as the eight of them were taken down from her initial assault.

The monster started to laugh as she witnessed the brave heroes fall down like the pathetic sub-species that they were. She whipped up another set of icy chunks that she would use to smash the Rangers down to nothing when three of the Rangers had stood up in defiance of her.

White Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger were back on their feet. The trio surprised Freeza by taking out their Celestial Rays where they immediately began to take aim. White Ranger and Orange Ranger got down to one knee with Violet Ranger at the middle where she stayed standing.

"Celestial Twilight Ray, fire!" shouted the trio.

Bursts of white, orange, and violet light escaped their blasters which quickly raced across the road. Freeza hadn't anticipated such an attack from them, but she responded in a defensive manner. Freeza brought her ice together to create a powerful wall that would shield her from the full force of their blasts. The Rangers' attacks managed to crack though Freeza's shield, however, but filtered out upon shattering the icy wall.

Their opponent was still standing, but at least the Rangers had proven that they could break her defenses. The trio returned their blasters to their holster to take out their primary weapons instead. White Ranger brought out his Solar Blade, Orange Ranger had his Celestial Lance, and Violet Ranger had her Divine Wand.

"I bet we could bring our weapons together now," said White Ranger.

"We can really teach this Ice Queen a lesson then," said Orange Ranger.

"So what are we waiting of for then?" asked Violet Ranger. "Let's put them together!"

The trio crossed their weapons together, while Freeza was still off her guard. The monster was already preparing for their next attack as she conjured up a fortress made from ice. Lance and Wand were connected together with the Blade inserted towards the flat tip of the Lance.

Orange Ranger took hold of their newly combined weapon with White Ranger to his right and Violet Ranger to his left. "Celestial Twilight Flash!" shouted the armed trio. Orange Ranger swung the giant sword back with the other two keeping him steady. The sword was consumed by a fiery aura and with the fatal swing unleashed a crescent shaped attack. Their crescent was made of white, orange, and violet light that radiated with a magnificent shine.

Successfully shattering through Freeza's defenses again, the Rangers were able to bring the wintery queen down to her knees. Just in time too as the other Rangers finally had gotten up to reunite with their companions. All eight Rangers were back together and they could all finish the monster off by putting their powers together.

However, Freeza refused to face defeat so easily.

"I have yet to begin to show you my true power yet!" cried the monster. She spread her arms around with her body glowing in a violent aura as she conjured up a stronger storm.

The snow falling around the Rangers transformed into a vicious storm of hail. Before they realized it, the Rangers were being pelted down by hail the size of basketballs. Freeza was using all her wintery might in order to keep the Rangers distracted, while making the snowstorm she had around Angel Grove intensify.

"This city will become the Ground Zero for the new Ice Age," laughed the monster. "You have no power to stop my power!"

Freeza brought down a final chunk of ice that focused to the ground. The javelin of ice cracked the ground, creating a small rift between her and the Rangers. The hail was no longer pelting them, but the Rangers now had to face a massive gap between them and monster that they couldn't do much about. Freeza exploited the Rangers initial bafflement and took off as quickly as she could.

She vanished into the snow covered ground where she eventually vanished from the Rangers' sight in order t find a new hiding place.

The heroes cursed their luck as they were forced to retreat for now and regroup for the next fight.

* * *

><p>After the Rangers fended off Freeza's initial assault, they had flocked home to gather some proper clothes to deal with the harsh snowfall. The increasing volumes of the snow caused Angel Grove to get very chilly at this point as temperature was drastically dropping. From Alpha's calculations, the city was getting ten degrees colder with every hour that passed.<p>

That meant by tomorrow morning, Angel Grove would be at almost eighty degrees below zero. And the temperature would only continue to drop at that point until Angel Grove was completely frozen. From there, the coldness would spread to the entire county then the state until the entire planet was consumed by the next Ice Age. The entire world was hanging on a frozen balance that the Rangers needed to properly prepare for if they were going to save it from certain doom.

Eventually, the Rangers returned to the Command Center to better come up with a plan to deal with their monster troubles. They all gathered around Adam and Alpha to figure out something but that came as an exception with Alice and Serena. Alice finally had time to work on genetically amplifying Serena's natural talents like she had done with the other Rangers.

Serena's time came and her head began to throb as she dropped to her knees once the machine did its job. Alice helped the girl back up, but quickly got a scan on her to see just what had been done to her.

"Telekinesis?" Alice said, softly. "You can move things with your mind?"

"Yeah," Serena said, nodding her head. "It's a common talent on KO-35. A lot of people there are able to move stuff with their minds. Only a special few are actually born with other psychic talents."

"Like what?" Alice said with a great deal of fascination.

Serena took in a deep breath to restore the lost wind that Alice's machine had knocked out of her. "Well, some can read minds and others can project psychic barriers. Really it can be any type of mental talent that you can think of. The scientists figured out that due to our genetic makeup and the airborne chemicals on the planet is what initially led to this evolution. So our psychic abilities are merely an evolutionary response to better adapt to the conditions on the planet."

"Can others learn to become psychic?"

"It's not that easy," said Serena. "You can't just become psychic because you want to. You naturally have to have some form of mana within your body. It then becomes you learning to control and harness a force that you have within yourself."

"Oh," said Alice.

They left the psychic talk at that as they rejoined the other Rangers. Serena quickly noticed that Connor wasn't amongst them, which she found to be odd. If this was supposed to be an important meeting, one would only assume that all of the Rangers would be present to do something about this monster threat.

But that was only her assumption, she wasn't sure yet how these Rangers operated. It was a different planet and different rules seemed to apply on Earth than on KO-35.

As Serena concerned herself with their absent Ranger, Ric was the one who noticed something else that was a little odd. Now, he wasn't so concerned with Connor since he was aware that his lover wasn't feeling well since the fight. The cold and Connor never seemed to mix well together. Anyways, Ric actually felt a little toasty in the Command Center even though his apartment was freezing despite the heat being cranked up.

"Why isn't this place freezing like everywhere else?" asked Ric.

"It's because of the magic that was woven during the building of the Command Center," said Adam. "The Mystic Force Rangers enchanted the Command Center with their wards. Freeza's chilling spells can't penetrate the base, plus all the backup systems built by the Operation Overdrive Rangers are doing their part to keep things functional. However, I doubt even all of their efforts will last at the end of the day. Freeza's spell is getting stronger, which mean the blizzard will penetrate our underground defenses, leaving us completely vulnerable."

"Then we'll be shit out of luck if that happens," said Junior. "I'm guessing we're really going to have to work overtime to fight this chick."

Landon slung his arm over the younger man's shoulder with a heroic grin on his face. "Cheer up, man," said their leader. "We totally got this covered. This chick is toast!"

"Quoting Ghostbusters now, are we?" asked Haley.

"It felt like an appropriate line for this situation," said Landon.

"I get the joke," Tommy said, cheerfully.

Landon slapped the cloned teen a high-five, while the others began to roll their eyes. Junior got away from Landon's arm and stood closer towards Alice and Serena. So it was pretty much decided that they really had to do something about Freeza before it was too late.

And fortunately for them, Alpha was the man with the plan.

Their robotic ally was working on trying to uncover a weakness that was Freeza's frozen armor so that the Rangers could put an end to her chilly wrath.

* * *

><p>While everyone was busy with the Freeza situation, Connor was in the middle off the snowstorm. It had already reached twenty degrees so it was awfully chilly for the teenage boy to be standing in the middle of the abandoned park. However, this was the perfect spot for what he had planned to do.<p>

As reckless as his plan was, Connor just knew that he had to give it a shot. He couldn't call himself a good person if he didn't at least attempt to give this man a chance at redemption.

Running his hand through his bleached hair, the boy looked up to the sky as the snow fell against his rosy cheeks. He let out a deep breath as the warmth of his thick jacket kept him feeling a little secure as he looked out into the emptiness. "I guess here goes nothing," whispered Connor. "I know you can hear me on the Moon so get down here, Zodiark. I want to speak with you."

Things were silent in the park as Connor waited for any sign of the Dark Prince showing up. He figured that it would be pretty stupid of him to believe that Zodiark was actually listening or that he even cared if the teenage boy wanted to have a word with him. They were, after all, enemies not best friends.

Still, as much as it pained Connor to admit it, his last encounter with Zodiark left him with fairly mutual feelings. He did sense something when he was up close and personal with the Dark Prince. Connor wasn't exactly sure what the connection was, however, but it still left him shaking in his boots just thinking about it. There was something there, written in his very blood that was calling out for Connor to bring himself closer to Zodiark, but he just couldn't picture the why behind it.

"Zodiark, please, I need to speak with you," Connor said, pleading up to the sky.

For a moment longer, there was nothing but dead silence. Connor figured that it was time to back his bags and return to the Command Center when he heard a faint noise. The boy looked back to see streams of darkness filtering in on a single spot as a oval-like shape took solid form.

And before he knew it, Connor found himself alone, standing face-to-face with Zodiark once again.

The Dark Prince continued to wear his black robes as he kept his distance from the boy. He was wise enough to know that this potentially could be a trap so he would not drop his full guard around this boy, even if he did believe that his intentions were pure.

"Well," said Zodiark, "what is it that you want to talk about?"

* * *

><p>The Rangers were getting a run for their money as they attempted to catch up with Freeza. On their Crystal Gliders, the team was chasing the monster all over the city.<p>

Freeza was proving to be a difficult pray to catch, however, as she did everything in her power to throw the Rangers off her trail. She was hurling countless balls of ice after them and thickening the snowfall along her path into a blizzard. The thickening snow was making it harder for them to keep an eye out on her, but the Rangers strived to chase this monster down.

Violet Ranger was doing her part on the Crystal Glider that Yellow Ranger recently finished putting together for her. Their eighth Ranger was expanding her psychic abilities to allow her to spread her mind out to keep a track on Freeza's brain wave. She hadn't exactly disclosed all her psychic powers to the other Rangers besides her telekinesis that was recently revealed. She also was skilled at telepathy and also had gotten the hang of astral projection. But that was the limit to her psychic abilities though that much she was certain.

Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger were the tanks of the team. They were firing the most blasts after Freeza in hopes of catching the monster before her blizzard destroyed the entire city. At this rate, the snow would do more destroying then freezing.

Things would only continue to get tricky for them since they were down a Ranger.

And since this would quickly become a problem, Violet Ranger knew she could figure something out to help. She pushed her telepathic tracking away from Freeza's thoughts to focus in one Connor's cranial activity. In a matter of seconds, she picked up his trail and would be able to find him in a matter of minutes.

However, something was a little off with the activity. Violet Ranger was detecting another brain pattern that was foreign to her, but was built with plenty of psychic walls to prevent intrusion. In her book, someone with that level of mental training was not someone who needed to be toyed around with. Nor was it someone that you wanted your young and impressionable friend to be hanging around.

"Guys, I know where Connor is!" said Violet Ranger. "I'll go get him and bring him back as soon as possible! Do you think you can handle Freeza on your own?"

"We'll manage," said Red Ranger. "Just hurry up and bring Connor back. We need him with us to pull off the win."

Violet Ranger nodded her head as she followed the leader's orders and took off between the buildings. She flew off in the direction that she sensed Connor to be at, while the other Rangers were forced to continue to follow Freeza.

Yellow Ranger put her technological powers to the test as she spoke with the tech that on the way. Although, the bulk of it was freezing, the tech spoke back to tell her just in what direction that Freeza was flying towards. With her talent, the Rangers were able to continue keeping track on the monster that they were hoping to take down before she could do anymore harm.

But that never seemed to work out well for them as Freeza conjured up a giant block of ice. The block was about the size of half a building and was heading straight towards the Rangers.

Red Ranger brought his hands together, conjuring up the fires of his Eagle Man power. The flames grew into fiery wings as the image of an eagle began to consume his body. "I call on the spirits of the People, bestow me your fire!" shouted the Ranger. "Eagle Man Burning Strike!" He released his fiery eagle, which wrapped around the block of ice and begun to melt it.

To help with the process, the other Rangers added their powers into the fold.

"Heaven Power Slash!" shouted Blue, Pink, and Yellow Ranger.

"Celestial Twilight Ray!" shouted Orange and White Ranger.

Their attacks crashed into the flaming block of ice, causing a large crack to take form. The crack started to travel until it shattered the entire center of the ice and gave the Rangers an opening to fly through, which they did.

Making it to the other side, the Rangers kept on chasing after Freeza with renewed strength.

* * *

><p>Chilling moments like this or facing the current embodiment of evil, Connor could really go for a cup of hot chocolate right about now. He kept those thoughts to himself though as he stood in the middle of the road with Zodiark standing only a yard away from him. The bit of personal space didn't exactly help though since Connor was almost certain he'd wet himself if it wasn't so cold right now.<p>

Zodiark tilted his head to the side as he continued to wait for the boy to speak. It had been almost ten minutes already and the boy had yet to say a single word since summoning him. Now, he was famous for having a great deal of patience, but even Zodiark could only tolerate so much before snapping. The boy needed to speak and he needed to speak up fast before things had the chance to get a little dicey.

"Again, Connor," Zodiark said, deeply, "why did you summon me? What is so important that you wish to talk to me about?"

The clearness in the voice started to creep through the haze that Connor had built up. Connor swallowed down his fear so that he could stand up to the Dark Prince on his own.

"You said you were once a Power Ranger," said Connor, "but Dark Specter corrupted you. But when Zordon sacrificed himself, his energy was released and purified the evil forces that worked for Dark Specter. How is it that you weren't affected by the abundance of positive energy?"

"Is that really your question?" Zodiark said, raising an eyebrow. Connor nodded his head slowly, but Zodiark could already tell that there was plenty more locked away in that head. It would become a long day so he might as well prepare. "That's a simple answer. Zordon's energy only affected those within the galaxy. I was already at the far reaches of the galaxy during Dark Specter's assault and I had already anticipated such a move on Zordon's part after Specter's assassination by Darkonda. I fled the galaxy and got what forces I could to flee with me before the energy wave could affect us."

"But you could go back to being who you were before," said Connor. "You could go back to being a Power Ranger and fight for the good guys. Dark Specter isn't around any longer; he's not in control so there's no point in continuing to be this Dark Prince."

Zodiark began to smirk as he smelt the strong purity behind the boy's heart. It was such a shame that the universe no longer allowed such a purity to flourish without being susceptible to taint. "Naïve child," said the Dark Prince. "You draw too much focus into what is good and what is evil. You and all the others are too consumed by what is right and wrong that you cannot see the bigger picture! You cannot see the true meaning of the grand design."

"And I guess you're the one who understands the grand design then?" Connor asked, chuckling a little. "Please tell me you don't have some kind of god-complex, Zodiark. You're powerful, but I wouldn't go around declaring yourself a god."

"I wouldn't dream of such a thing," said Zodiark, "at least not yet. I do not possess Ultimate Power; therefore, I cannot claim myself to be a god." The Dark Prince bent his arm forward though and had one finger sticking up. "However, I still understand the function of our universe. Power is what rule things. It comes down simply to those who have power, those who have some power, and those who have no power. Power is what tips the scales, power is what creates and destroys balance, and power is what humanity covets above all things."

"Liberty, love, friendship, morals," laughed Zodiark, "are silly fancies that we tried to delude ourselves with. We use these values to justify our primal urges to gain power to fulfill our individual desires, but they also hold us back from our quest. Just relinquishing all ties to these values will allow us to reach the very potential of our existence to get one step closer to reaching the hands of Creation."

Connor listened to all the words that Zodiark had to say, and quite frankly the boy thought the man to be completely insane. Every word that came out of Zodiark's mouth seem to be utterly ridiculous to him, but Zodiark spoke with such passion that it was no doubt that these were his beliefs.

"So that's it then?" asked Connor. "You're only in it for the power? You don't care about anyone or anything else than but getting power?"

"And that is correct," said Zodiark. "I will not allow anyone to interfere with my quest for power. So to answer your first question, Connor, I can never return to being a Power Ranger. I do not use power to preserve balance; I will use power to create a new order. Besides, I have severed my former ties by killing my former Space Ranger teammates. Their deaths sealed my transition, and it gave rise to the next generation of Space Rangers who stopped the United Alliance of Evil, a fair trade if you ask me."

Before Connor could even attempt to say another word, Zodiark was now standing in front of his face. The Dark Prince touched the chilly cheek with his glove hand. "Now, for you, Connor, I highly doubt I would need to push you aside," whispered Zodiark. "If anything, I can sense that you are the key that will bring me closer to achieving Ultimate Power. I can feel it in the depths of my being, and I know that you feel this two. Something is pulling us together, a force greater than either one of us can comprehend."

Seeing how pointless this had become, Connor no longer felt this sympathy to help Zodiark. If anything, he now knew for certain that there was not even the slightest speck of goodness left in the body of that wicked man. "I would never help you," Connor growled, bitterly. "Unlike you, I actually have faith. I believe in people, I believe in my friends, and I believe in fighting for good. I will find a way to stop you, Zodiark.

"You talk a big game about believing, but answer me this, do you honestly believe that those people believe in you the same way that you do them?" asked Zodiark. "Can you truthfully say that Good seems to care about you as much as you care about it? Has your life been full of goodness, Connor, or has it been constantly full of pain and misfortune, of suffering and heartache?"

The words wanted to come out, but Connor couldn't find himself able to speak. Deep down, he knew what Zodiark was saying could actually be right.

"I suggest that you step away before I pull this trigger!"

Zodiark and Connor turned away to see the Violet Ranger standing behind them. She had her blaster in hand, which was aimed at the head of the Dark Prince. Violet Ranger meant business and this was obvious to Zodiark.

The Dark Prince snatched Connor's wrist, removing the Crystal Morpher from his wrist before pushing the boy away. It remained in its dormant state this time, but Zodiark wasn't looking to drain the boy's powers this time. He merely needed to make sure that Connor wouldn't be able to interfere with this fight the girl seemed to want.

Violet Ranger got in front of her friend to protect him from Zodiark. She kept her blaster up, now holding onto it with both hands as Zodiark summoned his Shadow Fang Blade. Knowing this would end up being a battle of blades, Violet Ranger created her beam sword.

"Haven't your friends warned you about going up against me?" said Zodiark. "Do you really wish to meet Death so quickly, little girl?"

"I'm not about to die just yet," said Violet Ranger. "I'm just here to make sure that you back off before I go all KO-35 on your ass."

Zodiark began to smirk as he at least admired the girl's determination. She was an ambitious thing, which reminded him so much of someone that he once knew, but he couldn't quite place it just yet. "So be it," said the Dark Prince. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Bolts of black lightning escaped from his sword, which he quickly wound around Violet Ranger's body. He dragged her up into the air despite Connor's protests for mercy. Violet Ranger was thrown to the side of a building before being dropped down for a painful landing.

The Dark Prince was certain that would teach her a lesson, but the young woman pushed herself to get back up on her feet. Her beam sword was no longer in hand but she wasn't about to let that put a stop to her determination. She stepped away from the building and started to make her approach back towards Zodiark to teach him a lesson.

"Is that the best you got?" laughed Violet Ranger. "My momma could throw a better punch then that."

"Oh really," Zodiark said, raising an eyebrow. "Then I suppose I'll have to show you some real power."

Swinging his Shadow Fang Blade, Zodiark unleashed a band of dark energy that slashed against the chest of the Violet Ranger. She was blown back against the building where her impact managed to crack the wall. Violet Ranger groaned in pain at this point since she had been talking out of her ass how that last attack didn't hurt her. Now this one was really painful and she was certain there was no way she could handle another one of his attacks.

Violet Ranger looked over towards Connor, hoping that the boy would be able to help but knew that without his Morpher he was powerless. She had to handle Zodiark on her own, which she knew that she could with a little more power. She believed enough in herself and knew that she'd be able to fight this man on her own.

In response to this, her Violet Crystal Morpher began to glow. It floated freely in front of her with a new well of power waiting for her to tap into.

"Alright," she said, taking her crystal, "I'm ready!" She threw her Crystal Morpher into the air and took the jump. Her chest bumped into the crystal with a storm of stars circling around her body as she began to change.

The stars added minor change to her uniform as her Divine Wand appeared in hand. A cape began to grow out from the back of her vest with her boots gaining sharp heels. Her violet skirt gained a starry pattern around the hem. Last, a star shaped broach appeared on the front of her chest that connected her vest together.

Zodiark and Connor were both surprised to see this change, as for Zodiark, he wasn't thrilled by it.

"Job Class Form, Violet Sage Ranger!"

Violet Sage Ranger didn't even touch the ground as her mental abilities had grown in the process of activating her Job Class Form. She hovered above the ground with her cape blowing freely in the wintery breeze. She held her Divine Wand up before pointing it straight towards Zodiark, ready to teach him a final lesson.

Zodiark wasn't scared even the slightest even with this wardrobe change. He remained his calm as he conjured up a surge of dark energy. The Dark Prince hurled his attack after Violet Sage to put an end to her perky annoyance.

However, the attack was neutralized by a group of stars appearing in front of her. Violet Sage held up her wand into the air, twirling it around lightly to make more stars appear. "Holy Stars of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Sage!" shouted the Ranger. "Cosmic Sage Divine!" Dozens of stars circled around her wand as she prepared to unleash her full potential of her Job Class Form.

The stars formed into one giant star which she slashed the air with, conjuring more stars to appear as a result. Violet Sage unleashed her giant star and caused the smaller stars to follow in formation where they charged after Zodiark. The abundance of stars rapidly pummeled against Zodiark, smashing against the dark shield he had used to cover himself.

Zodiark was blown away by the stars and in the process released his hold on Connor's Crystal Morpher. Just as she wanted him to do, Violet Sage got a hold of the Morpher and sent it right back to Connor. The boy snatched it up and wasted no time in morphing into the Black Ranger.

Now that two Rangers were there, Zodiark decided to end this, but not in the way that the Rangers had expected.

"I see you for what you really are now," Zodiark said to Violet Sage Ranger. "I am ashamed at myself for not seeing it sooner. The call of your blood was too strong for me to ignore."

"What are you talking about?" said Violet Sage Ranger.

Zodiark began to smile as he was about to drop a bomb on her world. He dismissed his blade and opened up a portal of darkness to escape to. "Your father is not an only child," said the Dark Prince. "Long ago, he had an older brother, but he had fallen into the hands of Dark Specter where his mind was completely corrupted and forced to fight for evil."

"No!" Black Ranger shouted, knowing where this was going.

"Dear sweet, Serena," said Zodiark, "I am your father's brother. You are a part of my blood, we are family."

"You're joking!" Violet Ranger shouted back at him. "You're some sick freak! There's no way in hell that I'm related to you."

"If you are so certain then why don't you have a talk with my little brother then?" laughed Zodiark. "Go speak to Zhane and find out the truth for yourself. Now, I shall retreat. I would not dream of hurting my own niece. Farewell."

The Dark Prince vanished into darkness, leaving the two Rangers behind with plenty of more questions that needed to be answer.

Black Ranger helped his friend as she fought with the knowledge that she received. Violet Sage Ranger could only shake her head as she told Black Ranger that they needed to go help the others fight Freeza.

* * *

><p>Halfway across the snow-covered town, the Rangers had finally cornered Freeza down. Well, at least that's how they liked to see it at first. The Rangers managed to knock the monster off her guard, but that only lasted for so long.<p>

Freeza easily resumed control of the battle once she took down the Yellow Ranger and White Ranger. Once those two had gotten themselves knocked out, she went after Red Ranger next. She snuck up behind the hero in red where she latched onto him with her chilly nails digging into his uniform. The chill that was brought on was powerful enough to knock him out, leaving his entire body feel completely cold as he surrendered.

Blue Ranger charged in after Freeza to avenge his fallen roommate. He swung his Glory Hammer after her, but his attack always seemed to miss as she barely showed any signs of moving. Freeza started to smirk as she grabbed onto his wrist, causing his arm to be consumed in ice. The initial shock of having his arm frozen seemed to do more damage to Blue Ranger then the actual fact that his arm was frozen. Freeza easily pushed the young man out of her way after that just as Pink Ranger got her from behind.

"Naughty girl," laughed Freeza. "Hasn't anyone told you that pink is out?" Freeza grabbed the girl by her wrist and slashed her across the chest with her nails. The monster easily took the Ranger out with one blow before throwing her aside like she had done to all the others.

Orange Ranger was the last one left standing after all of that. He was not happy at all to see his friends taken out one by one. In fact, he found it to be damn right infuriating to see them all knocked out like they were nothing. He couldn't allow Freeza to get away with that, he refused to allow this monster to escape him.

And his power responded to the determination that Orange Ranger had brewing. His Crystal Morpher responded to this as the orange feather began to float in front of him. He snatched it before throwing it up into the air and taking off after it.

Freeza saw this and tried to stop whatever it was that was brewing with her snowstorm. She circled Orange Ranger in a cyclone of snow as orange light exploded all around the Ranger. The snow quickly melted, however, doing no damage at all to Orange Ranger as he touched ground.

Like the others, he had tapped into the potential of his Crystal Morpher. On his forearms and knees was a pair of arm and knee guards. What looked like a dragon's wing was sticking out from his guards. He also bore orange armor on his chest, offering a little more protection for him from his enemies. Celestial Lance in hand, the Ranger struck the ground with the tip of his lance.

"Job Class Form, Orange Dragoon Ranger!"

Freeza stepped back as the Ranger appeared to have a sunny glow around him. Orange Dragoon Ranger pulled his lance up where he held onto it with both hands. "Let's just quit the games!" said Orange Dragoon Ranger. "Holy Sunlight of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Dragoon! Solar Dragoon Celestial!" He threw his lance forward, consuming it in a bright aura of sunlight. The lance flew across the road until it struck the monster in the chest, nearly piercing through her frozen body.

The attack consumed all the strength of the Job Class Form that the Ranger had, reverting him back to being the Orange Ranger. He felt exhausted as he dropped to one knee with his breath growing ragged from all of that.

Unfortunately, Freeza refused to submit to that one blow. She was starting to get back on her feet and show signs of continued resistance.

Luckily, Violet Ranger joined the party with Black Ranger on her tail. The duo joined the other Rangers with Violet Ranger helping going over to help Orange Ranger back up. Black Ranger looked around at the rest of his friends, seeing how bad they looked from fighting on their own. Now, he felt really guilty about leaving them on their own for so long just to follow a hopeless cause like Zodiark.

"Never again," whispered Black Ranger. "I'll fight for all of you!" His Crystal Morpher began to appear in front of him with the black feather floating in front of his face. The boy nodded his head before snatching the Morpher and throwing it up into the air. Black Ranger jumped after his Morpher, allowing the change to take him over.

Upon returning to the ground, he had the Heaven Bow in his hand and a whole new look. He gained a leather vest with tribal beads running along the front of his belt. Ribbons were wrapped all along his legs to make his pants look tighter. Dangling from his chest was a large medallion with a symbol for protection and a quiver with a single arrow strapped to his back.

"Job Class Form, Black Archer Ranger!"

Taking out that lone arrow, Black Archer Ranger began to take aim as Freeza was still too weak to do anything else. "Holy Shadows of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Archer!" shouted the Ranger. "Nightfall Archer Heaven!" The arrow became consumed by a lunar glow as the Ranger got to one knee. He pulled back for a moment before launching the arrow to put an end to Freeza.

Like he wanted it to, the arrow pierced Freeza's body and put an end to the monster.

Black Ranger reverted back to normal as the monster blew up in a storm of shadows. He dismissed his bow with a sigh escaping his lips, while looking back at the other Rangers. The rest of the team joined his side with the snow coming to a close, but the nightmare was far from over.

Bolts of lightning came down from the sky even as the city was melting back to normal. Freeza made her comeback, which needed to be stopped before it was too late. The Ranger called upon their Zords where they wasted no time in forming their Megazords.

Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord went into battle against the frozen queen.

Freeza quickly tried to put an end to the Rangers by hurling icicles after the Rangers' Megazords. Her attacks proved to be effective as it slowed the heroes down to a crawl, but the Rangers were far too determined to let themselves be stopped.

Calling on the Angel Power Sword, the Angel Force Megazord slashed through Freeza's frozen javelins. The Rangers charged up the sword with all the power that they could, informing the Rangers in the other Megazord to do the same. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. The gems on the sword began to glow as the Megazord unleashed the fatal attack.

Archangel Megazord summoned its cannon with the trio preparing to use their final attack. The inside of the cannon began to glow with the cannon fire ready to burst out of there. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the three Rangers. The Rangers pushed down on the button and the Megazord pulled the trigger, firing a triple burst of light.

The Rangers' attacks flew across the open space until they crashed against Freeza.

Once more, Freeza was blown into pieces and this time the city was saved from evil.

* * *

><p>Now that the temperature was beginning to rise back to normal, the Rangers returned to the Command Center to deal with another not-so-little problem.<p>

Serena stayed mostly out of the picture as she sat in the corner with her legs curled up against her chest. Just thinking about Zodiark truly being related to her made her stick to her stomach. That monster was supposed to be her father's older brother, her uncle. And now here he was being the Dark Prince that was practically hell-bent on spreading evil and destruction even after Dark Specter has been since long out of the picture.

The main problem that the other Rangers were focusing in on right now was on Connor. They were all pretty much circled around the boy, scolding him for going off to see Zodiark on his own. They each kept on delivering verbal punches on him about how reckless and stupid he was for being alone when he spoke to Zodiark.

"He could've killed you," said Haley. "He got your Morpher again. What if he tried to drain your powers again, did you think about that?"

"What were you even thinking, Connor?" asked Landon. "If Zodiark got a hold of you again, do you have any idea how much of an advantage he could've had? He could've found the Command Center; he could've easily tracked all of us down. We all could very well be dead right now or getting picked off one at a time."

"I'm sorry!" Connor finally shouted back, unwilling to take the abuse any longer. He stood up on his own two feet, shouting back at everyone he called his friend. "Forgive me for trying to fix a problem. But you all kept on forgetting one key factor; Zodiark was once a Power Ranger. I tried to appeal to whatever speck of goodness that was left in him so that would have one less enemy to face. Did you all forget just who we're up against? We have to fight Thrax and his forces, then these monsters from the Fade, then Zodiark's warriors, and we also have the Dark Lords that we haven't seen since Beelzebub. The odds are stacked against us, so forgive me for trying to make it so that we had one less enemy to face."

"And how well did that turn out," Ric said, with his arms crossed. "He attacked you and he attacked Serena."

"Think of how much trouble you could've put the both of you into had Serena not unlocked her Job Class in time," said Tommy.

"In Connor's defense, I provoked Zodiark," Serena fired back from her corner. She pulled herself out of her shocked state to join the other Rangers in this circle that they had going. "I was never in any real danger like Connor. Zodiark already said that the two of us would be immune to him. For whatever reason, he seems to find Connor interesting as for me; well…I'm his niece. He wouldn't kill his own blood."

"You seem to be related to a lot of bad guys," said Alice. "Who's next on that list of yours?"

"Just ease up on the both of them," Junior said, stepping in, "especially Connor." He went over to the boy's side with a hand on his shoulder. "What Connor did might have been stupid, but he did what he thought was best. We can't fault him for that. We've all done some stupid and reckless things to achieve what we thought would be for the greater good. Let's just be grateful that we all made it out of this without a scratch. Like Connor said, we have bigger things worry about. The Dark Lords and the Apocalypse are still out there, which means pretty soon that we'll be facing an all-out war."

Junior's words helped to ease the tension in the Command Center as they all agreed that he was right. The others began to apologize to Connor, especially Ric who felt stupid for not trying to stand up for his boyfriend. Connor tried to shrug it all off, but he still felt the sting of their punches against his pride. At least Junior and Serena had proven themselves to be true friends; they tried to stand up for him even though he knew that what he did was stupid.

Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do anything that stupid again for the rest of his career as a Ranger.

* * *

><p>The aftermath of Freeza's destruction left Thrax frustrated with their latest defeat. They could not get any luck when it came to dealing with the Power Rangers. Thrax was boiling mad and he wanted nothing more than to rip the Rangers limb from limb.<p>

As for Zodiark, he was just annoyed by the fact that those kids continued to outsmart every monster that they sent after them. It was ridiculous how two kids in high school and a handful of kids outside of high school seemed to defy all logic. After every monster that they sent their way, not one of them could put an end to the Power Rangers.

"I suppose it's back to the drawing board then," said Bakari.

"We should just send a hundred monsters after the Rangers at once," Umbra said, cackling. "Let's see them try and survive that fight."

"A tempting idea," said Dark Knight. "Perhaps that will be our best chance at putting an end to the Power Rangers."

This idea was starting to become a unanimous decision. Thrax sensed that there was enough energy within the Nexus to summon over a dozen monsters at once. So as the mutant pulled his Z-Staff back to fire his lightning at the gateway.

But before Thrax could work his spell, bolts of lightning crashed into the throne room from space. The lightning travelled all over the throne room and was used to shock all the Putties, shattering the clay minions into pieces. Darkness coiled in the throne room before a solid form was taken with the darkness revealing himself to be Beelzebub.

Beelzebub stood completely still as his returned surprised everyone in the throne room, especially Thrax and his warriors.

Raising one arm up, Beelzebub's arm was covered by a large, metal blaster. He pointed his lengthy weapon at the Nexus with the mouth of the blaster opening up to create a sphere of yellow energy. "Gluttony's Cannon," whispered Beelzebub. He pulled the trigger and released the charged bolt of energy. The cannon fire zoomed across the throne room, which hit the Nexus causing the stone archway to explode into pieces.

The assembled villains took cover as the explosion rippled throughout the throne room. They all dropped to the ground, while Beelzebub remained standing like nothing at all had happened. The cannon disappeared from his arm as he dropped the arm back to his side.

Slowly, everyone began to get back up. Zodiark's warriors were about to strike, but their Dark Prince stopped them from going up against the leather-clad man. The Dark Prince caught sight of a shard of the Nexus that was glowing, showing some signs of power remaining. While no one was looking, Zodiark called the piece to him and hid it in his pocket.

"Beelzebub," Thrax said, angrily. "How dare you destroy my Nexus! You miserable cretin, I shall destroy you."

"I suggest you stand down, you insignificant vermin," growled Beelzebub. "I am above you. I am the Dark Lord of Gluttony, I am a Prince of Hell. You should all be bowing down at my feet, groveling for mercy. My fellow Dark Lords and I will not allow the monsters to return to this universe. Their return will jeopardy everything we've been working towards and our King is not a patient king."

"Why are you back other then destroying the Nexus?" asked Lightning.

Beelzebub started to smile as he looked at the villains that were assembled. As lowly as it was relying on these mortals for assistance, they would be needed to play their roles. "I came to offer you a chance for salvation," said the Dark Lord. "Serve the Dark Lords and we shall spare your lives. If not then you will face judgment from the king. I will give you time to decide your fate, choose carefully."

The Dark Lord vanished in a storm of feathers, leaving behind a feather on the ground that he once stood.

Thrax was feeling exceptionally bitter as he fired bolts of lightning out into space out of pure anger. He roared out in utter rage from the insult he had suffered from Beelzebub destroying his Nexus.

As for Zodiark, he was seriously considering weighing the cards to his favor. He cared nothing for these Dark Lords, but there was power in the territory that these fallen creatures were venturing into.

And power was what Zodiark craved above all else.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Zodiark formulates a new plan to put an end to the Rangers only to uncover the remains of Venjix. Reviving the virus, Venjix seeks its revenge and lays mayhem on Angel Grove. The Angel Force Rangers' powers are not enough to stop Venjix and when things seem to look hopeless, help shows up to save the day RPM style. Find out what happens in **Viral Revenge!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Long chapter coming your way! Here is the crossover with RPM that you've been long waiting for. Sorry for such a lengthy gap, but it had to deal with me having so many midterms to work on. I hope you like tihs chapter. Read and review!

**Viral Revenge:**

There was nothing but rubble that surrounded the remains of the factory. What once stood as the pinnacle of machines' dominance over humanity was now nothing. It had been destroyed by a team of Power Rangers that defended their city of Corinth, but also the entire world from being overrun by the machines.

Currently, Bakari and Helios found themselves investigating this pile of nothing. The purpose of their visit was to further their Dark Prince's plans, which were marvelously wicked. If they succeeded in finding anything useful to Zodiark then this would advance this ultimate plan that he had brewing in the shadows. It was kept a secret from Thrax, but the warriors understood exactly what Zodiark wanted to accomplish.

And with any luck, they'd find what they would need to destroy the Power Rangers.

Leaping over a broken pillar, Helios found himself standing behind Bakari where a torn door was laid aside. The explosion that initially destroyed the factory mixed with the cruelty of time in the desert did not bode well for the factory. "What exactly are we looking for?" asked Helios. He looked around the dark factory with his bodysuit providing immediate illumination so that he may see just where he was going.

Bakari remained silent, however, as he pushed onward. The two warriors entered an empty space to see nothing but junk scattered about.

Various, broken parts from the projects reaped by the machine were littered about. It was all useless by now from what Bakari could tell at first glance. The General was not pleased at all to find everything to be useless to Zodiark, and was certain that they wouldn't be able to return to the Moon empty-handed.

"Well?" Helios asked again. "Is any of this junk worth something?"

"I'm getting a whole lot of nothing," Bakari said, bitterly. "There has to be something amongst all of this shit that would actually be of use. Stay vigilant, some of these machines may still be active and dangerous."

Helios nodded his head as he bowed out to his superior. He began to walk along the other side of the factory with his sword fully drawn. If these machines dared to return from their mechanical grave then he'd slice them apart to teach them a lesson.

Bakari had a similar idea in mind as he carried a sword in each hand. He could easily summon the other ones at the drop of the hat, but he was almost certain that none of the machines would attack. With their power source destroyed years ago, it would be almost impossible for the machines to act out on their own accord.

Still, better safe then sorry.

The warriors continued to investigate the factory until they eventually lost sight of one another. After a few minutes, however, they were reunited in their search as they entered the main chamber. It was there that they found something was seemed remotely interesting amongst all of the mechanical failures.

At the center was a giant pillar that was dimly red. What seemed like an eye was at the middle, which sent chills down Helios's spine. Bakari, on the other hand, soon found himself immersed by a computer station that was set up not too far from the pillar.

The General immediately reached out to this device and found that there was still some power left in place. He scrolled through the entire thing until he discovered something of use to them. "Well, I be damned," laughed Bakari. "I was hoping for something good, but this is the mother lode."

"What did you find, Bakari?" asked the Guardian.

"Our key to getting in Zodiark's good graces for life," said Bakari. He finished pushing in a few keys before pulling out a USB drive from his armored uniform. Inserting the device, he loaded exactly what he needed into it so that it could be brought back to the base. "The virus replicated itself and kept a backup here in the factory. Now, all we have to do is reactivate it and the Earthlings won't know what hit them."

Helios began to grin as he understood exactly what Bakari had in mind. The two warriors ended their mission and teleported from the ruins of the factory so that they might return to the Moon.

But despite the warrior's training, they were oblivious to the two figures that had been watching their investigation. The two had feared that something like this could possibly happen. And since they were well aware of how bad this situation could get, they immediately took off so that they may prepare for the coming battle.

* * *

><p>It had been almost two weeks since Beelzebub returned and ruined everything that he had planned. Now there was nothing left. The Nexus had been completely destroyed, leaving nothing behind of Thrax's family inheritance.<p>

This was such a devastating loss for him that the mutant became inconsolable as he sat at his throne. The images of that day still replayed in his mind as Beelzebub, literally, appeared from out of nowhere. He had thought that the Dark Lord had been killed by the Power Rangers, but it turned out to be a trick. Beelzebub was a crafty bastard, no doubt about that, and Thrax had paid the price for that with his precious Nexus now in ruins.

Dark Knight and Lightning watched their master with a great deal of care. Thrax had long since dismissed his warriors, deciding that he wanted to remain on his own. It was best this way, he'd much rather have some time alone to himself to try and recover from what was so brutally taken from him.

"My Nexus," whispered Thrax, "it is gone. Now what? I cannot summon the monsters from the Fade without it. I do not have the power to rip open a portal through the dimensions. There is nothing else I can do."

"Pity is not a pretty shade on you."

Zodiark stepped out from the shadows with his hands on his sides. The Dark Prince's boots emitted loud sound in the throne room, catching the full attention of everyone present.

Dark Knight attempted to dismiss the man, but Lightning drew him back. She allowed Zodiark to continue because she understood that he was the only one who could provoke Thrax to action. If there was anything that Zodiark was good at, it was getting underneath Thrax's skin, which irritated him almost as much as the Rangers did to him.

Soon enough, they'd find out if Zodiark could cause any change in the mutant's mood.

Zodiark stepped toward the throne with an apathetic look on his face. He briefly cast his gaze on the spot where the Nexus once proudly stood. Now, nothing remained, not even a speck of rubble. "Such a shame," said the Dark Prince. "If only Beelzebub hadn't destroyed it. We were so close to unlocking its secrets and the monsters that lurked in its very depths."

"Damn that creature," whispered Thrax.

"But it may just be a blessing in disguise," said Zodiark. "The Dark Lords will no doubt rise soon and if they have their way then all life shall be extinguished. It would be wise to consider gaining the favor of the Lords. With any luck, we might be granted their mercy as Beelzebub said."

"No!" Thrax growled, standing at his feet. "I refuse to submit to that creature. I will not allow myself to be controlled by Beelzebub."

"Then you may face destruction at the hands of the Dark Lords," warned Zodiark. "Our power is nothing compared to theirs. You know as well as I do that if they can free their leader then they become unstoppable."

"I do not care, Zodiark!" spat Thrax. "I would die a thousand deaths before allowing myself to become their bitch."

"Fair enough," Zodiark said, stepping aside.

While Thrax continued to fume in anger, portals of darkness opening up. Zodiark found himself watching as Dark Knight and Lightning turned to see their guests. It turned out to be Bakari and Helios who had just returned from their mission on Earth. Zodiark asked what they had found, wishing to find results that would be even remotely beneficial to him.

Bakari quickly took out the drive that contained the spoils of their mission. He held it up with a great deal of pride, a smile burning his cheeks. "I think I found something beyond your imagination, my Dark Prince," said the General. "We found the remains of the Venjix Virus. The power to revive the virus and unleash it upon the Earth once more is in our grasp."

Unanticipated, but not unwanted, the villainous leaders began to grin as they heard this.

The Power Rangers wouldn't stand a chance against Venjix, this was exactly the type of news that they were hoping to hear.

* * *

><p>Unaware to the stirring troubles on the Moon, the Rangers embraced the beautiful February morning as warmth finally returned to the city. Winter was virtually done for now and spring was blossoming at this point so which led to the event that the young heroes found themselves at.<p>

Each one dressed for the occasion, they were joined by countless other groups of people who had willingly signed up to run a marathon. This marathon for cancer research was done purely out of donations as well as charging the contestants. So at eight o'clock in the morning, they each managed to drag themselves out of bed, some easier than others, to meet up for this charitable event.

The Rangers were all dressed in matching sweaters that bore their Ranger colors, while wearing a pair of gray, running pants. It was still nippy enough that they didn't want to freeze to death by wearing shorts. Also, a good pair of running shoes were an absolute necessity in order to survive the eight miles.

Yawning loudly, Serena made it plenty obvious she still needed her rest. "I am so sleepy," Serena said. She threw her arms around Connor, using the teenage boy as a giant pillow. It turned out to be a very bad idea with the end results being not pretty for either one. Serena throwing her full weight on Connor, unexpectedly, led to them both dropping to the cold concrete.

"Ow!" Connor said, pushing his alien friend off him.

Ric and Junior rolled their eyes at the sight as they went over to help the fallen couple up. Junior yanked Serena to her feet, getting her to apologize to Connor as he was getting helped by Ric.

Tommy was doing the last set of stretches with Haley, both of them wanting to be plenty limber for the long morning ahead of them. The two would occasionally shoot glances at each other with images of last night's date replaying in their heads. It was fun and not to mention movie-like romantic, which made the two giggle like idiots. Of course, their friends weren't paying any attention to them at the moment so they were able to get away with it.

Landon and Alice went over the map as they tried to remember the route that they had to take. There were plenty of markers up to inform the marathon runners of what roads to take, but it was always a good idea to already know ahead of time. They had both seen way too many movies where somebody tried to sabotage the race, which was not good at all.

"We go right on Jefferson then left on Washington," said Landon.

"Then we double back around on Rocky Boulevard," said Alice, "and the race ends back here on Bentsen. It sounds easy enough."

"Yup," agreed Landon. "Alright guys, let's get ready. The race is about to begin."

Serena huffed as they all joined the other crowd of runners, waiting for the marathon to begin.

* * *

><p>From what remains they could gather of the Machine Empire, Thrax and Zodiark did the unthinkable. With Bakari and Lightning's technological expertise the spark of life was set off. A new body was formed for Venjix, built from the remains of the old one.<p>

Thrax and Zodiark looked upon the former general of the Machine Empire. The Red Rangers had assembled long ago to destroy Venjix and his soldiers, putting an end to the Machine Empire. However, the United States government assembled the remains in a secret facility where a young prodigy used the Venjix template as her escape from Alphabet Soup. But Venjix could not be tamed; Venjix became a virus that nearly ended the human race on Earth as it took over nearly the entire planet within a year. Although, Venjix had no memory of his old life as a general, but now they would remedy that.

Now, Venjix would know everything about his past and would become the deadly weapon that he was always meant to be.

The viral nightmare was about to return as the last of his physical body was assembled. With only the head and torso of his old General Venjix body left, the rest of the parts came from his subordinates. The red, armored left leg of Automon and the white, armored right leg of Tezzla. The green, armored right arm of Gerook, and the blue, armored left arm of Steelon. All of these parts were assembled with the remains of each of the bodies used as the internal mechanisms.

And for the last part, all that was needed was a brain. Bakari and Lightning transferred everything of the Venjix Virus into the new body, causing a chain effect. The remains of General Venjix's memories collided with the Venjix Virus which caused a new Venjix to rise up from the ashes.

Shattering the metal bounds, Venjix released himself form his containment. The electrical surges coursed throughout Venjix's newly assembled body that sent sparks flying everywhere in the throne room. Venjix adjusted to this new body, slowly, but would sure enough before ready to have the revenge that he so desperately sought.

"Power Rangers," growled Venjix. "Power Rangers…must…must destroy them!"

"And you will," laughed Thrax. "You will have your chance to destroy the Power Rangers very soon."

"But first you must gather your strength," said Zodiark. "If you strike too soon then you will be too weak thus the Rangers will be able to overpower you."

"I am aware of that, fleshlings," said Venjix. "I do not need you carbon-based organisms to tell me what to do. I am far superior to you in everyway! I am Venjix, I am the perfect machine!"

Venjix unleashed a great burst of energy from his mechanical body, sending out a rippling chain of electricity that hurled Bakari and Lightning back. The two warriors were beaten down, but Thrax and Zodiark were able to defend themselves by putting up shields. The Putties didn't fair much better as most of them were blown to pieces, leaving behind only a clay-like mess.

The antennas on his head carried on some of that electrical surge with the red core glowing as all of Venjix's power was focused from there. The mechanical general had managed to repair himself far quicker than Zodiark and Thrax had expected, but it wasn't unwelcomed.

Thrax and Zodiark put their hands together, releasing a band of dark coils that quickly wrapped around Venjix. The darkness tightened itself around the mechanical creature as they tampered with the internal mechanisms.

"You will obey us, Venjix," yelled Thrax.

"You shall do as we command," said Zodiark, "understood?"

The darkness was released and Venjix fell down to the ground. Slowly, Venjix began to stir as the black visors that he called eyes began to glow to continue showing signs of life. "Yes," Venjix said, weakly. "I shall do as you command."

The two villains began to smile as they had tamed the very virus that the Earthlings failed to control. With Venjix on their side now the Power Rangers didn't stand a chance. The Earth didn't stand a chance. They would finally have the upper hand and nothing could save the Earthlings from their doom.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the marathon run was about to come to a close.<p>

Many of the contestants had finished the race and gained numerous amount of applause in the process. Amongst those who finished were Landon, Haley, Ric, and Tommy. The rest of their team had fallen behind with the other stragglers followed by those who just didn't prepare at all. The ones who failed to make any preparations for the long run were suffering the most, which included Serena in that list

Painful groans escaped the young woman's lips as she kept struggling to keep up. At least she wasn't all alone for this milestone. Junior, Connor, and Alice had stayed behind with her to keep her spirits up. It was nice to have friends like that who would compromise their own athletic integrity by straggling back with a slowpoke like her.

Connor kept up a steady pace between Serena and Junior. He was especially holding himself back since his modified ability had to do with his running skills. "You know, I really hate running," said Connor. "I hate feeling all sticky afterwards and the sweat gets on my nerves."

"But you have superhuman speed," said Junior. "If you didn't have an affinity for running then Alice wouldn't have been able to heighten that trait."

A light chuckle escaped the boy's lips as now he led their small party with Junior trailing behind him. Connor turned his head back, sending a wink over at Junior. "Just because I said I hated running, doesn't mean I'm bad it," laughed Connor. "You should really brush up on your rhetoric so you can understand what I mean."

Junior started to sprint a little faster, catching up with Connor until they finally crossed the finish line. He grabbed the boy from behind and lifted him up in the air with a great deal of ease. Connor begged to be put down, while both of them ended up suffering from a fit of laughter. Connor swatted against Junior's beefy shoulders until the older Asian finally returned him to the ground. Junior kept on smiling though even as Connor continued to smack him for good measure before the boy strutted off towards Ric.

There was a pause for Junior as he watched them for a moment. Ric threw his arms around Connor, picking the boy up to congratulate him for finishing. Junior felt his stomach coiling up into knots, which he quickly dismissed as Tommy and Haley went over to him with some much needed water.

Alice and Serena crossed the line not long after that, both of them slumping over in exhaustion.

"Girl, we really need to work on our cardio," sighed Alice.

"Yeah, we should so work on that," Serena said, fighting the urge to pass out.

Landon offered to be their trainer as he got them both some water. Alice could only roll her eyes, while Serena screamed no before crawling away from the Native boy. The three of them shared a jolly laugh as Landon helped them both back up to their tired feet.

The friends went over towards the stage where the mayor congratulated everyone for their participation and fundraising. Their efforts had raised over fifteen thousand dollars for cancer research, which was an all time high for the city. Everyone cheered at their efforts with the Rangers being amongst some of the loudest. Even though Serena was completely exhausted, she did a good job at competing against the other screamers.

However, the good mood was quickly lost as a set of explosions began to go off. Panic quickly ensued as everyone looked back to see a group of mechanized troops marching towards them. It had rapidly become everyone's worst nightmare as they recognized just whom these troops belonged to.

Frightened by the familiar faces, the people scrambled off in a mass hysteria. In almost no time at all, the only ones left standing were the Rangers as these troops marched closer. As they drew nearer, the appearance became clearer for the eye to see. Gears hidden behind a silver suit, bronze armor covered the suit that these troops wore. Each one carried a blaster in hand that they used freely as they fired at everything in sight.

"What are those freaks?" asked Serena. "They can't be Putties."

"They're much worse," said Ric. "Those are Grinders."

Before Serena had a chance to ask any questions, Landon called for immediate action. He removed the red bracelet on his wrist and held up his Crystal Morpher in the air. "We have to stop the Grinders before they can do anymore damage!" shouted Landon. "It's Morphin Time, Rangers! Angel Force, Power Up!"

None of them wasting time, not even Serena, they each removed the bracelets on their wrists. Their Crystal Morphers shinned in the sunlight as they held them up with pride. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the other Rangers.

A surge of feathers wrapped around their bodies that transformed the civilians into the Angel Force Power Rangers. When their morphing was complete, the Rangers took immediate action against the Grinders. They rushed into battle without hesitation to fight in order to protect the city from this nightmare of a threat.

Red Ranger was the first to get his hands dirty in the fight. He charged into the swarm without any concern for his well-being as he wanted only to end the Grinders before they could do any harm to the city. He slashed away at the incoming machines with his Angel Sword and Aurora Sword, taking as many down as he could with both blades.

Yellow Ranger slid down on the ground, taking out her Holy Pistols in the process. She took aim and fired at every Grinder that was within bullet range. She merciless pulled her trigger, blasting them all, while Black Ranger on the other end of the park. He held up his Heaven Bow with the bow drawn before firing his blackened arrows. The arrows flew straight and true, piercing the defenses of the Grinders.

Blue Ranger soon joined Red Ranger, while the hero in red's back was turned. He jumped behind him with Glory Hammer in hand. He swung his mighty hammer around, pummeling away at the Grinders with all his might. He continued to hammer away at the Grinders until they finally began to retreat from his pummeling.

Orange Ranger and Violet Ranger stuck together for this fight. Violet Ranger had her Divine Wand out, which she used in conjunction with her telekinetic prowess. She hurled all the Grinders that she could up into the air where they would be vulnerable to Orange Ranger. He took out his Celestial Lance and jumped into the air as the Grinders continued to float in the air. He stabbed each one with his lance, ripping out the mechanical insides of the Grinders as a result.

Pink Ranger was with White Ranger for this showdown. The lovers were at each other's back with their weapons drawn out. As the Grinders drew closer, they jumped immediately into the fray to face-off against them. Pink Ranger slashed after every one of them with her Sacred Claws. Her claws were sharp enough to rip apart their armored chest plates before tarring into their mechanical insides. White Ranger used his Solar Blade in a similar manner as he held off the troops. He struck their gears with his blade before ripping into another so put an end to as many as possible.

"There's no end to them in sight," White Ranger said, looking up to the sky.

As almost two dozen Grinders were destroyed, there was a burst of electricity that triggered another two dozen to show up. More Grinders were present in the park and the Rangers would soon be swarmed by the troops in a matter of moments.

Pink Ranger reached a similar conclusion. She looked around to see her friends blindly fighting without noticing this new development. Knowing how badly this would turn out, she refused to just stand there and allow this to continue. "We have to end this," said Pink Ranger. "We have to end this now!"

When she was about to jump into battle, White Ranger stopped her. His hand found its way onto her shoulders, keeping her from going any further. "Then we'll do it together," said White Ranger. "You and I will finish this."

There was no disagreeing with that as they both felt a sudden burst of energy. Their Crystal Morphers responded to their motivation as they appeared before them. Pink Ranger and White Ranger took their Morphers in hand before tossing it up into the air. Springing to the air, the Rangers met a new change as they were consumed by their crystals' powers.

Pink and White light erupted into the air, gaining the attention of the Grinders and the other Rangers. The couple landed on the ground and received a major change in wardrobe in the process of their transformation.

Pink Ranger wore pink robes over her uniform with a white sash wrapped around her waist to keep it lock at her hips. The robes were cut in a specific manner so not to hinder movement but to allow a greater deal of flexibility in battle. She seemed to enjoy this new look as she sharpened her Sacred Claws together.

"Job Class Form, Pink Ninja Ranger!"

White Ranger was dressed in white armor with holy runes drawn onto the metal. The armor completely covered his uniform. Small spikes formed along the shoulders and forearms. With a golden crown appearing around his neck, he stood proud as he held up his Solar Blade.

"Job Class Form, White Paladin Ranger!"

"So this ends now!" shouted Pink Ninja and White Paladin.

The duo split up to deal with the latest wave of Grinders. Endowed with new powers, it was certain that the victory would belong to the Rangers. And soon enough, this theory would be tested as a collision was met.

Pink Ninja Ranger danced above the heads of the Grinders. She practically glided in the air when in reality, her reflexes had improved so where she was constantly moving as she drew out her new power. "And so it ends. Holy Waters of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Ninja!" shouted the Ranger. "Sacred Ninja Rainstorm!" She clashed her claws together once more before bringing them above her head. Clouds gathered but vanished as they were absorbed by her claws. She dropped her arms, unleashing rain drops that became absolutely vicious as they became more like daggers as they pierced the Grinders.

White Paladin Ranger pulled his girlfriend back so that he may end the fighting. "It isn't nice to prolong their suffering," said White Paladin Ranger. "Holy Light of the Heavens, I call upon you to strengthen your Paladin! Solar Paladin Flares!" Drawing his blade up, he called forth seven orbs of burning light. The remaining Grinders and those who had yet to fall apart were blinded by this magnificent light. He slashed at each of the seven orbs, unleashing the full potential of his powers as the orbs bounced over the Grinders until they exploded in a flash of light.

Now that all of the Grinders were vanquished, the battle was over for now. White Ranger and Pink Ranger lost the upgrade of their Job Class Form. All of the Rangers powered down after that fight, realizing that there was no point in continuing to stayed morphed.

"That was too surreal," said Alice. "Grinders? I thought they were all destroyed when the RPM Rangers destroyed Venjix.

"How can the Grinders be back then?" asked Connor. "What does that mean? You…you don't think that Venjix is back too?"

"I have no idea," said Landon, "but we should head to the Command Center."

"Yeah," agreed Junior. "Maybe Adam or Alpha might have some answers."

The Rangers wasted no time as they quickly teleported o the Command Center to regroup for now.

* * *

><p>On the Moon, Venjix's returned sparked numerous amounts of changes. The mechanical entity had already reestablished his technological prowess by creating dozens of Grinders in less than an hour. Using the miniature factory that Zodiark's forces had created to repair their Zords, Venjix used it to create his soldiers. This progressed onto another project as Venjix prepared to make a new series of Attack Bots that would be far stronger then the ones he had used in the past.<p>

As the mechanical virus worked on these new weapons, Zodiark watched Venjix with a great deal of focus. The marvel that Venjix brought was truly a sight to behold from Zodiark's perspective. If only the Dark Prince had someone or something with Venjix's knowledge at his disposal then his plans could progress greatly. But Venjix would not be as easily fooled and controlled as Thrax, the machine held a far superior intellect which required that Zodiark to play almost his entire hand to get what he sought.

The quest for ultimate power was all that mattered to Zodiark. He did no care for the little people that he needed to step over to claim it. So he pulled out his blueprints to the weapons that he would use in order to put an end to the Power Rangers. With any luck, Venjix would be too blinded with calculations that he wouldn't even be aware of what Zodiark was using him for.

Busy with his own affairs, Venjix paid Zodiark no mind at all as he neared completion of his Attack Bots.

"Dear Venjix, you should take a break," said the Dark Prince. "It would be unwise to overexert yourself so soon after being reactivated."

"I do not need rest like organic creatures," said Venjix. "My repairs have been completed. I am fully operational at the moment. Now, I must focus my attention on creating these Attack Bots. They will need to be as powerful as I could possibly make them without damaging their processing capacity."

"Well, then I suppose my plans would be too much of a distraction for you than," said Zodiark. "I was in great need of your mechanical superiority. You see, I've been devising a project that would eliminate the Power Rangers. It's called Project Avenger. The plan is to overwhelm the Rangers and their Zords with an invasion, but I can't seem to produce the numbers I need. And unless I can make my Sun Crusher Zord and the Chaos Shadow Zord fully operational than I have no hope of accomplishing this goal."

Venjix took the blueprints from Zodiark, abandoning the production of his Attack Bots. Carefully examining the blueprints, Venjix was able to run over everything and analyzed every variable necessary to achieve this accomplishment. "The design is functional and enough of them would be more than enough to handle the Power Rangers," announced Venjix. "However, without a powerful enough processing unit then it will be impossible to maintain command over the weapons. They would overheat and destroy themselves before the Rangers would even have the chance to call upon their Zords."

"So I need something to strengthen my control," said Zodiark. "But what could I use to control them if I can't even produce their numbers and finish the repairs of the Zords?"

"The production of the weapons is easy enough," said Venjix. "All you need is a significantly larger factory. When Prince Gasket fled after King Mondo's return, the prince had attempted to show defiance once more against his father by building a factory on Mars. His goal was to create a new Machine Empire right under his father's nose, but the energy wave unleashed by Zordon put an end to the prince's goals. If I'm not mistaken, the factory still stands and would be of use to you."

"I shall use this factory then to unleash my weapons upon the Power Rangers than," said Zodiark. "Thank you, Venjix."

The machine didn't say a single word as he returned to the creation of his Attack Bots.

* * *

><p>Retreating to the Command Center, the Rangers gathered together in hopes to get some information on the sudden appearance of the Grinders. It was a subject of great concern for everyone there with the exception of Serena. She was virtually kept out of the loop since she was on the planet during the Venjix Virus outbreak.<p>

The frustration she felt for being kept out finally got the better of Serena. She got on top of a chair and used this to tower the others as she fought to gain their attention. "Can somebody take like five seconds to explain Venjix to me?" shouted the young woman. "In case you all forgot, I was busy living on KO-35. Venjix and these Grinders mean nothing at all to me."

"Venjix was a virus that nearly took over the entire planet with his machine army," said Alice. "The Grinders were his troops."

"Venjix wasn't only a virus," said Adam. "He used to be a general in the Machine Empire during the reign of King Mondo and Queen Machina. General Venjix was destroyed by the Red Rangers on the Moon. The government was able to gather some of the remains of Venjix, which was later used to develop a super weapon. Venjix became a virus instead and turned against those who attempted to tame him."

"All of humanity fled to various cities for protection," said Connor. "I was one of those who fled to Corinth, which suffered direct assaults from Venjix until the RPM Power Rangers were able to defeat him."

"So these other Rangers defeated Venjix once, right?" asked Serena. "Well than, why don't we call them and team up? It's pretty obvious that this Venjix is back so we need to strike fast."

"It won't be that easy," said Landon. "Besides, we have no way at all to contact these Rangers. They went off the grid after Venjix was defeated. Nobody knows where they disappeared to."

That kind of put a damper on Serena's plan, but it would have to go ignored for now. As the Rangers were busy discussing the Venjix problem, Angel Grove was undergoing its own dilemma. The sirens in their base began to immediately ring with alarm as the Rangers looked over to the viewing monitor to see that the city was under attack.

A group of Attack Bots had assembled in the middle of downtown Angel Grove. They attacked everything and everyone that got in their way without any signs of mercy.

"It looks like its time to get back to work," said Junior.

"Let's morph and kick some ass!" shouted Ric.

"Hurry, Rangers," said Alpha 8.

The Rangers assembled together and morphed once again so that they could deal with that Attack Bots that were assaulting the city.

* * *

><p>A chain of explosions were set off along downtown, creating more mayhem as people fled the attack. The vicious nightmare that they had suffered from was returning with a vengeance. Everyone thought that their suffering from Venjix was over, but it had only just begun.<p>

The Attack Bots looked different then the previous models used by Venjix. The pair were masculine and feminine. The masculine was covered in white and light-blue metal that was incredibly bulky with four glowing, red eyes. His entire figure was frightening as his shoulder pads opened up to reveal the missiles hidden underneath. The feminine one was slimmer with far more womanly features with green and blue wires serving as her hair. She was even given robotic bosoms, but that false attempt at beauty was shredded by the sharp blades that were drawn from her arms.

"Blast the buildings down, Robogogu!" shouted Lady Metal.

"My pleasure!" laughed Robogogu. He fired his missiles, which blew apart half of a building. The windows were completely shattered with the structure damaged. The building would remain upright so long as the robotic man didn't unleash another burst of missiles at it.

As Robogogu was about to attack again, five slashes of light were racing towards him. Lady Metal stepped to the front and held the attack back with her sword. Three bursts of light blew past her until they crashed against the metal figure of Robogogu.

The Attack Bots looked to see the Angel Force Rangers assembled before them. The heroes had saved the robots a great deal of trouble by coming out in the open to meet certain doom.

"Now the real game can begin!" laughed Robogogu. "Let us end them."

"Yes, let us!" shouted Lady Metal.

The two joined their hands together, unleashing a vicious band of electricity from their hands. The shocking surge hit the spot were the heroes were standing, forcing the Rangers to split apart before they could suffer the full front of the attack. Red Ranger had White Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Violet Ranger with him. Blue Ranger had Orange Ranger, Black Ranger, and Pink Ranger at his side.

Since they were already split down the middle, the Rangers used this to focus their attention on the Attack Bots. They took on the robotic menaces with high hopes that they had enough power to vanquish them.

Robogogu faced his opponents without any sign of hesitation. His heavy, metal body was able to protect himself from the Rangers as they slashed after him with their blades. They surrounded the Attack Bot, slashing away with their swords which proved to be completely powerless against him. Robogogu laughed at their pathetic attack before raising a hand up to his face. His four, red eyes began to glow for a moment before he fired out beams of light from his eyes. Each eyebeam hit a Ranger, sending a hero flying back until they landed, forcing them to power-down.

As for Lady Metal, she was having a blast as she met each Ranger toe to toe. Her twin blades easily held off two Rangers at once and with her heightened agility, she was able to respond quickly to a back attack. The Rangers tried to gang up on her all at once, but Lady Metal withstood their combined attack because of her superior, robotic strength. She scoffed at how pathetic they were before pushing them back before releasing a chain of slashes against their chest.

The remaining four suffered the same fate as their friends as they were knocked down, forcing them to revert back to civilian form.

The Attack Bots could only laugh as they had easily overwhelmed the Power Rangers. It came as no surprise too as the Rangers' powers were focused on combating against monsters and Daimons, not machines. And it would come at a price too as the Attack Bots prepared to unleash another chain of lightning at the vulnerable heroes.

However, they were stopped by a blast of green and black light. The laser fire forced the Attack Bots to retreat, leaving the Rangers and the bots surprised by this intervention.

Two young men emerged from the shadows, showing up over the spot were Connor and Ric were laid out. The quirky one of the two had brown, curly hair and pale skin. He wore a black leather jacket over a green t-shirt with a pair of jeans. "Sorry we're a little tardy to the party, but you won't believe how horrible traffic was," said the young man.

"Ziggy!" Connor shouted in shock. He looked over to the young man, taking time to focus on the silent youth. This young man had shaggy, brown hair that was a complete mess. He wore all leather, which he wore all in black. "And Dillon."

"Friends?" asked Ric.

"My heroes," corrected Connor. "The Green and Black RPM Rangers."

Ziggy looked back at Connor with a smile growing on his face. "I remember you!" he said, cheerfully. He held up his Nitro Blaster until it touched his shoulder. "You're that Connor kid we rescued from the desert. Who knew you'd end up a Power Ranger? Life can be very funny sometimes."

"Hilarious even," Dillon said, plainly. He looked over to Connor and the other beaten Rangers before focusing his attention back on the Attack Bots. "We'll handle things from here. Venjix is our problem and so are any of his Attack Bots."

"Don't forget about the rest of us, mate!"

More surprises were in store as three more figures entered the battlefield. It was amazing how the Attack Bots remained silent as two more young men and a young woman joined up.

The one who spoke was a light-skinned man with short, dirty-blond hair. He wore a leather jacket as well, but with a blue undershirt. The young woman was petite and pale-skinned with long, blonde hair. She was smiling as she wore a leather jacket with a yellow shirt underneath and a leather skirt. And for the other young man, he was black-skinned with a small, chocolate-brown afro growing on his head. He kept up with the leather jacket theme and had a red v-neck underneath.

"Flynn, Summer, Scott, it's about time you guys showed up!" shouted Ziggy.

"Traffic sucked," said Summer.

"But it looks like we made it just in time," said Scott. "Alright Rangers, let's show these amateurs how it's really done!"

They all held up their Rev Morphers, which bore the symbol of the RPM Rangers. Scott, Flynn, and Summer's were more like phones, while Ziggy and Dillon's were wrist mounted. They each took out an Engine Cell card which symbolized their powers.

"RPM, Get in Gear!"

Immediately, the five of them began to morph until they took their Rangers forms. They all wore similar uniforms with either black or gold belts and silver fabric that form a "V" on their chest with the symbol on their Engine Cells in front of their chest, but of different colors and the only girl on the team had a skirt on. Their helmets were also styled to represent the animal that was drawn from their Engine Cell.

Scott had became Red Ranger, Flynn as the Blue Ranger, Summer was the Yellow Ranger, Ziggy was Green Ranger, and Dillon as the Black Ranger.

In a stunning display of stage presence, the RPM Rangers had assembled together once again in order to face off against Attack Bots. Just like when Venjix had first came into power, squaring off against the heroes in Corinth. They were all ready to deal with the Attack Bots as they took out their individual weapons.

"Street Saber!" shouted Red Ranger. He held out a saber with a black handle and a red hilt. The blade itself looked more like a road with silver edges at the sides.

"Turbo Cannon!" shouted Blue Ranger. He took out a massive cannon that was big and bulky.

"Zip Charger!" shouted Yellow Ranger. She summoned what looked like a little racecar, which she liked to use as a projectile.

"Turbo Axe!" shouted Green Ranger. He brought a heavy axe that he swung around in the air. It was damn near heavier than the skinny man was, but he made it work for him.

"Rocket Blaster!" shouted Black Ranger. He held out a blaster that was larger than their Nitro Blasters that he wielded with remarkable grace.

The RPM Rangers combined their weapons together in order to create their ultimate weapon. Robogogu and Lady Metal appeared very frightened as they combined powers. The Turbo Cannon was at the very end with Street Saber inserted inside the nose. Zip Charger was placed on the road of the saber. Turbo Axe and Rocket Blaster combined together before the blaster inserted into part of the cannon.

The RPM Enforcer had been formed, which would be used to put a serious hurting on the Attack Bots.

"RPM Enforcer," shouted the Rangers, "fire!" They pulled down on the trigger, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that ripped through the Attack Bots. Lady Metal was the one who was least protected from the attack. As a result, she was the first to be vanquished by the reassembled RPM Rangers with only Robogogu left behind.

Robogogu had part of his armor crushed in the process, however, leaving him completely vulnerable to attack.

Dismissing their super weapon, the RPM Rangers took out their Nitro Blasters next. A simpler weapon was all that would be needed to finish of this Attack Bot. They became a firing squad and took aim at the robot before pulling their triggers. In colorful bursts of light, their laser-fire pierced through the cracked armor to severally damage the internal mechanisms of the Attack Bot.

Robogogu gave out a fatal cry before exploding into nothing.

The RPM Rangers powered down to their civilian forms and soon found themselves being joined by the younger Rangers. Ziggy was the one who had to break the ice as he jumped in the middle of the spotlight. "Now that's how you kick it old school!" laughed Ziggy.

"Why are you all here?" Landon asked, ignoring Ziggy.

"We got word that Venjix was back," said Scott. "Since our reputation is on the line, we showed up to make sure that the job got done."

"You couldn't have come at a better time than," said Haley. "These are the first Attack Bots that Venjix sent out."

"He already attacked us with a bunch of Grinders," added Tommy.

"Sorry we couldn't make it sooner," said Summer. "It took us all a while to get back together. But we're all here now."

"Do you have a base we could talk in?" asked Flynn. "The rest of the team said they were heading there."

"Then I guess we better give you a tour of the Command Center than," said Landon. "Off we go, Rangers."

The Angel Force Rangers took the RPM Rangers with them as they teleported to the Command Center to regroup once again. This time, however, they felt significantly more confident now that these veteran Rangers had joined their ranks for the moment.

* * *

><p>All of the Rangers assembled into the Command Center, which quickly brought a shock on Alpha 8. The Alpha Bot had never seen so many Rangers in one place and he continued to go on about his circuits couldn't handle all of it. The Angel Force Rangers had to calm their robotic companion down a bit as their visitors looked around the base.<p>

Ziggy, Flynn, and Summer were easiest distracted by all of the flashing lights. Scott and Dillon remained more stoic about it all as they looked at the sights before them.

"Way cooler than anything Dr. K put together back in Corinth, right?" laughed Ziggy.

"I heard that, Ziggy."

The Rangers all looked as Adam entered the room with three guests. Ziggy gulped as he took sight of the young woman at Adam's side. She was short and very pale, but her smartly cropped black hair and the lab coat made her look a lot more frightening. Trailing behind her were a pair of cheery, Asian twins: one male and one female. They each bore racing jackets, but the young man, Gem, had golden stripes on his and his sister, Gemma, had silver ones.

"You know I meant no offense by that, right Dr. K?" Ziggy said, retreating behind Dillon.

Dillon wanted nothing to do with this as he pushed his partner to the front stage. Dr. K didn't seem to care at all as she quickly ignored Ziggy and went over to the newer Rangers. "Adam has informed me of your troubles, Angel Force Rangers," the young doctor said, very professionally. "I saddens me greatly to hear that Venjix has returned, considering that I was the one who originally engineered his viral state."

"How did you do that?" asked Alice.

"Screw the how, why would you do something so dangerous!" said Ric. "You didn't think that Venjix was bad enough as a general in the Machine Empire, but you thought it would be a good idea to make a virus out of him?"

"It wasn't her fault," said Gemma. "You don't know what life was like for us trapped in Alphabet Soup."

"They kidnapped and experimented on all of us," said Gem. "They manipulated us, they made us their tools. Dr. K was only trying to set us all free. Before she could set up a firewall on Venjix, they found out what she was trying to do and ended up unleashing the virus as a result."

Connor shrugged his shoulders as he went over to a chair. "So it's the government's fault then," said the boy. "We can clearly establish that homosexuality had nothing to do with the Virus's outbreak. Does that mean that Ric and I can get married now?"

"I think we should concern ourselves with Venjix before we start planning your wedding," said Haley. "Continue, Dr. K. Do you know how we can defeat Venjix?"

"In all honesty, I don't know," said Dr. K. "I have no idea what form Venjix has taken now. What we do know is that Gem and Gemma saw two men retrieve that backups that Venjix had programmed into his former headquarters. He must've known or suspected that his final body wasn't safe so he created a backup of himself in order to ensure his survival."

"Crafty, robot bastard," said Junior. "You can't trust them."

"Excuse me, Junior, but I am a robot!" said Alpha 8.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," said the young man. "I didn't mean you."

"Two men?" said Tommy. "Did you get a look at them?"

Gem and Gemma both nodded their heads as they gave the details to them. The Rangers listened and instantly knew that the twins had seen Zodiark's warriors in the facility. Helios and Bakari were easily identified, which led the Rangers to realizing that Venjix was working with Zodiark and Thrax.

Things had quickly escalated from bad to horrible with this new alliance floating up in the air.

"Working together is the only way we'll be able to win this," said Landon. "I think between fifteen Rangers, we can delete this virus."

"Now that's the attitude of a Red Ranger," said Scott. "We can put an end to this now, Rangers."

As all of the Rangers agreed to work together, the sirens immediately began to go off. They all fled to the monitors as Alpha pulled up the image.

It looked as if their declaration had reached the Moon and forced this assembling of villains. The Rangers saw what must've been Venjix in the center of a league of villains. Lightning, Dark Knight, Kratein, Umbra, Bakari, and Helios were present with dozens of Putties and Grinders alongside them. They were all approaching the city from the outer limits, taking liberty of appearing at a construction sight.

This orgy of villains was not something that they were expecting to face off against so soon. But this was the work of Rangers, it was what needed to be done. So without further ado, the Rangers realized that the moment to strike was now as they still had enough strength to fight.

"Good luck, Rangers," said Alpha 8.

"We'll do everything we can to help you from here," said Dr. K.

"May the Power protect you," added Adam.

The Rangers thanked them before being teleported by Alpha to battle. It was now or never so the Rangers gathered up all their courage as they geared up to face Venjix and all of these warriors.

* * *

><p>In the outskirts of Angel Grove, the villains made their gradual approach to the city. Venjix was silent, but his mechanical insides were boiling with anger as he sought to destroy the entire city in one attack. His Attack Bots had been humiliated by a shameful defeat at the hands of the very Rangers who ended his quest for conquest. Now, he was slave to these flesh creatures and was pushed out to do all this dirty work.<p>

The warriors assembled behind him, each one ready for the battle as well. It would only be a matter of moments before the Power Rangers finally decided to show up. And when they did, the villains would put all of their powers together in order to put an end to them.

Venjix and the warriors stopped their approach just as several beams of light came down from the sky. The lights solidified until it revealed the forms of the young heroes that had assembled together in defiance against them. Fifteen Rangers had been brought together all with a strong desire to defeat these villains.

"Power Rangers," growled Venjix, "this shall be the end for you! I will not suffer from disgrace again. I will end all of your lives."

"Still just as dumb and ugly as ever, Venjix," said Scott. "You really should've stayed down when we put a stop to your plans in Corinth! Now, you're really in for it."

"There are fifteen us here to fight you," said Landon. "Together, we will defeat you!"

Nothing else to do but suit up, all of the Rangers took out their Morphers to prepare for battle. The Angel Force Rangers had their Crystal Morphers out, holding up the colorful feathers into the air. The RPM Rangers took out their various Morphers. Scott, Flynn, and Summer had their Cell Shift Morphers. Ziggy and Dillon had their Rev Morphers. Gem and Gemma had their bulky, Sky Morphers. Each one held out their Engine Cells as they prepared to insert them into their Morphers.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers.

"RPM, Get in Gear!" said the RPM Rangers.

Light illuminated the entire edge of Angel Grove as two generations of Power Rangers were brought together against a common cause. The light blinded the villains as they were forced to cover their eyes in order to avoid permanent damage. As the light dimmed down, however, the Rangers were fully able and willing to participate in this battle.

Each Ranger bore uniforms similar to their teammates of their generation. Gem and Gemma's uniforms were far shinier then their fellow RPM Rangers, and a little more elaborate. Their helmets had fins on the sides and top, plus Gemma had a skirt like Summer.

"With the Spirit of Fire, Red Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Wind, Blue Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Shadow, Black Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Earth, Yellow Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Water, Pink Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Light, White Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Sunlight, Orange Angel Force Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of Starlight, Violet Angel Force Ranger!"

"Power Rangers Angel Force!" shouted the eight Rangers.

"Ranger Operator Series Red!"

"Ranger Operator Series Blue!"

"Ranger Operator Series Yellow!"

"Ranger Operator Series Green!"

"Ranger Operator Series Black!"

"Ranger Operator Series Gold!"

"Ranger Operator Series Silver!"

"Power Rangers RPM!" shouted the seven Rangers.

Even with fifteen Rangers fully suited up for battle, Venjix and the warriors were not frightened at all. This only motivated them to rush off into battle without even a second of hesitation. Venjix led the pack of villains off, while the Rangers rushed them to the middle of the road for the beginning of a grand battle.

* * *

><p>The Red Rangers went out to face the terribly assembled Venjix as the other Rangers dealt with the warriors. The heroes in red felt a powerful need to put an end to the mechanical nightmare that had brought the Earth to its knees. The fight would be far from easy, but the two of them felt that they had what it took to defeat Venjix.<p>

Venjix wasn't about to give up, however, as he fought them both at once. He held RPM Red back from punching his robotic torso as Angel Force Red tried to get him from behind. The mechanical being kicked the Angel Force Ranger in the leg before throwing RPM Red at him to knock them both down.

As Venjix was about to go after them, the Rangers both got in their feet to take out their swords. Angel Force Red had his trusty Aurora Sword, while RPM Red had his faithful Street Saber. The Red Rangers went after Venjix again with their weapons and did a little better now that they were better armed.

Still, it wasn't enough to put a stop to Venjix. Their viral nightmare had disarmed RPM Red before taking the sword and slashing it at Angel Force Red. The young Red Ranger got the full blunt of the attack and was sent down for the count, while RPM Red was still standing.

"This is the end of you, Red Ranger!" said Venjix.

"No it isn't!" shouted RPM Red. He channeled his power to release his special Burst Attack. His entire aura began to glow a great deal as he rapidly charged after Venjix. His full body was thrown against the robot, knocking Venjix back a few feet as RPM Red bought them a little more time to fight.

In the process, RPM Red retrieved his Street Saber as Venjix was recovering from the attack. He charged his saber up with his power before striking while the kettle was still hot. "Street Saber Strike!" shouted RPM Red. He leaped up into the air before swinging his saber forward to release a red slash that struck Venjix down.

The attack was strong, but nowhere near strong enough to put a stop to Venjix.

If anything this served as a basis to make Venjix angrier as Angel Force Red joined up with RPM Red once more. He examined his and their vitals, seeing a significant difference between them. This battle would belong to Venjix, he would make certain of his success as he went after the Red Rangers once more.

* * *

><p>Both Blue Rangers found themselves facing off against Helios in the midst of all the fighting chaos. The Guardian bore his sword out in battle, waving around the glowing weapon in front of the heroes in blue. RPM Blue dove out of the way, while Angel Force Blue defended by using his Angel Sword.<p>

Helios retreated a step back just as RPM Blue tried to sneak up from behind him. The Guardian struck the Ranger across the chest, knocking him down to the ground in the process. A smirk grew on his face as Helios looked back to see that Angel Force Blue had disappeared from sight.

When Helios least expected it, Angel Force Blue got the Guardian from behind. The Ranger struck him with his Glory Hammer, which severally damaged Helios's unguarded, shoulder. Helios cried out in pain as he dropped to a knee just as RPM Blue stood back up.

Using his Time Manipulation ability, RPM Blue was able to slowdown time for ten seconds. In those ten seconds, he pummeled Helios with a lot of punches and kicks, knocking the Guardian around a bit before he completely dropped down to his hands and knees.

"Today isn't your lucky day, mate," said RPM Blue. He brought out his heavy cannon as he held it up and began to take aim. "Turbo Cannon, Fire!" He pulled on his trigger, unleashing a heavy burst of energy from it. The cannonball that ripped through his weapon raced across the path until it crashed into the already injured Helios.

Completely defeated, Helios had no choice but to retreat before his life could be ended by the Rangers. As he vanished from sight, Angel Force Blue began to applaud RPM Blue.

"Nice shot, man," said the younger Ranger.

"It was nothing," RPM Blue said, slinging his cannon over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>The Black Rangers were facing a charge from Kratein. The Prince wielded his dark powers in a chain that he attempted to lash the heroes in black with. Both Rangers managed to avoid getting hit by the attack, which was good as Kratein's attack would've surely been the end of them.<p>

Angel Force Black dropped down to his knees, while retrieving his Heaven Bow. He pulled the string back as he conjured up an arrow before them. RPM Black watched as the boy fired his arrow, which was easily deflected by Kratein's sword.

"You actually thought that would work?" said RPM Black.

"I don't see you doing anything," said Angel Force Black.

Darkness ripped through the air and rapidly approached the Rangers. RPM Black, however, quickly saw this attack coming and used his powers to stop it. He created his Invincibility Shield, which protected them both from Kratein's attack.

"That's the second time you've saved me," said Angel Force Black.

"That's what heroes do, kid," said RPM Black as he got his Rocket Blaster. He held up the weapon and took aim at Kratein. He pulled his trigger, releasing countless blasts that Kratein blocked by swinging his sword around.

Angel Force Black pulled on his bowstring, firing out a few more rounds of arrows. And all it took was for one arrow to break the defense. One of his arrows slipped through Kratein's guard and ended up striking the Prince in the arm. The arrow's purifying sting took affect, which pained Kratein greatly as he was forced into retreating.

"I guess that covers one of your life debts," RPM Black said, patting the boy's shoulder. "Good job."

"Thanks," said the boy as he held his bow.

* * *

><p>Lightning was practically calling down all the lightning that she could summon against the Yellow Rangers. The heroes in yellow jumped back just as Lightning brought down her lightning strike, which struck the ground and left its mark on the concrete.<p>

Yellow RPM didn't like this warrior chick at all. The golden armor that Lightning wore was intimidating in itself, but that Gunblade of hers was pretty sick. And to think, the newer generation constantly had to face this nut.

"I don't envy your job even in the slightest," said RPM Yellow.

"And I have no idea how to respond to that," said Angel Force Yellow.

Before either one could say anything else, Lightning got between them both with a remarkable amount of speed. She struck the middle ground with her Gunblade as she leaned in close to prepare for her next attack. As Lightning was coming back, however, her opponents were prepared for her this time.

Angel Force Yellow pulled her Angel Sword out and used it to hold back Lightning and her Gunblade. RPM Yellow took this as her opening as she brought out her Zip Charger. She held the racecar on her arm with it charging up to attack.

"Zip Charger, Activate!" shouted RPM Yellow. She allowed the car to slide over her arm and watched as it took flight. Her weapon attacked Lightning from all sides, forcing the warrior woman to step back, granting RPM Yellow another opening.

Coiling her energy together, RPM Yellow unleashed her Energy Burst Attack to finish her off. The great burst of energy proved to be far too much for Lightning to handle, which caused her to make her retreat.

* * *

><p>Angel Force Pink and White were with RPM Green as they faced off against Bakari. With all five of his swords summoned, Bakari virtually had nothing to do as he wielded his telekinetic weapons. His mental willpower was all that was needed in order to hold the three Rangers back.<p>

RPM Green was using his Teleportation ability to get out of the way whenever a sword got too close to him. Angel Force Pink and Angel Force White weren't as lucky as he was. They did use their abilities to their advantage, however, whenever possible.

Three clones joined the fight, attempting to latch onto some of Bakari's swords at least. With only two swords left to worry about, the Angel Force Rangers decided to give their RPM ally a good opening. They used their weapons to assist them in holding off the remaining two swords, leaving Bakari vulnerable to attack.

"I got this!" RPM Green said, holding out his Turbo Axe. He jumped into the air, holding his weapon over his shoulder before swinging it forward. Unleashing a green band of energy, RPM Green easily shattered part of Bakari's armor as a result of this.

All five of his swords disappeared as he covered his chest, while the Angel Force Rangers attacked him with their blades. Angel Force Pink and Angel Force White slashed him across the chest, completely shattering his chest plate as a result of this.

Bakari gasped for air as he noticed that they even marked his flesh. Part of his under robes had been torn with blood being drawn. The wound wasn't deep, but it could prove to be dangerous if he continued to remain in battle. So having not other option but to retreat, Bakari took his leave immediately.

"And that's how you kick bad guy ass!" RPM Green said, locking arms with the other two.

* * *

><p>Angel Force Orange, RPM Gold, and RPM Silver all worked together to face off against Dark Knight. The three of them locked blades with the heavily armored knight. Dark Knight wielded his massive sword around like it weighted nothing, while Angel Force Orange used his Twilight Ray's blade form and the RPM Rangers used their Cloud Hatchets.<p>

Dark Knight made no effort at all as he quickly disposed of the Angel Force Ranger. His swordplay was far too superior to his to possibly be outdone. As for RPM Gold and RPM Silver, the twins were far better at thinking craftier. They quickly switched up their strategy as they avoided every one of his attacks.

"Getting dizzy, are we?" said RPM Silver.

"You should really sit down if you're not well!" taunted RPM Gold.

Frustrated by this, Dark Knight struck the ground to put an end to the twin Rangers. His sword caused chains of dark energy to ripple about, but the twins easily got out of the way. They landed on top of the knight's bulky shoulder pads. They even waved to the knight as he growled in anger, while shaking them off him.

The twins went berserk with their Cloud Hatchets at this point. RPM Gold pulled a switch, which caused fire to roar from his weapon as RPM Silver flipped another switch that caused mist to be emitted that became ice. Their attacks hit the knight, but it wasn't about to end there. RPM Silver used another switch and unleashed a belt of lightning, while RPM Gold hit a different switch to fire a couple laser blasts.

To top it off, they pulled the last of their switches together. They took charge after the knight where they swung their Cloud Hatchets in an arc motion, slashing Dark Knight with an abundance of energy.

Vulnerable by the various assaults, Dark Knight dropped his sword. Angel Force Orange returned to his feet and took out his sword to slash the knight to put an end to him. The sword was powerful enough to leave a dent on the armor, forcing the knight to buckle down on one of his knees.

Unable to fight any longer, Dark Knight vanished as he retreated from his defeat.

* * *

><p>Brave, but foolish, Angel Force Violet faced off against Umbra on her own. She ran towards a bridge with Umbra chasing her with his Void Gear. She was armed with her Twilight Ray in his sword form, which she wielded with a great amount of skill. Those swordplay lessons that she took with her mother had really paid off.<p>

Umbra was merciless, however, as he sought to fight the girl to the death. The darkness was strong around him as he bent it to its will, attempting to tangle her up with it so to suck all the life out of her. He would get to claim the life of another Ranger where he'd add her as another one of his trophies. But what to claim, maybe her pretty eyes would make an excellent trophy for his collection.

The two continued to fight against each other with neither one showing any signs of slowing down.

"I want the truth, Umbra," said Angel Force Violet. "Is Zodiark truly my uncle? Is his brother Zhane?"

"That runt of the litter?" laughed Umbra. "Zhane should feel honored to call the great Zodiark his brother. You should feel fortunate, bitch, to have Zodiark as your kin. He will never harm you because of the blood you share, but that won't stop me from killing you!"

Umbra succeeded in striking the Ranger of her sword. Without anything to protect herself with, Angel Force Violet was completely vulnerable to attack. But that didn't seem to matter as the fact that she was related to someone as evil as Zodiark was becoming more and more likely.

As Umbra prepared to deliver the final blow, Angel Force Violet felt her body snap. Her powers coursed around her to cause action against him. She held her hands up, creating a large star right in front of her as Umbra brought his Void Gear at her.

"How?" said Umbra.

"Spirit of Starlight, protect me!" shouted Angel Force Violet. She pushed the star forward, disarming Umbra in the process. With the star still present and glowing strong, the Ranger hurled the star straight towards Umbra, which hurled him off the bridge they were on.

The star completely disappeared into the air as Umbra landed flat on his back on the ground. The Consort was completely still, showing no signs at all of life.

Angel Force Violet felt no remorse, however, as she leaped down there to look at him. The mask was still covering his face and for some reason she felt that if she could just look at his face than maybe she could piece together this puzzle. So without further ado, she bent down to take the helmet off of him.

But a shocker came as Umbra quickly threw a fit of laughter, his life coming back to him. Umbra rolled away from the Ranger before getting back on his feet.

"I'm impressed," laughed the Ranger Hunter. "That actually hurt. I'll enjoy killing you, but that will have to wait another day."

Umbra took his leave as the others had before him, retreating back to their base on the Moon.

* * *

><p>And things took their turn as Venjix had both Red Rangers in his grasp. He effortlessly tossed Angel Force Red aside, while latching onto RPM Red where he brought him up into the air. The Ranger tried to kick his way into freedom, but the villain had too firm a hold on him and was not about to let that go for even a second.<p>

"I have you, right where I want you, boy!" growled Venjix.

"You should get a second opinion," said RPM Red.

Venjix didn't even have a chance to process what that meant as the robot got shot from behind. This forced Venjix to release the Ranger, which he quickly exploited as he joined up with the other RPM Rangers. It turned out that they were the ones who had shot Venjix as the Angel Force Rangers helped their leader back up.

In a short seconds, Venjix went from being a dominate force on the battlefield to surrounded by two generations of Power Rangers.

"I told you to get a second opinion," said RPM Red.

"This is going to go all downhill for you now," said Angel Force Red. "Now that we're all together, nothing will stop us from defeating you!"

"Power Rangers, let's end this together!" said the Red Rangers.

"Right!" shouted the other RPM and Angel Force Rangers.

RPM Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, and Black took their weapons out in order to form the RPM Enforcer once again. Their super weapon was assembled just as RPM Gold and RPM Silver attacked their Cloud Hatchets to their Sky Morphers to form their Sky Shift Blazer. With the RPM Rangers fully armed, they took aim at Venjix before firing.

But before those Rangers sent out the fatal blow, the Angel Force Rangers got together as well. Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink combined their weapons to form the Heaven Power Cannon. As for White, Orange, and Violet, those three formed their Celestial Twilight Flash. With all of their weapons brought together, they unleashed their full power as well against Venjix.

The RPM Enforcer and Heaven Power Cannon unleashed their heavy fill at a moment's notice. RPM Gold and RPM Silver sent out powerful, laser blasts from their Sky Shift Blazers. And Angel Force White, Orange, and Violet sent out a powerful slash from their Celestial Twilight Ray. The quartet of attacks ripped across the open road until they hit Venjix with a merciless amount of force.

That's when it was all over. A great explosion went off from the collision of attacks with various parts and pieces of Venjix's body being lost. The life of the great virus and General of the Machine Empire was defeated once and for all now.

Once again, the Power Rangers were victorious against a great evil.

* * *

><p>Returning to the Command Center, the Angel Force and RPM Rangers gathered together in celebration of their victory over Venjix. Through their combined efforts, the world was finally rid of Venjix. The viral nightmare that had nearly brought humanity to its end was gone forever this time and it was well worth the wait.<p>

With peace of mind restored to them, the Rangers were all able to rest easy now.

"So what's there to do in Angel Grove?" asked Flynn.

"There's a lot to do," said Serena. "Might I suggest we take a ride on my Astro Megaship?"

"The Astro Megaship?" said Ziggy. "The one used by the Space Rangers?"

"No," said Serena, "the original was destroyed years ago. This is the newer, awesome model that can leave the solar system in less than an hour."

"Wicked," laughed Gemma. "Let's go!"

"Right now!" said Gem.

The Rangers quickly began to push each other out of the Command Center after that, each one excited with the promise of getting to go out on a joyride in the Astro Megaship.

Dr. K sighed, heavily as she shook her head as the two generations left together. With her hands stuffed into her pocket, she looked over at Adam and Alpha. "The fate of the world is in their hands," she said, sadly. "Our world is certainly doomed."

"I try not to think so negatively," said Adam. "I believe in them. They've proven their worth over and over again. The world owes a great debt to the Power Rangers."

"And so long as evil continues to rear its ugly head," said Alpha 8, "the Power Rangers will always be there to stand in their way."

"Somebody has to, I suppose," said Dr. K.

Adam could only laugh as he took Dr. K to the recreation area to get her something to drink, while Alpha went to work.

* * *

><p>But the carefree attitude would soon come to an end as Zodiark appeared on the battleground.<p>

The fire was still burning from where the Rangers had destroyed Venjix. All of the parts and anything else that remained of the virus would be here. And after the humiliating defeat that they suffered, this would be the best way for Zodiark to redeem them.

The Dark Prince stepped around the useless parts as he focused solely on the damaged head of Venjix. He yanked the head up from the antenna and stuck his hands into the robotic brain to take out a special component belonging to Venjix that will insure their victory in the war.

Correction, it would be his victory.

Zodiark got the chip and held it up into the air with a smile on his face. "Now, I have the key to bringing the Power Rangers to their knees," said the Dark Prince. "I can build the weapons that will eliminate all threats. Nothing can stand in my way now."

"Well, you might want to retest that theory."

Beelzebub appeared behind Zodiark, looking around at the remains of Venjix. The virus was out of the picture now and not in the way that the Dark Lord was hoping for. "Here I had wanted Venjix to put up a better fight," said the Dark Lord. "No matter, there are more villains out there that I can use. One of them should be able to defeat the Power Rangers before my brethren arrive."

Zodiark faced the Dark Lord, better seeing Beelzebub compared to their brief encounter. The Dark Prince could smell the gluttonous need for destruction that wafted from the Dark Lord. "So you are Beelzebub," said Zodiark. "I imagined someone a little more frightening."

"Should you really be insulting someone who can kill you in a matter of seconds, mortal? If I appeared in my true form, you'd be dead right now," said Beelzebub. The leather-clad creature began to walk circles around the Dark Prince. He looked at him, carefully, with one hand touching his gun. "Let's get down to business. Why did you summon me here? What could you possibly want to speak about?"

"I have a proposition for you," said Zodiark. "I will offer my assistance to you in exchange for amnesty."

"And why would I do that?" said Beelzebub.

"Because I can build you an army to fight the Power Rangers with," said Zodiark. "And with Venjix at its core, my weapons will be unstoppable."

That caused a smile to grow on Beelzebub's face as he held out his hand, accepting the offer that Zodiark had laid out.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Beelzebub sends out a Daimon to attack Angel Grove, while the Rangers deal with family concerns. Ric's entire family comes to a visit, while Landon gets a visit from his younger brother. Alice learns of the loss of her mother, while Haley and her parents help Connor cope with the anniversary of his parents' death. And Serena finally confronts her parents, while Junior gets a phone call from his father. Find out how the Rangers can fight to save the city from evil when their familiar concerns interfere. Find out what happens in **Family Loyalty!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Glad that so many of you liked the crossover. I do promise that there will be more in the future featuring the Jungle Fury and Samuari Rangers. I also have a very special chapter towards the end that will lead lead to the second season. The second season to Angel Force will be Galactic Pirates. All our favorites will return in new roles and a whole galaxy of craziness going on. As for this chapter, prepare to hate me. Read and review.**  
><strong>

**Family Loyalty:**

There was excitement in the air as Landon finished cleaning up the apartment with Ric doing his part as well. Granted, it was Ric who was usually a little more of a neat freak, but that was something that they both kept in the closet for now. They had finished just in time too as the doorbell began to ring, signaling the long awaited arrival of company.

Landon was like a little kid as he jumped over their coffee table as he ran to the front door. He was still half-covered in dust and probably had a not so pleasant scent to him, but that wasn't important to him. What mattered was that after such a long time apart that he was finally going to be reunited with such a large par of his life.

"Max!" Landon shouted as he opened the front door.

"Lando!" This came from someone who looked like a younger version of the Red Ranger in tattered jeans and a dingy t-shirt. He had similar lightly, dark skin tone that came from their Navajo roots as well as the sharp, jaw line, well-formed cheekbones, and the stunning, dark eyes. The young man was only a few inches shorter then Landon as well as significantly skinnier than him. Compared to Landon, Max was just a plain version of his older brother.

The Samuels brothers embraced each other in a warm hug before Landon finally dragged Max inside of the apartment. Landon was grinning like a fool as he welcomed his younger brother to his home as he carried his brother's bag. It had been so long since the brothers had seen each other that they were both equally excited to be reunited once again.

Ric came into the picture after he took the liberty to find himself a change of clothes. Since this would be the first time meeting Landon's brother, he didn't want to come off as some kind of bum. He had to make a somewhat decent, first impression. Besides, he had to find a way to compete with Alice and her stellar boobies. Speaking of Alice, Ric wondered where his other roommate had disappeared to.

Landon walked towards the hall with his brother following just as Ric came out from his bedroom. Max appeared initially shocked by this sudden appearance, but calmed down as he assumed this to be one of his brother's roommates.

"Max, this is Ric Cruz," said Landon "Ric, this is my younger brother."

"Nice to meet you, man," Max said, extending his hand to Ric.

"Likewise," Ric said, accepting the gesture. "So you're the little brother I've heard so much about. Landon failed to mention that you're…not so little."

Max started to smirk as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Yeah, I get that a lot," said the younger brother. "Well, I guess that happens when you turn eighteen, move out, and go off to college."

Landon rolled his eyes at his brother as he carried the bag into his bedroom, while giving Ric a chance to get better acquainted with Max. It was important to him that his brother and roommate got a long with each other since he was hoping to have Max pop by to see him more often. The last time that Landon saw his younger brother was almost a year ago back when Max graduated from high school back in New Mexico.

"Speaking of college," Landon said, interrupting their bit. "How is Yale treating you, bud? I still can't believe that you're going to an Ivy League school. Who knew that you were so smart?"

"Everyone?" Max said with a light laugh.

This caused Landon to attack his brother, playfully of course. He slung his arm around his younger brother's shoulders where he squeezed onto his neck. Max cried out in laughter, while he tried to free himself from his older brother by hitting him in the ribs.

As this went on between them, Ric heard the phone ringing and took off to answer it.

The brothers continued to play fight each other, while Ric retrieved their phone. The minute that he opened his mouth to speak, he was immediately blasted by the sharp voice of his mother.

"Hola Ricardo," said his mother. "How are you, mijito?"

"Fine, mama," Ric said, hiding the urge to scream. Why the hell did he have to go and answer the phone? He really did not want to talk to his crazy mother. "How are things going over there?"

"We're all doing fine, mijo," said Mrs. Cruz. "Now, papi, I called to let you know that your father and I are planning on visiting you. We should arrive tomorrow afternoon. It's been so long that we've seen you and since you don't ever come home, we have to go over there."

"That's totally not necessary, mom!" Ric said, trying to come up with a way to back out of this. But there was no way out. He was totally screwed into having to deal with his mother and father tomorrow.

His mother continued to share the details of their flight with her son before hanging up so that he could prepare for their arrival. As he dropped the phone on the counter, Ric titled his head back and let out a deep yell.

Landon and Max ran into the kitchen as they tried to figure out what had happened when Ric announced that his parents were coming to Angel Grove for a visit. Landon remembered the last time that Ric's parents came; it wasn't exactly a fun time for him. Never in his life had Landon been forced to drink so much just to numb the pain brought on by people.

"I so came at the perfect time," Max laughed.

"No, no you didn't," corrected Landon and Ric.

Ric took out a bottle of tequila from the cabinet before serving himself and Landon a shot. They were going to need the alcohol in order to survive this one.

* * *

><p>Serena sat in the cockpit of the ship with her hand on the communication keypad. It would've been just easier to have D.E.C.A. make the call, but this was something that she felt was necessary for her to do. She needed to go straight to the source about if Zodiark was really the man he claimed to be.<p>

The monitor at the front of her was covered in static as the interstellar call was made. She waited for a few moments until the call was answered by a woman who looked remarkably like the Ranger. She was tall, blonde, and beautiful. She was a remarkably kind-hearted woman despite her blackened past, but this only served as motivation for her to redeem herself.

"Hello, sweetheart," said Karone.

"Hi mom," said Serena. "Where's dad? I need to talk to him."

"And what could be so important that you'd blow off your own mother?" asked Karone.

Serena got up from her chair, standing up perfectly straight as she looked at the transmitted image of her mother. "Zodiark," she said, gravely. "He's here."

Karone's eyes began to widen in horror as the name brought back some painful memories. They were all back from her days as Astronema, what horrid days those were. "I'll get him," said her mother. "There is a lot that you must know."

There was nothing on the screen for a while as Karone took off. Serena waited patiently until a man came to the screen. His platinum, blond hair was still cut short; he still looked as youthful and cheery as ever too. Not much has changed with Zhane in the last few years, if anything, the years had been very kind to him.

At least until now when Serena said those fatal words.

"Zodiark is on Earth?" Zhane said, softly. "I can't believe it. I thought he died along with the rest of the United Alliance of Evil. I was sure that Zordon's Energy Wave would be the end of him."

"It wasn't," said Serena. "We've been fighting him for a while now. He claims that he's your brother."

Zhane closed his eyes with his head rising up to touch his forehead. He let out a deep sigh before looking at his daughter once more. "Zodiark is my older brother," said her father, "at least, he used to be. Since Dark Specter corrupted him and nothing could be done to restore his humanity, I chose to sever all ties with him. As far as I'm concerned, I have no brother."

"That doesn't change the facts," said Serena. "He seems to have some kind of affection for you still. He said that out of all the Rangers, I would be one of the few that he leaves alone since I'm his blood."

"Then I highly suggest you leave Earth, Serena," said Zhane. "Since the corruption took affect, Zodiark has been capable of unleashing true horrors. It's not safe for you on Earth anymore. You have to come back to KO-35."

"I can't do that, dad," said Serena. "I'm a Power Ranger now. I can't give up on Earth or the galaxy. Evil forces are rising up, the Dark Lords about coming."

Zhane nodded his head, knowing that there was no other choice. The Dark Lords were a far greater threat then Zodiark or his forces. "Alright, but promise me to be careful," said Zhane. "I love you, Serena."

"Love you too, dad," said Serena. "Tell mom that I love her too."

"Okay."

The call ended and Serena felt more confused then ever as she threw her head back with a sigh escaping her lips.

As for her shipmate, Junior had been listening in on the conversation from the outside. He felt bad for Serena, knowing that her own uncle was there enemy.

That didn't exactly motivate him, however, to answer his vibrating phone. He ignored the twentieth call from his father as he could not forgive the man still for everything that had been done.

Junior clung onto the phone in his hand, squeezing it angrily as he looked out to the ship's window. He didn't want to think about his father. He didn't want to remember the feelings of abandonment he dealt with all of his life.

"Fuck it all," said Junior.

He stuffed his phone back into his pocket as he strolled back into his room.

* * *

><p>Coming back from running errands, Alice found herself busy fiddling with her keys as she tried to get into the apartment building. It was ridiculous just how many things she carried on her key ring; between all her keys, the key chains, and her USBs it was a miracle that she ever found what she needed. But Alice was eventually able to open the front door and was inside the building in less than a minute, in time as her cell phone began to ring.<p>

There was a smile that graced her cheerful face as she saw that it was her dad calling her. She always did enjoy talking to her dad so she was more than happy to answer the phone and greet her father with a warm voice.

If only she knew what was in store for her when she answered the call.

"Hey daddy," said Alice. "What's going on in the East Coast?"

"Baby girl," said Mr. King, "I have something to tell you."

The way that her father's voice cracked as he tried to speak really began to worry Alice. She stopped her ascent up the stairs as she leaned against the wall with her phone pressed against her ear. "What's wrong, dad?" asked the young woman. "Did something happen? Is everything okay?"

Instead of a clear response, Alice only got the sound of a grown man crying. Alice had only heard her father cry one other time in her whole life and that was when his father had passed away. That had been over ten years ago, a painful day that was still imbedded in Alice's memory too.

"Dad," Alice whispered, "what happened?"

"Alice…it's your mother," Mr. King said, finally. "There was an accident last night, while your mom was on her way back home from work. She didn't make it. She died before the ambulance arrived."

The phone slipped out of Alice's hands as she entered a state of complete shock. Her throat went completely dry as her phone went down the staircase until it crashed in the wall where it broke. The phone broke just like Alice's heart did after hearing what her father had to say to her.

It was like her whole world was coming to a drastic halt all of a sudden.

Losing all control of her body, Alice collapsed on the stairs with tears choking her as she sobbed silently. Her cries were weak and broken as countless memories began to flood into her head about her beloved mother. Miranda Jackson-King, her mother, she just couldn't be gone. So many promises had been made, so many promises that could never be kept now. They were supposed to take this crazy, mother-daughter vacation together in the Bahamas. Her mother was supposed to be there for her when she got married. She was supposed to be there to spoil the heck out of her grandchildren. She wasn't supposed to be dead…not now.

Her mother couldn't really be dead, not now, not like this. It was too sudden. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Alice couldn't move as she succumbed to her heartache, crying on the staircase.

Almost an eternity had passed before someone finally came to the stairs. Fortunately for Alice, it turned out to be Landon. He had left the apartment to check on the mail when he saw Alice in her broken state. He immediately ran to her side, asking what was wrong when he soon found himself holding onto this balling, young woman.

Landon held onto Alice as she wept her heart and soul for the mother she had just lost.

* * *

><p>The Command Center was practically empty as Tommy had shown up without any notice at all. His lifelong curiosity had finally gotten the better of him and after all the technical knowledge he gained from his friends, the young man was planning on seeking out some answers to the questions he had.<p>

Not even Alpha 8 was around, which made this perfect for Tommy as he went over to the main station. Tommy sat down at the computers and let out a light sigh as he prepared to dive into the Command Center's programs. He tried to prepare himself for the things he might find as he started to type the keys to enter the Ranger Archives.

The Ranger Archives were open to anyone. It wasn't a secret from the Rangers, in fact, Adam had always encouraged the new generation to use the archives as a resource to build off of. The archives held the history of the Power Rangers who had fought for over twenty years to protect the Earth from the forces of evil. Within the files held information on every single generation of Rangers that had fought to make a difference.

Tommy wasn't seeking a basic history lesson, however. No, what Tommy was looking for was the understanding of who he came from. What he sought was finding out what kind of man that Dr. Tommy Oliver was.

It was no secret that Tommy Oliver was arguably the greatest Power Ranger to ever exist. He had been part of more teams then any other Ranger. However, Tommy Oliver's initial status was not as a hero, but a servant of evil. When he had first became a Ranger, Tommy was under the spell of Rita Repulsa, forced to serve the evil sorceress and her desires to destroy Zordon's Power Rangers.

But that was only the beginning for Tommy Oliver, he broke free from the spell and became one of the greatest Champions of Good that the world had ever known. Tommy Oliver had made such a large difference for this world. He turned the outcome of numerous battles and saved the planet, even the galaxy, countless times.

This was the man that Tommy Park was trying to learn about. He needed to learn more about where he came from. He wanted desperately to know about the man that he was cloned from because he felt so incomplete without this understanding.

How could a clone hope to be his own person if he didn't even know where he came from?

Tommy dug into the archives until he found the files on Tommy Oliver. He opened them up so that he could see everything about his original self. The various Rangers teams he was a part of were amongst the first things that Tommy saw before the date of death. It was odd to hear that one of the original Rangers was dead, but Tommy Oliver wasn't the first.

Trini Kwan, the Earth's first Yellow Mighty Morphin Ranger, passed away shortly before the September 11th Terrorist Attacks.

So far, those were the only two Rangers that the archives acknowledged as deceased. No others were known to have perished, but a few had perished during the line of duty before being revived by mystical forces. Haley's mother, Kimberly was one who almost perished, and even Connor could be added onto that list. The original Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger, Kendrix, sacrificed her life. The Red Time Force Ranger, Wesley, was supposed to have perished, but survived his death due to the intervention of the other Time Force Rangers.

Digging deeper, Tommy found something a little more promising then the other files. He clicked on it when he soon saw himself looking at an older version of himself.

Correction, he was looking into the face of Tommy Oliver.

"If this message is being played then I'm assuming that I'm no longer part of this world," said Tommy Oliver. "I don't need to say anything about how I regret my dying or that I have any unfinished business because I really don't. At least none that I'm willing to admit. The disease that is killing me comes from the Morphing Grid. I immersed myself deeper then any other Ranger, possibly even more so then Zordon was connected to. My actions have consequences and I'm willing too accept this."

"I want to give a warning to future Rangers," continued the video recording. "Be careful when accepting more power from the Morphing Grid. Balance is necessary, the grid is potentially dangerous to those who are not cautious. My own research has gone to show that there is a second grid used to maintain this balance. Zordon discussed this with us before, but we always assumed it was the same Universal Morphing Grid that the Rangers use. It's not. This negative version of the Morphing Grid is used by our very villains, and like Zordon said, the strongest forces of good and evil at the time are the forces that maintain balance between the twin grids. The greater the evil then the greater the good must be. Rangers, we can never stop fighting. The minute we do then balance is lost and evil will win."

"Before I end my message, I have on final thing to say. I don't want to go into great detail about this, but whoever is watching this, I'm going to assume that it is _you _who found this file. You're looking for answers to questions that not even I can answer for you. What I can do is say that I am sorry. I do not want you to think that I am forcing my life upon you or that I want you to be exactly like me. I want you to chart out your own destiny, follow wherever it is that your heart takes you."

"That is all I have to say. Good luck, Rangers. May the Power protect you."

Tommy Oliver ended his message and Tommy Park exited out of the files as a lone tear began to run down his face.

* * *

><p>It was strange being back in Reefside, considering all that had happened since the lat time he had been there. But it meant so much for Connor to return to his old home as today was the anniversary of his parents' death. Today was the day that Connor lost them to evil, it would've been the day that he would've lost his life too had the Dino Thunder Rangers not intervened.<p>

Connor carried flowers in his hands as he solemnly walked up to his parents' tombstones. He looked at the graves and found himself paralyzed to take any steps further. In that moment, Connor couldn't see the graves, he only saw the images from that fateful day. His parents were defending him from Tyrannodrones, but they were not strong enough to keep him safe and themselves.

Their lives were taken by Mesogog's forces, leaving Connor an orphan as a result.

But he wasn't alone any longer, at least that's what he tried to convince himself of. He clung onto the roses with all his might, nearly breaking the plastic that protected him from being pricked by the thorns.

As he struggled to move, someone came to help motivate him to go onward. Kimberly got behind Connor, taking hold of him from the shoulders and guiding him forward. "Come on, sweetheart," said Kimberly. "We'll do this together." She helped him to keep on going, a gesture that Connor deeply appreciated as he allowed his adopted mother to assist him.

Far behind them, Jason stood with Haley at his side. The original plan was to give Connor all of the space that he needed to face this, but Kimberly was not one to leave someone struggling. She broke away from her husband and daughter to help this boy that she has come to love as one of her own.

They reached the graves with Connor kneeling down to stare at what all was left. He brushed away all the weeds that had come to cover the markings on the stone as well as he cleaned up his parents' graves. He spent a while doing just this as his Korean customs returned to him.

Ancestors needed to be respected, their graves needed to be honored by their descendants.

Once he was finished, Connor split his flowers in equals halves before placing them down on the graves. He knew how much his mother loved roses and how his father always had some planted for her wherever they lived.

"Hi mom," Connor whispered, "hi dad. I miss the both of you so much. Things have been getting better for me, lately. I'm a Power Ranger now, I fight evil on a weekly basis, and save the world. Weird, I know, but someone has to do it. I also have a family now. I'm sure you know, but I've been adopted. My adopted parents and sister are here with me. They're really nice people, I'm sure you would've liked them."

Kimberly knelt down beside Connor, noticing as the tears began to run down his cheeks. She touched his shoulder once more before turning to the tombstones of the boy's parents. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Song," Kimberly said, softly. "I'm Kimberly. My husband and I adopted your son. We're so happy to have him a part of our family. Connor is such a remarkable boy. I'm certain you would be so proud of him. I promise the both of you that I'll continue to take care of your son and love him with all my heart."

"And he'll always have me to stand up for him," Haley said, joining Connor's side. She smiled at her brother and fellow Ranger, forcing Connor to grow a smile on his youthful face.

"And I'll raise him as if he were my own son," Jason said, joining the rest of them. He placed a hand on Connor's shoulder, squeezing it firmly for a moment. "I'll help him grow up into a great, young man because every boy needs a father to watch over him. We'll help him every step of the way."

Connor fought to wipe away his tears, but they were happy ones as he thanked his new family for their support.

* * *

><p>The factory on Mars was a complete mess when Zodiark arrived, but they had since remodeled the factory. Now, it was fully operational and the special weapons that Zodiark had planned were now in production. He'd soon have the weapons he needed to destroy the Power Rangers.<p>

Prince Gasket's factory was remarkable and fully stocked with all the things that Zodiark needed. Only a few modifications were necessary in order to make it possible to make his weapons exactly what they needed. He promised Beelzebub the best, and he will certainly deliver so that he may gain the power that was offered in exchange.

Umbra, Bakari, Helios, and Kratein were off performing their various tasks, while Zodiark was in his private chambers. He was finishing off perfecting the formula to assemble his army, while using what was left behind by Venjix to supplement this.

As Zodiark plotted, Beelzebub arrived to the Red Planet to see how much progress had since been made since his last checkup. The Dark Lord scanned the entire factory to make certain that he wasn't being screwed over by the self-proclaimed Dark Prince. It was downright hilarious to Beelzebub, but he kept the reasons for this to himself as he appeared in Zodiark's chamber.

"I see that some progress has been made," said Beelzebub. "Your own Zords are nearly fully functional as well. Tell me, how much longer until the weapons are fully assembled and ready to do battle against the Power Rangers?"

"If my calculations are correct then about two months," said Zodiark. "Venjix said my original formula would be off, but once I figure out how to properly assimilate Venjix's programming into the weapons then we can produce them by the thousands. The weapons needs the stability in order to keep themselves from self-destructing."

"Well, two months is a long wait for me," said Beelzebub, "however, I've been waiting millennia to reach this point. Take your two months to finish up that gives me time to finish breaking the seals that keeps my King bound."

Zodiark raised a curious eyebrow as he looked back to the Dark Lord. He abandoned his calculations so to hear more about this famous King of the Dark Lords. "What keeps your King bound?" asked Zodiark. "It must be powerful magic that keeps him sealed away."

"Powerful magic indeed," said Beelzebub. "There are so many seals that must be broken before the King may be freed. His cage is located on Earth, but the cage can only be opened from Venus. So many damn complications, but it must be done in order for him to be freed."

"And how do you intend to free your King?" asked Zodiark. "You said there are many seals. Do they all have the same requirements in order to be broken?"

"No," said Beelzebub, "there are over six hundred seals, but only sixty-six need to be broken. Each seal has a different requirement, some more difficult then others. There are, however, five seals that must be broken in order for the cage to be broken. So far, we've broken forty of them, but the Celestials are protecting many of the others."

"The most important key to freeing him requires that a vessel powerful enough to house his being to be present. I already have a vessel in mind, but I'll keep that to myself for now. Now, Zodiark, continue your work. I have a Daimon to unleash on the Earth so that the Power Rangers find themselves too busy saving their precious city then finding out about our plots."

The Dark Lord waved his hand forward, causing a dark shadow to appear that was quickly ordered to attack Angel Grove.

* * *

><p>Alice was a complete mess as she sat on the bed that she shared with Landon, balling her eyes out from the news of her mother's death. There was virtually no way to consol her since het loss of her mother came so suddenly without any form or warning at all. It pained her terribly just thinking about she'd never hear her mother's voice or see the woman who gave life to her ever again.<p>

Outside the bedroom door, Landon and Ric stood there as they listened to her greave. They tried to figure out what would be the best way to help their friend out. Max was kind of the odd man out as this was kind of an awkward situation for him. This wasn't exactly something he was expecting to run into during the week that he was supposed to be spending with his brother.

Landon and Ric tried to devise something that might help Alice when their Communicators began to go off. Max was unaware of this since he was in the living room, watching TV. So the two of them went into Ric's room to listen to what Alpha had to say to them.

"What's going on, Alpha?" asked Ric.

"A Daimon is attacking Angel Grove Central Park," said Alpha. "Tommy, Junior, and Serena are already there. Haley and Connor are on their way as we speak."

"Wait a minute, a Daimon?" said Landon. "I thought we were done with Daimons when we finished off Beelzebub."

"Something's fishy here," said Ric. "I don't like it."

"Alright Alpha," said Landon, "Ric and I will be there as soon as possible."

Landon and Ric hung up on their robotic friend. They would've taken off just then had they not noticed Alice standing in the doorway of hers and Landon's bedroom. Her eyes were practically red from all the crying she had done, looking like a complete mess as a result.

Alice approached the guys, holding onto the yellow bracelet on her wrist. "We got trouble in the city?" asked the young woman. "How bad is it?"

"We can handle it," said Landon. "You can stay here, if you want."

"You'd be putting yourself in danger if you can't keep it together," said Ric.

"I'm a Ranger first," Alice said, swallowing her tears. "I can cry after the battle, but right now the world needs me to protect it. So let's get going."

Landon accepted Alice's bravery and had Ric lead her out the door, while he came up with an excuse to ditch his brother. With any luck, this fight wouldn't take too long and they'd be able to come back home without causing too much suspicions with Max. His little brother was just too damn smart sometimes.

* * *

><p>The purple tentacles raced towards the White, Orange, and Violet Rangers. They dug their way underground so to strike the Rangers without any notice. As the ground broke, the Rangers managed to avoid the blunt of the attack, but got suffered by a bit of whiplash from the impact.<p>

The three of them were thrown to the ground as the purple Daimon began to stomp his way after the heroes. Beelzebub summoned a hideous Daimon that was completely purple from head to toe. The arms were large, thick tentacles that it swung around to knock the Rangers around with. Its mouth was sealed off by this horrific looking mask. Its head was shaved bald and was oozing with purple fluid that the Rangers couldn't tell if it was blood or some kind of sweat.

Kraken cracked the ground with its tentacles, shaking the ground in the process. The Rangers dodged another bullet with that one as they took out their blasters before taking fire. A few of their blasts managed to hit the Daimon, causing Kraken to stumble back a few inches.

"We really do need backup," said Violet Ranger.

"Alpha said that the others are on their way," said Orange Ranger.

"Then we just have to hold on for a little while longer," said White Ranger.

Kraken moved the layer of light-armor that covered its chest to spew out a burst of toxic ooze from a hole in its chest. The attack was inching closer when an arrow encased in shadows and a swirling stream of water rushed in to cause interference.

Black Ranger and Pink Ranger showed up at that moment, joining their fellow Rangers in battle.

"Daimon troubles again?" said Black Ranger.

"I thought we were done with them," said Pink Ranger.

"Guess not," said White Ranger.

As Kraken took notice to the extra guests, the Daimon was about to unleash another round of toxic ooze to hit the Rangers. Like before, the attack failed but this time it was because of slashes of red, blue, and yellow light that struck the Daimon's body. Kraken was easily thrown across the park as the last of the Rangers joined in on the fight.

"Sorry about that," said Blue Ranger.

"We're all here now," said Yellow Ranger.

"And now we can put a stop to this freak!" said Red Ranger.

The Rangers grabbed their Crystal Morphers, holding them firmly in their hands. Kraken had gotten back on is feet by then and used its tentacles with hopes of putting an end to the Rangers. However, this attack proved to be futile as the Rangers threw their Morphers up into the air and took a leap into the sky.

The tentacle burst forth from the ground and was about to hit the Rangers, but the attack was repelled as light began to burst forth. The Morphers exploded, bathing the Rangers in feathers as they were bestowed their new powers.

"Job Class Forms Activate!" shouted the Rangers.

Kraken was in for a rough ride as the Rangers finally landed on the ground. Their Job Class Forms had taken affect, transforming them into their stronger forms. Each one carried one of their weapons in hand as they prepared to face off against the Daimon.

"Red Warrior Ranger!"

"Blue Gladiator Ranger!"

"Black Archer Ranger!"

"Yellow Machinist Ranger!"

"Pink Ninja Ranger!"

"White Paladin Ranger!"

"Orange Dragoon Ranger!"

Violet Sage Ranger!"

The Daimon howled as it charged after the Rangers, ignoring its own well-being so to follow the commands of its master. Kraken swung the heavy tentacles around to smash the Rangers to bits, but the heroes were able to either avoid or block the attacks. They withstood everything that the Daimon had to offer now that their powers had grown to new levels.

Red Warrior Ranger and White Paladin Ranger joined their blades together. They sliced into Kraken's tentacles, causing purple ooze to flow from the open wounds that they created.

Orange Dragoon Ranger sped through the opening granted by the two Rangers. He tossed his own spear forward, causing it to get stuck into the armored chest of the Daimon. He jumped over it, which caused the spear to dig a little deeper.

Pink Ninja Ranger took the liberty to sneak around the weakened Daimon to strike it from all corners. She slashes away at it with her claws, causing more wounds to form, while the spear continued to dig into its flesh.

Black Archer Ranger, Yellow Machinist Ranger, and Violet Sage Ranger circled around the Daimon as they took out their weapons. Arrows, bullets, and magical stars began to flow freely into the air before crashing into the Daimon. Kraken howled at them as it suffered from attacks at all angles.

Blue Gladiator Ranger was the one who finally showed up to put the Daimon out of its misery. He held up his hammer and struck the spear that was in the middle of Kraken's chest. The power behind the hammer was powerful enough to go straight through Kraken, causing the Daimon to scream in utter agony. Orange Dragoon Ranger showed up from the back to retrieve his weapon before getting out of the screaming Daimon's way.

The Rangers gathered together at once and brought their weapons together. Their weapons touched, creating a wave of light in the process. "Angel Force Mega Flare!" shouted the eight Rangers. The light was unleashed, becoming a massive flare that went straight through what was left of the Daimon. It created this large explosion that tore the Daimon apart, putting an end to it.

However, things were never that easy for the Rangers as their Job Class Forms disappeared. They reverted back to their Ranger forms the moment a black feather began to drift down from the sky. This seemed a little odd, but the cause was explained soon enough.

It was this feather that revived Kraken before causing the Daimon to grow to a monstrous size where it stood in the middle of the city.

Knowing what to do, the Rangers called on their Zords. They immediately formed their Megazords to take on this threat to the city.

Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord took to the defense of the city, while Kraken gave out a monstrous roar. Anyone within screaming range of the Daimon were utterly frightened by the grotesque appearance. However, the presence of the Power Rangers was enough to bring some calm to them down some.

The Megazords immediately went to work in the fight against Kraken. The Daimon, however, was a little craftier now in its giant size. Its toxic attacks proved to be a little more effective against the bulky Megazords, being used to burn through some of their armor.

"We can't afford another hit," said Yellow Ranger.

"We have to put a stop to this Daimon now," said Orange Ranger.

Angel Force Megazord was steered to the front with the Heaven Power Sword now in hand. Kraken tried to rock its massive tentacles at the Megazord, but soon they were sliced off with one swing from the sword.

The Rangers charged up their sword, pouring their crystal powers into the weapon for blow. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. Angel Force Megazord charged up its weapon before grabbing the handle with both hands. The five gems on the blade were glowing with the energy pouring in from the crystals. The Megazord slashed Kraken with all its might, sending the Daimon stumbling backward.

Now it was Archangel Megazord's turn to put a stop to this. The Rangers called for their cannon to end the Daimon's threat to the city. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the other three Rangers. The inner-tubing of the cannon began to light up before the Archangel Megazord pulled the trigger. A burst of white, orange, and violet cannon-fire escaped and struck the Daimon down with the final blow.

Kraken gave out its last cry before its existence ended with an explosion.

* * *

><p>The world seemed to calm down a little now that the Daimon had been taken care of.<p>

Well, everyone's world accept for Ric. The young man still had to deal with his parents coming into the picture for the next two days. He barely had enough to mentally prepare himself for that one as he got the place together to welcome some loud ass folks.

Landon, Alice, and Max had been evicted for the day so that Ric could handle his parents. Landon was more then glad to take off as he warned the others of his last encounter with the Cruz patriarch and matriarch. It wasn't a pleasant experience for him so they all left without a struggle.

Now, Ric had something big in mind as well. He had invited Connor over to meets his parents as well as he wanted to make their relationship known. Since things started, Ric has been keeping Connor's existence a secret from his parents. It wasn't that difficult either since he pretty much always avoided their calls or he was much too busy being a Ranger or working at the diner that day.

Pouring a shot of courage into a glass, Ric slammed the liquor down his throat to help boost his motivation.

As soon as his parents showed up, the apartment was full of interesting conversation. It was obvious as to who Ric got his looks from. His father was the older version of Ric, which would give anyone insight into just how well Ric would age, which wasn't that bad. For a man in his forties, Enrique Cruz looked pretty good. Now, the young man's mother, Belinda Cruz was an equally lovely looking woman. She had a strong, motherly vibe that seemed more frightening then warm at times.

This was something that Ric knew all too well. Ric still got nervous whenever he saw his mom wearing a belt since he had seen how quickly she took it off to beat some kids. She was twice as fast as his father when it came to pulling out the belt.

His mother soon made dinner for her "skinny" boy, which turned out to be rice, chicken, and mole. It was his favorite meal growing up, something that he always made his mom cook for him on his birthday. The childhood memories were all flowing back as they set up the table just as the doorbell began to ring.

It was a relief to him since he no longer had to deal with his father's smoking. Enrique wouldn't smoke in front of guests, but he had no problem smoking in front of his family oddly enough. So when Connor strolled on inside, dressed to impress, Ric was happy to see the cigarettes being put out.

"Madre, Padre, this is Connor Song," Ric said, announcing the boy's presence.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cruz," Connor said, happily.

"Hello," said Mrs. Cruz. "Are you part of some mentoring program, Ricardo?"

Ric shook his head at his mother as he wrapped one arm around Connor's shoulder. At first, his parents didn't see anything strange out of this as Ric had always been an affectionate boy. But they were about to be in for a big surprise, this was something that they would've never expected in a million years to hear.

"No, mama," said Ric. "Connor is my boyfriend."

The apartment was utterly silent as this announcement was made. Enrique and Belinda Cruz were not exactly sure how to process this information since it had came without any warning. They were completely blindsided by this, but they both managed to retain some of their composure.

Regardless of who this Connor boy was, he was a guest, and since this wasn't their home, Ric's parents had to stay silent for now.

So his mother put on her false face as she attempted to deal with this development. As for his father, well, he pretty much remained as silent as ever. He barely grunted out that a hello to Connor before disappearing to the balcony for a quick smoke.

Dinner was a little awkward, but at least some attempt at a conversation was made. Connor felt like this was partly his fault since he knew that this couldn't be easy to hear so suddenly. It was one thing for your kid to come out, but for them to introduce their same-sex partner at the same time probably didn't do much to help with the shock.

If anything, it only made it more certain that it was true.

About an hour later, Connor decided that it would be best for him to leave. He crafted an excuse about having a test to study for tomorrow so that he may properly excuse himself from this potential mess. As he was about to leave, Connor kissed Ric goodbye before disappearing from the picture.

With the door closed, Ric looked back to his parents. He was well aware that they were going to need to talk so he was braced for that, but he wasn't prepared for the proverbial shit to hit the fan.

"What in God's name was that!" his mother shouted. "How dare you, Ricardo! I did not raise you to be a sinner. I raised you better then that."

"Mom, it's not a sin," said Ric. "Connor is a good kid and I truly care about him."

"It's not natural," said his father. "The Bible clearly says that a man should not lie with another man. You are disgracing the family name by fornicating with that boy. He was born in sin and he is trying to drag you down to Hell with him."

"Dad," Ric said, softly.

"This is not acceptable, Ricardo," said his mother. "You cannot continue to be part of this family so long as you are with this boy or any boy."

She disappeared into the kitchen, violently cleaning the dirty dishes, while his father went out to the balcony again for another smoke. There was such a mess that needed to be dealt with and it was impossible to figure out where to start.

Ric was left standing with so many thoughts surging through his head. Yes, he might not get along all the time with his parents, but they were still his family, his blood. He wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them. He couldn't handle losing everyone that he cared about all at once.

But what about Connor, he couldn't do this to him? Ric thought about the promise he made when they first started dating.

Ric knew what he had to do, but it still didn't make it any easier for him to do it.

* * *

><p>While Ric was facing the hardest decision of his life, Alice could be found in the park across the street from their apartments. She sat at a bench and watched as nightfall came, putting an end to the chaos that she suffered from the other day. Tears would continue to run down her face, but not as to the extent of yesterday when the story had just reached the "headlines" so to speak.<p>

Alice continued to grieve for her mother, but she had at least came to accept that it must've been her mother's time. It wasn't a real, comforting though, but it was better then nothing, one could suppose. At least for Alice, it was the smallest bit of comfort she could hold onto as she tried to find the strength to move on. It wouldn't be easy, only time could heal the pain left behind by her mother's passing.

One good thing about this was that she soon didn't have to face the cold world on her own.

Landon arrived to the park, knowing that he'd find Alice here by her usual spot. This was the territory she claimed after moving into the apartment with him and Ric. This was always the spot that she'd go to whenever she'd be feeling a great deal of street or, in this case, woe.

He managed to send his brother off with Serena and Tommy, knowing that those two would be able to show Max a good time. He had someone that he cared about going through a lot right now. She needed his help more then his brother did.

Not uttering a single word, Landon just sat down beside her. He didn't do anything but sit as he looked up to the sky and watched as the stars began to glisten above their heads.

Alice eventually found herself looking up to the sky as well. One star in particular began to twinkle, which made a smile form on her face. "Did you know that some cultures believed that when we die, our spirits become stars?" said Alice. "If only they knew that what they were really looking at was just a ball of gas. But I can understand why, there are so many stars in the sky, it would make sense that they'd reach that conclusion."

"I think the stars are just amazing to watch," said Landon. "My grandfather used to tell me and Max stories about the stars. We'd both sit on his lap and he'd go on for hours about the great leaders who watched over the continuation of our tribe."

"Stars really are amazing," Alice said, softly.

Landon's hand went over to Alice's hand, which was clinging onto the ankle-length skirt that she wore. He squeezed her hand with a gentle amount of pressure as he got her to look him in the eyes. "I'm here for you, Alice," said Landon. "I'm here for you whenever you need me."

"Thank you," Alice said, smiling. She turned her hand around so that her palm was connected to his. The warmth of his larger hand radiated into her being, filling Alice with some strength to continue onward. "Come with me to the funeral, Landon. I can't face this on my own."

"I'll be there with you," said Landon.

He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek as he continued to hold onto her hand with them both now sitting their in perfect silence.

* * *

><p>While one romance bloomed, another wilted into oblivion.<p>

Finishing up with helping some friends out, Haley returned home in a joyous mood. She was also craving some cookies that her mother promised to have baked that day. A tall glass of milk and a plate of cookies was calling her name as she sauntered into the house.

But instead of being caressed by the smell of cookies, the sounds of someone choking on sobs was far more prominent. This concerned Haley as she tried to understand where they were coming from when she heard her mother's soothing voice. Haley entered the living room to discover her mother sitting next to Connor, who was the one sobbing, with his face covered by his hands.

"Sweetie, its okay," Kimberly said, softly. "The first is always the hardest to take. I promise that it will get better. You'll become stronger because of this."

Not even her words could gather the pieces that had been forced to break apart.

Haley walked closer to her mother and Connor. She was confused as to just what she walked into as she met them halfway. "What happened?" Haley asked. "What did I miss?"

"A lot," Connor said, between tears.

The boy looked like a mess as he finally revealed his face to Haley. His eyes were bloodshot red, his face covered in wet and dried tears, and the worst part was the snot that oozed from his nose. Whatever it was to cause Connor to enter such a grievous state was not going to find their fate to be pleasant.

Haley ran towards Connor, dropping to her knees as she went to his side. She was about to ask again what had happened when Connor stopped her.

"Ric dumped me," said Connor. "He said he couldn't live this way with another man. We're done."

"I'm so sorry, Connor," Haley said, softly.

"Yeah, well the damage is done," said the boy. He held up his wrist and ripped of his black bracelet. He then took the liberty of removing his Communicator from his other wrist, which made Haley and Kimberly very curious. It wasn't until he threw them on the coffee table that it became obvious to them. "I can't deal with this. I quit. Find a new Black Ranger."

Connor stormed upstairs to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him in the process.

Haley felt tears running down her cheek as she looked at the table to his Morpher and Communicator. The Crystal Morpher dimly lessened its shine, while the Communicator continued to remain active. She took his Morpher and held it in her hand as the light of the crystal persisted to diminish.

"What now?" said Haley.

"I don't know, hun," Kimberly said, softly. "I don't know."

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Connor quits the Rangers causes a major rift within the team. Sides are drawn amongst the Rangers as the worst possible time as Beelzebub brings Barbas, the Daimon of Fear, back to destroy Angel Grove. Barbas, however, has other things in mind. Barbas wants to end the Ranger responsible for his defeat, he wants to have his revenge on Connor, who is powerless to protect himself. Amongst all of this mess, Junior tries to get Ranger to join the Rangers again, while Thrax has his own revenge brewing in the sidelines. And it will all end in tragedy. Find out what happens in **Fear Returns!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **Long chapter coming your way. Just an FYI, the motherboard to my laptop broke so updates will be a little more spaced out plus finals are getting closer and everyone wants papers. So don't hate me. As for this chapter, the last chapter, and the next chapter...well, prepare to be thrown for a wild ride. Read and review!

**Fear Returns:**

"I'm gonna kill you, son of a bitch!"

Haley jumped across the Command Center, grabbing onto Ric while his back was turned. She latched onto him and began to punch his back with full, feminine fury as she sought vengeance for what this ass did to her brother. Ric gave out a startled yell as he tried to shake Haley off of him.

The other Rangers were just in complete shock as they tried to understand what was going on. Unaware of the bigger picture, Tommy and Junior pulled Haley off as she continued to kick Ric until she was out of range. Landon got in front of his roommate, defending Ric against Haley in case she broke free from the guys. Alpha was going completely haywire as he had no idea at all what to do, while Adam tried to rebuild the broken peace.

"What the hell, Haley!" shouted Ric. "What's the matter with you?"

"Me!" said Haley. "What's the matter with me? Are you an idiot? What's the matter with you, Ric? You're the one who broke up with Connor."

"You broke up with Connor?" said Landon.

Tension began to sneak its way into the Command Center. The Rangers all turned to Ric, waiting for an explanation to come out of the young man that never came. Haley wasn't surprised at all, considering just how much of an ass Ric was for doing this to poor Connor.

Haley pulled out Connor's Morpher and Communicator, throwing it at Ric's feet. "I hope you're happy," said the young woman. "We're down a Ranger. Connor quit." Her news was far from pleasant as the hate in her voice was ever present. If it were possible, smoke would be fuming out from Haley, but that wasn't the case yet you could see her face turning red. "Connor can't even tolerate being around you. What do you have to say for yourself, Ric?"

Another lengthy pause came from Ric. The young man stared at the items that were at his feet. He hadn't expected Connor to take this extreme, but the Morpher and Communicator were proof enough that Connor made his choice. It broke his heart to think about it, but this had to be for the best, it would be better this way.

Connor could never know the true reason why Ric left him.

"I wasn't in love anymore," Ric told Haley and the others. Swallowing down the truth, Ric faced his friends with a slightly cleared head. "It wouldn't be fair to Connor if I keep him in a relationship that his love wasn't returned. Connor deserves better then that. I'm sorry that he chose to quit the team, but that's his decision to make."

That was not the answer that Haley wanted to hear. This only served to make her want to jump Ric again, which she nearly did had Serena not held her back with her telekinesis.

"Hold on, sweetie," Serena said, keeping Haley back. "Think about it for a minute. Killing Ric won't change what's happened."

"But it'll make me feel a little better!" Haley snapped, trying to break free.

"This is between Connor and Ric though," said Serena. "We should stay out of this as much as possible. I will agree though that Ric is a complete ass."

"Standing right here," Ric said, in defense of himself.

"I'd be quite if I were you," Serena said, slightly bitter. "I'm the only thing that's keep Haley from chopping you to bits."

"I wouldn't mind to see a couple of his bones getting crunched," added Junior.

"You need to cool it," Landon said to Junior.

All this inspired tension amongst the Rangers as a fight broke out amongst themselves. Although, it wasn't to the extreme when their trust was severed, this was merely an oral fight as the Rangers screamed and yelled at each other. The balance that was put in place by Adam and Alpha was shattering as the Rangers turned against each other.

Landon and Alice were on Ric's side. They defended the young Latino because, although Connor's heart was broken, they were still noble compared to the alternative. They claimed that at least Connor would have a chance to pursue his own happiness, even if he was no longer a part of the team.

Junior and Serena were fundamentally on Haley's side, but for different reasons. Serena could understand the reasoning; she just didn't applaud Ric's method of execution and the consequences. As for Junior, well, he just didn't like to see or hear that Connor was suffering. His intentions were nowhere near as innocent as they seemed, but that was something he kept to himself. Now, as for Tommy, he was obligated to join since this was Haley's battle, but he also didn't feel right about all of this as he stood beside her.

The squabbling amongst the Rangers was maddening, which slowly began to make Adam lose his mind.

Alpha continued to go off about how bad this was. The Alpha-bot knew that if the Rangers couldn't find harmony amongst each other then the Earth would be completely vulnerable. Nothing could stop their enemies from laying waste on the planet, leaving nothing behind.

This was a troubling thought during these dark and dangerous times.

* * *

><p>They knew that they were dreaming from the beginning, however, neither found that they could pull themselves out of the constant flow of events.<p>

Zodiark and Connor were only able to watch the conversation unfolding before them, two different looking individuals that carried their names. Connor in this dream had black hair so ebony that it shinned even in the brightest of light. And Zodiark, tall and firm as ever, had cold blue eyes and chocolate brown hair that came down his ears.

_This alternate version of Connor drew closer to this version of Zodiark. They both lay about on a heavenly beach that was located someplace far from everything. "I heard the Creator confirmed you, He is having you build an Empire in this Universe," commented Connor. He drew the attention of the older male who stared out of dark locks. In the process, the real-Connor could even feel the sweat running down his alternate's bare russet chest as he also noticed how much older and taller this other him looked._

_"Yes, the Empire of Edeonia, Eden being the Capital world of this little empire," dismissed Zodiark. The cold blue eyes turned in his direction, smothering Connor under a heated glare._

_"Sounds unimportant then, if you are not taking interest, ruling people seem to be you're forte," Connor inputted as he ran a finger over the Zodiark's clothed knee._

_"It is just more work on my plate, you have subordinates that you call __you're friends__, I have very few whom can do the jobs that I do," announced Zodiark as he lay back on the beach, eyes shadowed by his chocolate locks._

_"Well, you always have little old me," commented Connor. _

_This caused Zodiark to smirk as he spun around and sprawled himself on hands and knees over Connor. "And you like playing with fire, but maybe you forget a tad bit, with this fire there are worse things than getting burned dear" snickered Zodiark as he dropped down beside Connor's head and bit his ear._

_"Obviously you've been reading into that…Soulmate Symptoms Document. You know that any distance you cause will bring me pain and will be reflected onto you, Edeonian Emperor," countered Connor with a cruel smirk._

_"But I can still rant on about the secrets and mechanisms of the Universe…" started Zodiark in a sing-song voice._

_"No! I don't want to be bored into a coma, thank you," dismissed Connor. And Zodiark grinned in the process of all this. All while Connor continued to lay beneath them with the breeze from the Divine Ocean hitting their chests. "I'll take things at their own pace, if you don't mind"_

_"Oh, but if I were to die and be reincarnated, I would have no trouble at anything but you it seems my little Angel," snickered Zodiark as he lay on his back. "You are fiery little thing, you!"_

_"Zodiark!" shouted a voice. Zodiark glanced before standing up with a sigh, a female walked forwards and Connor just stared at the familiar pink haired woman in surprise._

_"Connor, this is our new Sister: Barachiel, careful she can be quite mean," announced Zodiark with a sly smirk on his face while the sister turned to glance at Zodiark._

_"Don't be an arse," cut in Barachiel as she stared at the older man. "Father requires your attention for something…specific"_

_"Wonderful, more work for me," complained Zodiark with rolling eyes, before turning and walking away, as he gained distance so too did the dream as it fell away._

* * *

><p>Zodiark stirred from his rest at the same time as Connor. The dream felt too life-like to the Dark Prince as he returned to the conscious realm. Something was behind that dream; Zodiark felt an outside force tugging along the strings. It was a mystery to him, however, as to who could do such a thing.<p>

But what plagued him a little more was the why, why now did this dream decide to show itself.

The strange images slowly began to silence themselves as Zodiark pulled himself away from his bed. The man grabbed his robes from the trunk at the foot of the bed, while leaving a slumbering Umbra nude on their shared mattress. The Dark Prince shrugged into his robes as he went down the hall of the factory to speak to a certain Dark Lord.

Now that he was awake, he might as well have a discussion. Beelzebub had yet to give the power that Zodiark sough in exchange for his services. Zodiark did not enjoy being kept waiting, but he had stayed quite for so long since this was a Dark Lord he was dealing with. A Dark Lord wasn't something to throw caution to the wind against; Zodiark was no fool in that matter.

Entering his office, Zodiark briefly glanced at the charts on the weapons he had worked on producing. The design had been fully completed so now that all needed to be done was to assemble the weapons. Then, once Sun Crusher Zord and Shadow Fortress Zord were fully operational then the assault could begin. Zodiark could already smell his closing victory at the expense of the end of the Power Rangers.

While standing there, a blackened feather dropped in front of him. Zodiark looked at his work desk to see Beelzebub sitting on his chair with his boots on the desk. The Dark Lord lounged about like a true devil as he stared out the window to the barren, red planet that was named after an earthly, war god.

"Is there a particular reason why you're so active, Zodiark?" asked the Dark Lord. "Don't humans usually sleep-in? You normally aren't awake for at least another hour. Something troubling you? Something preventing you from getting a good night's rest?"

The Dark Lord's attempt at concern was downright disgusting and misplaced. This pathetic display almost made Zodiark want to vomit as he approached his personal desk that the Dark Lord was roughing up. The metal of the boots were damaging the native wood of his home world that the desk was made from.

"My nightly troubles are not something you need to concern yourself with, Beelzebub," said Zodiark. "What I'm more concerned about is our bargain."

Beelzebub cocked an eyebrow that was hidden behind his mask. This was certainly unexpected to hear this early in the morning. "What about it?" asked the Dark Lord. He had not wished to discuss business at this time. It was something that he would've much rather worry about that at another point of the day.

"You haven't kept up your end of the bargain," said Zodiark. "The production of the weapons are already underway. I have yet to receive even a drop of the power that you had promised to bestow me with."

"The bargain, monkey, was that you'd get the power once the weapons were completed!" corrected Beelzebub. The Dark Lord leaped from the desk until he was standing beside Zodiark in one, quick movement. Beelzebub grabbed Zodiark's face, holding him in place by the jaw with his face turned to look into his eyes. "That was our arrangement. Until those weapons are completed and the invasion is ready to begin then you get nothing."

Beelzebub pushed Zodiark aside as he began to stroll out of the office. The guns strapped to his body were just itching to be pulled, but Beelzebub contained himself as this was a business partner, after all. "Question my commitment or promises again, Zodiark," said Beelzebub, "and I swear that it shall be your last. I will not stand for this. I am Beelzebub, Dark Lord of Gluttony. I am not some simpleton that you can easily manipulate."

"I apologize," Zodiark said, holding onto his neck.

The Dark Lord huffed as he ignored those words. "I will contend with the Power Rangers so hurry on your project," said Beelzebub. "I have an old friend about to begin spreading the destruction of Angel Grove and its Power Rangers through fear." A cold chuckle escaped the throat of the Dark Lord as he had the perfect Daimon in mind for the task he already had planted. He vanished into the darkness, leaving Zodiark be.

Zodiark had watched the Dark Lord vanish with his fists curled into balls. The first chance that he got, Zodiark would end this life for Beelzebub before making him suffer horribly in the next one.

The rage that was felt was indescribable, but it helped to sedate the worst of Zodiark's emotions.

* * *

><p>And Zodiark wasn't the only one who felt rage. The most famous of those for his rage was none other than Thrax. The mutant man was fuming with an inexpressible amount as wove dozens of streams of lightning all over his palace. The boiling anger he felt in the very depth of his soul was incomprehensible.<p>

Lightning and Dark Knight stayed along the sidelines, watching as Thrax threw lightning at the wall. A scorch mark formed on the wall from where an entire section was missing thanks to the mutant. This was the first time that Thrax actually destroyed a part of his castle, normally he wasn't that extreme.

It all went back to one source, the same source that Zodiark was again, Beelzebub. The Dark Lord was responsible for all the anger he felt that took everything that Thrax had to retain some semblance of self-control.

"He will not have the last laugh!" screeched Thrax. He rose up from his throne, firing a blast of lightning out into the universe. The blast didn't go far, barely left the Moon before dissipating into nothing. At least last time, it managed to strike a nearby comet and blew up.

Thrax struck the ground with his Z-staff, sending out sparks that flew across the floor. A few Putties that were dumb enough to be in the area were blown up into clay pieces. Their residue left a bit of a mess, but Thrax wasn't in the mood to really give a damn as he walked towards the balcony. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he tried to come up with a way to get back at Beelzebub for the destruction of his Nexus.

"You will pay, Beelzebub," said Thrax. "And I know what you want more then anything. You want the Rangers dead. If I steal that glory from you then at least I have something to take comfort in."

"But how?" Thrax said to himself. "I have no access to the monsters from the Fade. They were my greatest weapons against the Rangers. I have to create my own monster that's stronger then the ones who lurked in the Fade. What should I use though?"

At least one idea came to mind as he looked back to his palace. The Putties were cleaning up the mess left behind by the others. Thrax smirked as realized that if he created a Putty stronger then all the others then and only then could he conquer the Rangers.

"Lightning! Knight!" shouted Thrax.

His warriors entered the throne room, bowing before their master.

"Yes, my lord?" said Dark Knight.

"How may we assist you?" said Lightning.

"I want you to gather all of the Putties," said Thrax. "Bring me all the Putties in the palace so that I may enact a spell that will bring the Power Rangers to their knees. And with any luck, it will provide Beelzebub with a pounding headache like the one I'm suffering through!"

Thrax shot another bolt of lightning from his staff, while his warriors ran off to assemble their soldiers.

* * *

><p>Skulls and Crosses was packed as usual with the typical, Saturday crowd rushing into the building. The locals crowded the place, forcing Bulk to push Spike to actually do some serious work. Then again, when wasn't Bulk trying to get Spike to do something around the restaurant? His lazy nephew was a pain in his ass; if Spike wasn't blood then his ass would've been thrown out on the street.<p>

As that family drama was taking place, Connor had been pushed into coming to the restaurant by Junior. The boy looked like a complete mess and was hardly suitable to be out in public considering everything that had happened to him with Ric. The breakup had devastated virtually every fiber of Connor's spirit as he sat at the table, waiting for Junior to show up.

Junior showed up at the exact time that he promised Connor that he'd be there. At least Connor could chalk Junior up as a punctual person, even with all the other baggage that came with the young man. That was something Connor kept to himself though as he felt it too rude to bring up when he had no idea why he was there. Scratch that, Connor had a good idea why Junior asked him to come here.

It involved the Rangers and him rejoining the team.

There was a small smile forming on the face of young Junior. The young man hiked up his fitted jeans up a bit as he sat down on the chair. "Glad you could make it," Junior said, sitting down across from Connor. "How are you feeling? We all know about what happened between you and Ric."

"Haley needs to learn to keep her mouth shut," Connor mumbled. The boy brushed his blond bangs over to the side. Last night, Connor bleached out the blue from his hair as an attempt to purge Ric from his flesh. "I feel like shit, Junior," Connor said with a smirk. "The guy I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with decided I wasn't worth it. Now, I'm just left trying to find a way to pick up all the broken pieces of my heart and I want nothing more then Ric to fall into an active volcano."

"Dark," Junior said, stretching the words. "Remind me not to piss you off."

Connor tried not to roll his eyes as he continued to sit there with Junior. There was silence between them for a while until the boy decided to look his fellow Asian straight in the eye. "Why are we here?" Connor asked him. His soulful, dark eyes looked into the core of the hazel-brown of Junior's eyes. "I know this isn't just about asking how I feel. It's pretty pointless to pretend like you all care that much."

"We do though," interrupted Junior. "In fact, we care so much that it's divided the team. Landon and Alice are on Team Ric, while the rest of us are Team Connor. It scares me, in fact. If a monster decides to attack now, we're more vulnerable then we've ever been in the past. Angel Grove could actually be destroyed if we can't get back to working as a team."

"Then quit bitching and makeup," said Connor. "You don't need me for that. It's quite possible for you to find a new Black Ranger to replace me. Nobody is irreplaceable."

Junior bit down on his lip as he leaned in closer, biting back at the boy who was staring into his soul. Even with his heart broken, Junior couldn't but to find Connor to be beautiful, but he suppressed those feelings like he did everything. "If you truly think that way then you'd forget about Ric," said Junior, "and move on with your life. You'd just get over shit and keep on moving forward like I do. Screw everyone else. Make your own happiness with life."

Those words caused Connor to laugh, loudly, which nearly caused a scene in a restaurant. Connor regained composure of himself as he held back the rest of his laughter before pushing his chair back. "You don't even believe your own words," Connor told him. "If you truly felt that way then you wouldn't be a Power Ranger, much less calling yourself a junior."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Junior said, strongly.

"It means that you should examine yourself and your daddy issues," said Connor. "You want me to move on, why don't you take your own advice? Cut off all ties with your father and drop being Eric Myers Junior. But I don't think that's what you want. In fact, I think you want your father to be a part of your life, more then you realize, but you're too proud and angry to even think about opening yourself up to him. So either face your father or move on, Eric."

Connor slammed what was left of his water before dropping the cup on the table. He got out from his chair and started to walk away from his friend.

"By the way," said Connor, "I still quit."

Junior didn't even bother to attempt to stop Connor. He was too busy replaying the words that the boy said as he vanished from the building.

Was it really that transparent? All those issues that Junior had with his father were far more complex then he wanted to deal with. Yet, Connor could see through it all with such clarity and focus that it frightened Junior to his very soul.

He closed his eyes, realizing just how senseless this attempted intervention was. Connor was right about him in every single way.

If he couldn't even deal with the issues between his father then how could he be expected to heal someone's broken heart?

Either way, Junior didn't have much time to come up with a solution. His Communicator began to go off, forcing him to find a private corner of the restaurant to hide in. He chose to hide in the back in a dark corner that nobody would see him in.

"What is it, Alpha?" asked Junior.

"Thrax sent a Putty to attack the city," said Alpha, "except this Putty is different then all the others. I don't know how to explain it, you just need to hurry. The other Rangers need you!"

"Landon, Alice, and Ric are there?" asked Junior. "Are the others with them?"

"Yes," confessed Alpha. "They're all there. Please hurry, Junior."

"I'll be there right now, Alpha," Junior said, ending the transmission. He ripped off the orange bracelet from his wrist and held up his Crystal Morpher. "Angel Force, Power Up!" The orange feathers danced around Junior, transforming him into the Orange Ranger.

Once the process was complete, Orange Ranger was teleported to the battlefield.

* * *

><p>While the Rangers were busy with a monster, Connor ran home, blissfully unaware of this struggle.<p>

The house was empty, which meant that Connor would have plenty of privacy to cry his little head off. The boy sniffed back tears that wanted to come from his tear ducts. He tried to ignore the thoughts of how the end of his relationship with Ric was causing such a rift between his friends. Correction, it was the fact that he quit that was the problem. The love that the two once shared wasn't their concern; it all had to deal with that they were lacking a Ranger.

It was all selfishness. His friends were just worried about the precious team that they had put together. No, he was the one who was being selfish. Connor was just as guilty of running from his problems as Junior. Connor had accused Junior of these crimes, but he wasn't exactly much better.

Dropping on top of the mattress, the boy began to cry as his wall came crashing down. He felt every part of his body being wrenched apart by all this pain that was coming from his heart. The aching pain was just too much for him to bear. It was driving him completely insane, making him want to put an end to it all.

And it was in this moment of vulnerability that Fear began to creep in.

Seeping in through the crack of the door, a spectral entity found its way onto Connor's bed. The entity's image slowly cleared up some, but Connor was completely oblivious to any of this as the old man began to tisk at the senseless boy.

Barbas had been brought back from the Abyss by his master, Beelzebub. As promised, the Daimon wasn't killed by the Angel Force Megazord. All that Connor and his friends did was banish Barbas back to the depths. Fear could never be vanquished, only temporarily conquered against.

Humanity was forever full of fear so Barbas would go on living forever. He was the only Daimon who had this power; nothing could put an end to his existence. In all this arrogance, Barbas was certain that only beings of absolute power who were removed from the realm of fear could destroy him. And those beings were far away, outside of reality's reach.

Not even Beelzebub could vanquish Barbas, but that was a different story.

"How the mighty have fallen," said Barbas, the Daimon of Fear. "You've conquered against various monsters, but yet you can't even hold onto something you so desperately crave. Love. That's what matters most to you, doesn't it, Connor?"

"Love is what matters most to me," Connor cried. "I only want someone to love me. I only want to feel loved."

"But you'll never have that," said the Daimon. "Dirty child, don't you know abominations like you can never have happiness? It goes against the Laws of Creation." The Daimon touched the boy's face with his ghostly hand, feeling the fears and weaknesses of the boy unfolding before him. It was all like an open book, which made Barbas smile. "We are not so different, my dear. The both of us belong in the depths of the Abyss, it is where we belong."

"I belong to the Abyss," Connor whispered, mindlessly.

"Yes you do," whispered Barbas. "Wicked creatures like us always return there." The Daimon continued to stroke the boy's cheek with his ghostly hand. The power that the Daimon was feasting off of was simply magnificent. It was almost enough to fit his own, personal agenda. "There is so much darkness in your heart, dirty child. The power that you have locked away, its so dark. It is no wonder that light withers from your sight."

Connor rolled onto the opposite side, unaware that he was looking into the face of Barbas. The image of the wrinkly, old man didn't exist to the boy. Connor could only see to the wall and the empty space on his bed. He was completely oblivious of the Daimon that was in his own bedroom that Barbas had followed him from the restaurant.

Barbas could feel the power entering his body. The depression that was eating away at Connor was adding fuel into the fears in the boy's heart. It was all going back to Barbas, which he feasted upon to grant him strength. Soon enough, Barbas's desires could be granted as he sought to drag all this world into the true realm of fear.

And it was Connor who was the key to all of this. The Daimon would feast on the boy, gaining the power that he needed to end it all. Screw Beelzebub and his Apocalypse, Barbas had his own agenda that he sought to fulfill. No longer would the lowly Daimons be subservient to the Dark Lords, the Daimons would rise against them.

And it would be Barbas who would serve as their Liberator, the new King of Hell.

* * *

><p>Downtown, Angel Grove was facing a monstrous mess.<p>

Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Yellow Ranger found themselves facing off against this super monster. The creature looked like a Putty, but this particular Putty was stronger then all the rest that they had fought against. Thrax created a creature that was stronger then the usual variety because this Putty was spawned from a hundred Putties formed as one.

A Super Putty was what they were up against. This gray-skinned creature wore a silver suit and bore the traditional, giant "T" that the other Putties had on their chest. However, when Red and Blue Ranger smashed it at once, the Putty wasn't destroyed. The weakness that the other Putties had was none existent for this Super Putty. His hands and feet were encased in hardened clay that was more rock-like then anything else. This provided the Putty with a powerful weapon, making it easier for it to smash the Rangers to the ground.

Yellow Ranger tried to catch the Super Putty off of its guard as she dropped to her knees with her Holy Pistols in hand. She started to fire her bullets at the Putty to put an end to it, but her bullets proved to be ineffective. The Super Putty grabbed a rim from a crushed car and threw it at the Ranger who barely managed to avoid it just in time.

The rim crashed into a building, smashing part of the wall in the process.

"Not cool," said Yellow Ranger.

"Not at all," Blue Ranger said, helping her up. Red Ranger was beside them, standing at the front with his Aurora Sword. The trio of Rangers looked at the incoming Super Putty and wondered just how they would beat this super freak.

Three bursts of light was followed by a slash of energy that crashed into the hardened suit of the Super Putty. Thrax's monster was able to withstand the head-on attack, but it started to stumble back and that gave the Rangers an opportunity to sight with relief.

Pink Ranger led the three Rangers into the city as they hoped off the Crystal Gliders, uniting with the others.

"I guess Team Ric is having a little trouble facing this freak on their own," said Pink Ranger.

"This isn't the time, Haley," said Red Ranger. "We have to beat this Super Putty before it smashes up the city."

"It would be a lot easier if all of us were here," Orange Ranger said, turning his head to Blue Ranger.

"Bite me, Junior," said Blue Ranger. "Let's just use the Job Classes; it should be powerful enough to save our skin."

The others held back from turning the torches and pitchforks on each other. They each took out their Crystal Morphers, while the Super Putty hurled hardened blocks of clay from its fists. The hardened clay exploded all around the Rangers, but not before the Rangers had thrown their crystals up into the air to transform.

Even with the clay trapping them to the ground, the light of their crystals rid themselves of this mess. The seven Rangers activated their Job Class Forms with them changing into these stronger forms. Super Putty's clay melted away until it became a puddle of sludge as the Rangers finished their transformation.

The Job Class Forms that the Rangers used would turn the battle into their favor, hopefully. But like Orange Ranger had said, it would be harder for them to make it through this one Ranger short.

White Paladin Ranger went charging in first with Red Warrior Ranger at his side. The two crossed their blades with the Super Putty, which was held by the superior strength of this creature. The Rangers stayed strong, however, as they refused to submit to this creature.

Yellow Machinist Ranger climbed up a nearby lamppost, which she stood on top of with perfect grace. She held up her pistols and started to pull the trigger on this vulnerable creature. The bullets did a little better this time around as they actually stuck onto the flesh of this Super Putty.

Pink Ninja Ranger rushed in once the bullets started to calm down. She leaped above the Super Putty with her remarkable agility. She slashed the creature's back with her claws, digging into the clay meat of the Super Putty with this blow. This caused the Super Putty to release the swords of the other Rangers as it groaned in pain.

Orange Dragoon Ranger leaped from a lamppost with his lance being charged with his energy. He tossed his lance with all the strength that he had, using it to pierce through the flesh of the Super Putty. The lance struck through the large "T" and was stuck halfway through the Super Putty.

Violet Sage Ranger floated into the air, using her wand to create a few stars that circled around him. They were encased in transparent orbs that she pelted the injured Super Putty with a remarkable amount of force. After about a couple of smacks the Ranger flew back to give the last of them an opportunity to strike.

Blue Gladiator Ranger went in to help finish this. He smashed what left was the lance to go through the Super Putty by hitting it with his hammer. The lance went through, making the Super Putty howl with agony before finding itself smashed in the face by the hammer that the Ranger wielded.

The Super Putty was still standing, however, as it refused to submit before the Rangers. But the Rangers weren't about to give up either. They weren't going to let this monster get the better of them.

Charging up their weapons with all their might, the Rangers unleashed a stream of energy at the Super Putty. The abundance of power poured into the attacks proved to be too much for even this Super Putty to handle. Thrax's prized creation proved to be powerless to stand up against the full power of the Rangers' crystals as it exploded in a great but of light.

The light was bright pillar that went up into the sky before flickering out into nothing.

* * *

><p>They had survived one battle, but Haley could feel something bigger on the horizon. Besides the looming threat of the mysterious Dark Lords, something else seemed to be waiting to show up on the sidelines. Unable to explain it, Haley only knew that she had the shivers as she made it back home with Tommy as her escort.<p>

Her boyfriend was a perfect gentleman as he walked her to the door. The two stood on the front porch for a moment, looking out to the midday sun. Evening was slowly creeping up towards them, which would bring an end to this long, ordeal of a day.

"Everything is so messy," Haley said, softly. "I just don't know what to do about the whole Connor and Ric thing. Do you think it was fair of me to just attack Ric like that earlier? And this whole picking teams thing. This is all just so wrong but I can't bring myself to back down."

"Connor's your brother now," said Tommy. "You feel responsible for him, you want to protect him. I understand where you're coming from. Sure the execution might not have been perfect, but you're trying. Then again, Ric's execution wasn't exactly much better than yours."

"I want to punch him in the face," said Haley.

Tommy couldn't help but to chuckle a little bit as he wrapped his arms around her. He held his girlfriend close, refusing to let her go for even a moment as he looked into her pretty eyes. "I admire you, Haley," said Tommy. "You might be a little crazy, but you're remarkable. You are so loyal to those you love. You're so willing to go to Hell and back for them."

"What can I say, it's the Red Ranger in my blood," laughed Haley. "My mom says I may look like her, but I'm mentally my father."

"The best of both worlds then," Tommy said, smiling. He leaned forward, kissing her on the lips for a moment. The light, chaste kiss didn't lead into anything deeper, but the meaning behind it was something deeper.

It went unspoken, but the kiss pushed the feelings that they both had for each other.

Haley returned the kiss, pulling as much of her passion behind it as well. She wanted him to know just how committed she was to this, to what they had.

Tommy broke the kiss and said goodbye to Haley, leaving the porch of the Scott family. He was gone in a few moments, in his car and driving off to his own home.

For a moment, Haley felt nothing but pure bliss as she touched her lips. This wasn't the first time that she kissed Tommy and she prayed that it wouldn't be her last. She couldn't think of anyone else that would be better for her then Tommy Park. It might be a little soon to rush into these thoughts, but Haley felt that he was the one.

As she high-tailed it inside the house, a hand pulled Haley inside and slammed the door behind her. Haley nearly jumped out of her skin by this sudden action and when she looked at who did this, she was kind of surprised to see her mother. Haley had almost expected her dad to show up with a shotgun in his hand to protect the virtue of his daughter from some boy.

Instead, it was Kimberly, who looked like she wanted that shotgun right about now.

"What were you doing with Tommy?" Kimberly said, sharply.

Haley kind of figured what was going on here. This no doubt stemmed from the awkwardness of dating the clone of her mother's friend. This was an easy problem that Haley could remedy right now.

"I was kissing him, mom," Haley said, fairly blunt. "Mom, Tommy and I are in a relationship. He's so amazing. He is like the best guy that I've ever had the pleasure of getting to know. He's just…perfect."

"He's not though, Haley!" Kimberly said, firmly. "You can't see him anymore. I'm sorry, Haley, but this can't go on."

This seemed like a serious joke to the girl. She even started to laugh a little before her rational, teenage anger began to snap in. "Mom, you can't be serious!" Haley half shouted. "After what happened with Connor and Ric, you're going to tell me to break up with Tommy? What is the matter with you?"

"It's just not right," Kimberly said, pulling back control.

"Bull!" Haley said, angrily. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't date Tommy? Come on, mom."

Kimberly held back the urge to swat her daughter across the face for being so disrespectful. But considering what this was, she did have some answers to give her daughter, although it wouldn't exactly be the best of times or places.

"I dated Tommy," Kimberly told her daughter. "I dated Tommy Oliver when I was your age." The initial look of shock on Haley's face was painful to see. There was a mixture of hurt and betrayal in it that made her mother's heart break. "I can't have you date his clone. I won't have him play with your heart like he did mine."

She left it there, going upstairs, leaving her daughter with a storm of questions that she'd possibly never have the answer to.

* * *

><p>Connor sat at the edge of his bed, looking out his window with a blank stare. He brushed his bangs to the side and felt awfully annoyed by everything that had happened. It was enough to make him twitch as he tried to work through all the pain he felt because of Ric and the haze of that weird dream he had last night.<p>

There was a tear that ran down his soft cheek that soon dropped down to his left hand. Connor felt so just so frustrated as he threw himself down on the bed. He never felt so pathetic before in his life, but Barbas's invisible influence wasn't exactly helping him any.

The Daimon sat on the opposite end of Connor's bed. His power over fear filled the room with such despair, which only grew stronger as Barbas ate more of the fears. All the pain and misery that the boy felt only served to make the Daimon stronger just like the last time. Barbas had been powerful the last time he had fought the Rangers, but this time around, he would be even stronger.

"All this suffering, it just isn't fair, is it?" asked Barbas. "Poor little boy, why do the Fates find you so fun to toy around with? Is it because they have no sympathy who are just born with wickedness in their hearts?"

"Why am I wicked?" asked Connor. He was unaware of the influence that Barbas had over him. The boy was still oblivious that the Daimon was even in his bedroom. "Why is life so cruel to me?"

"You know the answer to that," said the Daimon. "You shouldn't exist, you know that, and the Fates know it. The Fates want you to end your life, to end this half-life that you have. Your death will purge the world of your sins and everything will be peaceful. The world will be a better place if you were just dead."

"I should be dead," whispered Connor. "All I do is breed death. People always seem to die around me. Nobody would have to die if I wasn't around."

"Yes," whispered Barbas. "So end it. Free yourself from mortal coil, free yourself from this life and slip into oblivion."

Connor nodded his head, agreeing with the words that the Daimon whispered into his head. The boy looked over to nightstand that was placed at the side of his bed. Inside, he knew there was a pocketknife that he kept with him for protection. It had been a habit to have at his side whenever he slept because of the situation with his step-father, which seemed so long ago now that he thought about it.

The boy crawled to his nightstand and went in to retrieve the knife. He grabbed onto the black handle, briefly playing with the thought of releasing the blade from its confinement.

Barbas waited on the edge of the bed, staring at the boy. The look on his face, the Daimon was hungry for the blood of this boy. He'd have everything he wanted, the revenge he so desperately sought, and then his own devilish wish coming true.

However, that wouldn't happen though. Before Connor could release the knife, the door to his bedroom opened up. Connor dropped the pocketknife on the floor where it fell underneath the bed, to be left unseen. As for Barbas, he vanished in a wisp of smoke, still invisible to the human eye.

Connor looked at his doorway to see Haley was back again with Junior at her side this time. Haley, no doubt, was going to attempt to try and cheer him up again. As for Junior, the boy was certain that he'd do something to make him want to rejoin.

"You know I'm not going to fall for whatever it is that you're planning," Connor said, softly.

"Well, you're right about everything," Junior said to Connor.

"Do explain," Connor said, suddenly very interested.

Haley kept to the sideline, while Junior went over to the bed. Junior sat down on the edge where Barbas had been but a moment ago and looked the boy in the eye. "You're right about me," said Junior. "I'm not exactly much better then you, but I'll do something about it. I'll face my father, if you face your own issues."

Junior went into his pocket, retrieving the Black Crystal Morpher and the Communicator that Connor had gave up. The young man handed these items back to the boy, hoping that he'd accept them. "We need you, Connor," said Junior. "We're not complete without you. We're more then just a team; we're a highly dysfunctional family."

Connor couldn't help but to chuckle a little, while Haley laughed as well.

Oddly enough, the boy looked at his precious items with a twinkle in his eyes. Connor couldn't help but to feel the pull as he held out his hand and retrieved them from Junior. "So I guess you win," Connor said to Junior. "I'll be a Ranger again, but I'm not sure if I'll stick around for much longer."

"We'll try and get you to change your mind," Junior said, smiling softly.

"Come on," Haley said, extending her hand to Connor. "The others are waiting downtown. Alpha said that there's something weird going on there."

Connor nodded his head, getting back to action with his friends.

* * *

><p>Storm clouds gathered at the heart of Angel Grove.<p>

There was something bad about to happen at downtown Angel Grove as they spoke. The Rangers all arrived their just in time to, while people began to evacuate the immediate area as they screamed in utter terror. This was not much of a surprise considering how things usually seemed to work out when something bad was about to happen.

As the Rangers stood by the courtyard, the storm clouds began to form a funnel. Slowly, this funnel came down to the ground before spawning a man in black robes. Completely solid and full of power, an old enemy of the Power Ranges was back to bring out their worst nightmares.

Landon, Ric, Connor, Alice, and Haley recognized this evil as they let out a sharp, surprised gasp.

"Friend of yours?" Tommy asked the others.

"You could say that," said Alice. "That is Barbas, the Daimon of Fear."

"Everyone be careful," warned Landon. "He will use your fears and turn them against you."

Barbas began to smile, oh so wickedly as he started to approach the Rangers. His hands were buried in the pockets of his robes with his aged face building up the agonies of tension. "I am beyond all of that now," said the Daimon. "My powers have grown so much stronger since last we met. I'm not longer some cheap, parlor trick Daimon. I have true power and I will use it to exact my revenge."

"We'll stop you like the last time!" shouted Haley.

The Rangers grabbed the bracelets from their wrists, calling on their Crystal Morphers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight Rangers. They held their crystals up into the air, calling down light on this darkest of days. Colorful feathers circled around the Rangers as they morphed to battle against this Daimon.

Barbas couldn't help but to laugh as the Rangers honestly thought themselves highly enough to defeat him. The Daimon was about to hit them with a rude awakening as he kept a fair amount of space between them. "Do you honestly believe that you can defeat me?" said Barbas. "Especially you, Connor, I had you tipping on the edge of suicide."

"What!" said the Rangers.

Black Ranger felt his heart tighten up as he looked into the Daimon. The cold presence he thought he felt in his bedroom that day, it now made sense to him. "You were the one egging me on," said the boy. "You were trying to convince me to kill myself! Why would you do that?"

"Because my demise was your fault," said Barbas. "You overcame your fears, making me weak enough to be defeated. This time around, I promise that I will not be so easily defeated! I shall end you all."

"Silence, traitor!"

A gunshot rang through the air with Barbas gasping for air as blood could be seen coming from his arm. The Daimon dropped to one knee, surprising the Rangers as they tried to find the source. There was a brief explosion of black feathers as a familiar being clad in leather began to walk in the direction of the heroes. The original five Rangers were surprised once more as they saw him still alive and breathing.

"It can't be," whispered Blue Ranger.

"Beelzebub," said Pink Ranger.

"The Dark Lord?" asked Orange Ranger.

"You said you defeated him though," said Violet Ranger.

Beelzebub started to chuckle a little bit as he returned one of his shotguns to its holster. He ignored the presence of his worthless Daimon, instead, focusing in on the Power Rangers. "That is the funny thing about villains," said the Dark Lord, "we always find a way to come back to haunt you."

Turning his attention from the Rangers, Beelzebub now looked upon Barbas. He dropped to one knee, grabbing the Daimon by the gray hair on his head. "You refused to follow my orders!" spat the Dark Lord. "You went to seek revenge after I went through all that trouble to pull you from the Pit. Worthless shit, I ought to rip you apart, but you might actually be useful for my entertainment."

The Dark Lord threw the Daimon forward, allowing the old man to fall on the ground with blood still flowing from the wound. The leather-clad man laughed as he turned to look back at the Rangers. "Have fun killing him," said Beelzebub. "Try not to go easy on him." And in an explosion of black feathers, Beelzebub vanished from sight.

Laughter began to escape Barbas even as blood started to flow from his mouth and touched the ground. It was glorious just how stupid the Dark Lord was, so easily manipulated by his gluttonous power.

"Fool," said Barbas. "Beelzebub, you gave me exactly what I needed." The Daimon started to rise up from his feet, which was a surprise to the Rangers. They looked on in terror as the wound on Barbas's body began to shine with a demonic surge of energy. "I took what I needed from him. His power will do nicely in doing exactly what I want. Daimons shall reclaim rule from the Dark Lords, and I will become King of the Underworld!"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" said Black Ranger.

The blood that flowed from the Daimon's wound began to touch the ground. Slowly, this toxin caused the ground to crack, not so much crack, but to bleed. "My gift to the Underworld will be Angel Grove," said Barbas. "I will drag this entire city into the Pit where every last human here shall be prey for all the hungry Daimons." Barbas was laughing, wildly, as his blood caused the ground beneath him to change into a cosmic portal to the Underworld. "All these lives will satisfy the hunger that has been eating away at us Daimons for millennia!"

"No!" shouted the Rangers.

But there was no slowing down what was inevitable. Barbas had already worked his spell and the portal was already opening.

And it was at the worst, possible time that a bolt of dark lightning came crashing down from the sky. Behind them, the Rangers looked to see the Super Putty rising up from its earlier ashes. Super Putty howled with a monstrous roar as it began to smash a building just as Barbas was dragging all the city into the Underworld.

"This really is not good!" said Violet Ranger.

Everyone couldn't disagree with that as they tried to figure out what to do. Black Ranger knew exactly what to do as he took out his Crystal Morpher, handing it over to Haley.

"You guys go fight this monster," said Black Ranger. "I'll keep Barbas busy and hopefully slow down this whole getting dragged to Hell thing."

"We're not going to leave you alone to fight this freak," said Orange Ranger.

"Trust me," said Black Ranger. "I've already defeated Barbas once. I'll stop him again. You guys use the Zords to stop this monster from destroying the city."

"Be careful, Connor," said Red Ranger.

Black Ranger nodded his head at his teammates as he turned to face Barbas.

The others paused for a moment before snapping out of it. They quickly summoned the Zords to help them battle against the Super Putty. Angel Zord, Bear Zord, Unicorn Zord, Wolf Zord, Dolphin Zord, Tiger Zord, Rhino Zord, and Condor Zord heeded their commands. The Zords arrived without a moment's hesitation as they rushed to help defend the city from evil.

Blue Ranger held onto his chest for a moment, looking as Black Ranger rushed towards Barbas. He really prayed that the boy wouldn't do anything reckless as he jumped into his Bear Zord.

The other Rangers hoped the same thing as Black Ranger and Barbas went at each other again.

* * *

><p>With Super Putty back in business and while Black Ranger faced Barbas, the other Rangers piloted the Megazords to battle.<p>

The fight was soon underway as the Rangers battled against a creature made from over a hundred Putties. The Super Putty was much stronger then they originally had anticipated in this giant form, which only made it all the more difficult considering what was going on below them.

As the storm clouds gathered and Barbas opened a portal to the Underworld, the Rangers were racing against time. The sooner that the Super Putty was stopped, then the sooner they could back up Black Ranger.

The Super Putty wasn't about to have it, however. It pummeled the Megazords with its heavy fists, smashing them around all over the city. The heavy, clay feet smashed into the torso of Angel Force Megazord, causing the Megazord to stumble back into Archangel Megazord. For a moment, the two Megazords and their pilots were a little disoriented by the impact that was created.

"How can we kill this freak show?" said Violet Ranger.

"I'm getting a little, giant robot sick here," added Blue Ranger.

"We have to hit the Super Putty with everything we got!" shouted Red Ranger. "Everyone, we have to charge the weapons with full power. We'll only get one shot at this. So Tommy, fire the cannon when I give you the signal."

"Got it, Landon!" said White Ranger.

Super Putty smashed its chest like a gorilla before firing out a storm of lightning from the giant "T" on its chest. The Megazords were assaulted by this storm, causing the Megazords to lose even more power in the process.

Red Ranger poured all the power that he could into Angel Force Megazord. He stirred the Megazord after the Super Putty, fighting through the lightning storm. The moment that the Megazord was within range, Red Ranger smashed the chest of the Super Putty. This smashed the "T" causing Super Putty to lose some of its power in the process.

"Now!" shouted Red Ranger.

White Ranger followed the order as he summoned Archangel Megazord's cannon. Orange Ranger and Violet Ranger trailed along the lead, pouring all of their crystal energy into the cannon. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the three Rangers. They pulled the trigger, firing a burst of three lights from the cannon that crashed immediately into the Super Putty.

The large "T" was completely shattered by this process, causing the Super Putty to explode all over the place in the process.

Angel Force Megazord exploited this opportunity as it summoned the Heaven Power Sword. The Rangers charged up their blade before letting out the fatal slash. The fully charged blade ripped through what was left of the Super Putty, causing the end to that nightmare with a grand explosion.

Now that Super Putty was done for, the Rangers were finally given the chance to rejoin their companion on the ground.

* * *

><p>Black Ranger was busy fighting Barbas with everything that he had in him. The youngest Ranger crossed his Angel Sword with the Daimon, doing everything in his power to hold the soulless power at bay. Barbas growled in this frustration as he pulled away from Black Ranger, returning towards his portal.<p>

The Daimon conjured a storm of knives that he hurled immediately at the young Ranger. The boy only had a split second to avoid the incoming storm, which he managed to do with his superhuman speed. Grabbing hold of his bow, Black Ranger fired seven arrows at once that exploded all around the Daimon.

Returning to the ground, Black Ranger pulled his bowstring back to fire another hour straight at the eye of the Daimon. Barbas pulled up a fiery shield to protect himself from injury before hurling the wall at the Ranger but as an enormous fireball.

Dodging the fire proved to be a little more tricky then the boy had thought. Black Ranger barely had escaped that one in one piece as he slid down on one knee. His Heaven Bow was still hanging in there, but the boy was already feeling exhausted from all of this fighting.

"Damn, he's so strong now," whispered Black Ranger. "I don't know how much longer I can hold on."

"Then give up!"

Barbas showed up behind Black Ranger, pushing the boy in the direction of the portal to the Underworld. Black Ranger slid dangerously close to the edge, but managed to avoid getting sucked in by striking the ground with his Angel Sword. As Barbas was coming back towards him, the Ranger paused as he channeled power into his bow. Once the Daimon was close enough, Black Ranger smacked the Daimon with the full force of his bow, knocking him down to the ground.

The hellish portal was slowly pulling them both in along with the city. Already, a few pieces of junk had gotten sucked in, thankfully, nothing living was dragged to the Pit. Black Ranger already saw that in five minutes the portal was already the size of a dinning room table. That alone was motivating him to hurry up and end this before it could get any bigger.

Black Ranger pulled his Angel Sword from the ground and left his bow on the process. Fighting the gravitational force of the vortex, the Ranger forced himself to get as close to Barbas as he possibly could. While the Daimon was still unconscious, the Ranger knew that he had only a moment to put an end to this battle and seal the portal.

Without any hesitation, Black Ranger plunged the Angel Sword where Barbas's heart should be. The Daimon's eyes lit up as a burst of light began to escape from it. And in the process, the Ranger felt a sharp pain in his stomach as the portal to the Underworld began to grow wild.

The boy looked down to his own chest, noticing the blood that was staining his uniform. His breath was getting weaker with every second that past, which was when he began to notice that Barbas was laughing at him. "What kind of trick is this?" said the Ranger. "Why…why is this happening?"

"I tethered myself to you," laughed Barbas. "By absorbing your fears only, I linked our fates together. You might have killed me, but its going to kill you too. We shall go to the Underworld together, and down there, nothing you can do will stop me from making Eternity a nightmare."

The Ranger gasped as he dropped to the ground, holding onto his chest still. The Angel Sword vanished along with the rest of Black Ranger's powers. Connor lay on the ground, feeling nothing but pain as his shirt was completely stained with blood by now.

As for Barbas, nothing could save that Daimon. The portal to the Underworld had grown large enough to pull the corpse down without any effort on its part. For Connor, the boy was fighting to live and to avoid getting dragged under as his life was slipping out of his very fingers.

In the meantime, Connor saw his friends destroy the Super Putty just in time too. Connor looked back where he saw the portal shrinking down until it completely vanished into oblivion.

Light returned to the city as the storm clouds vanished from sight. Angel Grove was safe now, which allowed Connor to let out a peaceful sigh as he dropped his head to the ground.

"No more fighting," whispered the boy. He closed his eyes and allowed his entire body to go limp as he embraced the end even if it meant being dragged to Hell. A soft sigh escaped his lips, signaling his passing on.

While this happened, Haley led the charge to where Connor was. She initially thought the boy to be exhausted like the others, but soon she quickly noticed that he wasn't moving and that there was blood all over his shirt.

From that sight, Haley let out a horrible scream that could've waken the dead. Except for Connor, there was no waking him up. She collapsed beside her adopted brother, holding onto his bloody body while the tears began to run down her face.

The other Rangers got close enough to see what had happened to their friend. Landon just stood there, unable to move as his worst fear came true. Alice covered her mouth as she wept for her friend, while Serena threw herself against Junior's chest. Junior had tears running down his face as he knew that his beautiful boy was dead. Tommy went over to Haley, attempting to comfort her as he looked away from the body of his friend.

As for Ric, he felt utterly horrible as he dropped down to his knees. He began to punch the ground with his fists, letting his cries tare out from his chest.

"Grieving won't bring him back."

The Rangers heard that familiar voice and all held back their tears to see Zodiark standing there. The Dark Prince was by Connor's body, which Haley protected with all her strength.

Zodiark simply huffed at her as something else was in the picture. Instead of coming up with something clever, Zodiark merely got down on one knee to touch the cheek of the deceased boy. There was still time, which pleased the other side that was in control at this point. This was something that the Rangers were completely oblivious to, but did feel that the Dark Prince was behaving differently then usual.

"The Underworld cannot be allowed to keep his soul," said Zodiark. "Connor was much too close to the portal, it dragged his soul down even though it had already been sealed. Even as we speak, he must be facing hellish torture."

"And how are we supposed to bring him back?" Haley said, between tears.

Zodiark looked her in the eye, noticing that she had the boy's Crystal Morpher. "Use the powers that were given to you," he said, pointing at the crystal. "The Morphers you hold contain the power of the Celestials. You hold a piece of heavenly power in your hand so use it to save your friend. But you must act fast, he was killed by supernatural forces so you have a chance to resurrect him because he did not have a natural death. If you don't hurry then your window will close and his soul will be lost forever. And time works differently in the Underworld. Five minutes here could be five years down there, so you must act fast before Connor's soul is too broken to be saved."

The Dark Prince got back on his feet and didn't even bother to listen to the Rangers' thanks. No, he did this for his own reasons. And these reasons were completely unknown to him as he vanished into the darkness to return to Mars.

Landon immediately called for Alpha to teleport them to the Command Center, hoping they'd make it in time to save Connor and his soul.

* * *

><p>At the Command Center, the Rangers laid Connor on an emergency bed. Alpha was going completely haywire as he robotically wept for the boy, while Adam tried to use the powers of the Command Center to help sustain Connor's life. Once the Rangers would use their Morphers, none of them were certain if Connor would stick back into his body or would fade away so this is where modern medicine came in.<p>

The Rangers stood all around him with their Crystal Morphers in hand. Haley placed Connor's Morpher in his hands so that they could call on his power as well. They all raised their Morphers up into the air, bringing them together and prayed that this would work.

Light surged across the Command Center, knocking out its power supply for a moment. Alpha gave out a startled yelp during this, while the Rangers were perfectly silent as they continued to focus. They wanted nothing more then to save Connor's soul, to bring him back to life.

The light responded to their cry as the light from their Morphers touched Connor's Morpher. The crystal began to shine with Connor's entire body beginning to glow in the process. His entire body was filled with so much warmth and life that in a moment, the wires hooked up to his body began to show signs of life.

And then, Connor let out a great gasp of air as he opened his eyes. Deep coughs began to rip at his throat, while the Rangers let out ecstatic cries before drawing closer to Connor. They all smothered the newly resurrected boy, crying as they were all so relieved to have him back.

On the other hand, Connor was on the verge of panicking since they were all just too damn close to him. He was almost hysterical until they finally realized that it would be smart to give him a little bit more space.

"It's good to see you back," Haley said, tears staining her face. "We thought Barbas really had you there."

"We thought the Underworld was going to keep you forever," added Junior.

"The Underworld?" whispered Connor. There was a shiver that escaped him as he began to hug himself. His entire mind was fried even though he had only been dead for about twenty minutes at best. Still, so much had happened in such a short period of time. "It's scary…"

"Don't worry, buddy," Tommy said, "you're home now."

Adam began to intervene, noticing how panicked Connor was looking at this point. He ushered everyone out of the Command Center, but felt it safer to keep Connor here a little while longer. Their mentor wanted to make certain that their resurrection magic had worked perfectly.

The Rangers said their goodbyes to Connor as Alpha escorted them out. Ric stayed behind a moment longer, looking at Connor carefully. There was just something very off about him, but Ric thought it just had to deal with being brought back from the Underworld. He didn't have any more time to come up with a theory as Alpha pushed him out now.

The Command Center became very quite, which was a relief to Connor who sighed, happily.

Adam started to smile a little bit as he pulled up a chair and sat down beside Connor. He got to work on checking his vitals, making sure that everything was perfectly normal with him. "You were amazing today, Connor," said Adam. "You saved the entire world, you died a hero's death. If only Barbas hadn't dragged you down to the Underworld. I can't even begin to imagine the horrors that you faced. I know that it'll take time for you to get back to the swing of things, but just know that we are all here for you."

"It wasn't that bad," said Connor.

"What?" Adam said, picking his head up. He looked the boy in the eyes, fearing what he had meant by that. "Did you just say that the Underworld wasn't that bad? Connor…are you even Connor?"

"Adam, can you promise me something?" asked Connor. "You can never tell the others this, it has to stay between us. I don't think I was in the Underworld. I think I was somewhere else."

"What do you mean?" Adam asked. "I promise I won't tell anyone, Connor. Just tell me what you mean. I don't understand."

"I felt peace and happiness," Connor said, softly. "I saw my parents again. There was nothing but warmth and light. And…and I knew that my friends were safe that they would be able to stop the dark forces that were coming."

"Connor, were you…" Adam couldn't find himself to say those words. It was just too painful for him to admit.

There was a pause from Connor, but the boy found the strength to say something. He needed at least one person to know the truth. He knew that he couldn't tell the others because it would crush them to know what really happened to him. Connor wasn't facing untold suffering and damnation, he was at peace with everything and surrounded by happiness.

"I was in Heaven."

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Beelzebub summons are musical Daimon that forces all the people of Angel Grove to sing and dance all of their secrets. The Rangers are dragged into this mayhem as well with the price being once the secrets run out then death will be your release. Can the Rangers survive this musical nightmare or will they all dance until they burn? Find out in **Once More with Feeling!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait, but I promise that it is worth it! Welcome to the exciting musical chapter of Power Rangers. This was a thrill to write. Also, I have to admit that songs and plot points were borrowed, the main influence being Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode which is also titled Once More, with Feeling. The opening number is from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Okay, the songs sung by the Rangers individually are ones that I wrote special for the chapter, except for the second one that Connor and Junior sing. That's all Buffy again. So that's it. Read and review!

Disclaimer: I really own nothing.

**Once More, with Feeling:**

In the light of what happened with Barbas, things had once again changed within the harmony of the Rangers. Connor had grown even more distant from his friends since returning from the dead after sacrificing his life to defeat the Daimon of Fear and spare Angel Grove from getting dragged down to Hell. The resurrection had taken its toll on Connor in more ways than one as he attempted to reapply himself into life.

Death might have held the boy for only an hour, but his soul had experienced so much within that hour. And it was all a secret that he needed to keep from his friends because they would not be able to bear the weight of the sins they committed if they ever found out.

For the other Rangers, they were aware that the changes were brought on by the resurrection. However, they were all too blind to see the truth behind their actions. They believed that this was behavior could be stemmed back from suffering an untold amount of time in the Underworld when in actually it was something else.

Only Adam knew the truth and it was a secret that he promised Connor to keep for life. He was shocked to learn Connor's true fate; it shook him to the very core of his soul. This was something that no one had the experience necessary to help anyone recover from.

But in the month that followed Barbas' demise, the Rangers found themselves performing for a local talent show. The cost of admission was going to go to the remodeling of the Children's Hospital. The Rangers managed to put a very horrifying performance together even with Connor helping out despite his less than stellar mood.

Dressed up from head to toe, Landon and Alice stood on center stage with the other Rangers at the wings.

Running a hand through his fake skin-head and patchy hair, Landon looked the part as he leaned forward. "It's astounding," sang Landon. "Time is fleeting. Madness takes its toll." He rose up one finger, pointing at the audience in a judgmental gesture. "But listen closely."

Alice cackled as she leaned forward in her maid outfit. Her hair masked by a tacky, red wig that was insanely puffy. "Not for very much longer," sang Alice.

"I've got to keep control." Landon broke away from Alice with the other Rangers jumping to the stage at this point. Haley in a pink dress with a white coat, Tommy with these nerdish clothes, Junior wearing only a pair of gold shorts, Ric dressed in leather, and Serena and Connor wearing matching red vests and black shorts with little hats on their heads. "I remember doing the Time Warp. Drinking those moments when. The blackness would hit me. And the void would be calling."

"Let's do the Time Warp again," sang all the Rangers. "Let's do the Time Warp again!"

Ric got to center stage, breaking full attention to himself for the moment. "It's just a jump to the left," he said, while demonstrating the dance. "And then a step to the right. With your hands on your hips."

The Rangers all joined in, backing Ric up as they did the dance as well. "You bring your knees in tight. But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane." The Rangers ran around stage, performing fake screams that got the audience laughing with joy. "Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again."

"It's so dreamy," Alice sang, grimly. "Oh, fantasy free me. So you can't see me. No, not at all."

Haley backed her up, stealing the next line from her. "In another dimension with voyeuristic intention." She kept back, looking frightened, which shared a look that Tommy had also. "Well secluded, I see all."

"With a bit of a mind flip," sang Landon.

"You're into the time slip," sang Tommy.

"And nothing can ever be the same," finished Landon.

"You're spaced out on sensation," sang Serena.

While dancing around, Junior had to make sure that his junk wasn't peeping out a little. He did wear underwear underneath the shorts but they were so small that he did worry. "Like you're under sedation," sang Junior.

"Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again."

Serena started hopping around the stage with a hand on her little hat. She happily sang her lines with the crowd cheering her on. "Well I was walking down the street just a having a think," sang Serena. "When a snake of a guy gave me an evil wink."

Connor met her at the end of the line, finishing up for her. He spun around, passing each of his fellow Rangers. "He shook-a me up, he took me by surprise. He had a pickup truck and the devil's eyes," sang Connor. At the end of the light, he ran his hands all over his arms as he pretended to shiver. "He stared at me and I felt a change. Time meant nothing, never would again."

"Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again."

"It's just a jump to the left. And then a step to the right. With your hands on your hips."

"You bring your knees in tight. But it's the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane. Let's do the Time Warp again. Let's do the Time Warp again."

The Rangers began to spin around in a circle as the song came to a close and they, dramatically, fell to the ground.

A great deal of applause flooded the Rangers as they began to pick themselves up and took a bow. They cleared the stage, giving the next group a chance to perform.

* * *

><p>On Mars, Beelzebub watched the little performance that the Rangers had from his office. The decrepit room was hardly suitable for someone as important as a Dark Lord, but the insignificant henchmen that Zodiark and his warriors brought were hardly worth the time. Their very existence annoyed Beelzebub as he wanted nothing more than to rip those machines apart.<p>

They were needed though in the big scheme that Zodiark was brewing, which the Dark Lord reminded himself.

So instead of worrying about that, the Dark Lord of Gluttony thought of a way to play with the Power Rangers. None of his usual tricks and attacks ever seemed to be enough to put an end to the heroes in spandex. He had to be a little more creative in his thinking so that meant that he needed to think a little outside of the box.

And it was so much easier to do so by watching them. The cute show that the Earthlings put on brought on a devilish idea that made Beelzebub's lips curl back. It took all of this for him to come up with such a wicked plot that would certainly sever the bonds that held the Rangers so closely together.

But before Beelzebub could initiate such a plan, the door opened up with Zodiark stepping inside. The self-proclaimed Dark Prince decided to grace the Dark Lord with his presence. No doubt the purpose was to report the progress on his super weapons that he had been working so hard on producing for him.

"Done yet, Zodiark?" said Beelzebub. "I'm almost losing all my patience with you."

"They need only a little more time," said Zodiark. "The repairs to mine and Umbra's Zords are nearly complete. Then we only need to produce a few more weapons before we are ready to send an assault on the Earth."

"Well, I guess that's some progress," said the Dark Lord. "You came in just in time. I've devised of a plan that will make the Rangers and the Earth vulnerable. I highly doubt they'll be able to stop this Daimon anytime soon."

Zodiark raised a curious eyebrow as he watched Beelzebub summon a Daimon from the pit.

Shadows coiled around the office before forming a ghostly form. It stood in the middle of the office with its ghostly feet touching the ground. "How may I be of service to you, my lord?" said the Daimon. "Would you like me to sing you a song?"

"No," said Beelzebub. "I want you to work your magic." He circled around his ghostly Daimon before pointing out the window to the Earth. "Go to Angel Grove, make the people there sing like you did once before in that one town."

"Sunnydale?" said the Daimon. "Oh, I will do as you wish, my lord. I will get to work right away."

The Daimon vanished from the office, journeying to Earth to unleash a true horror upon the people of Angel Grove.

Beelzebub began to laugh as he returned to his seat, kicking his feet up onto the desk. Zodiark was completely lost to what had just happened. He only knew that needed to keep an eye on whatever it was that Beelzebub had planned because it seemed to be rather…interesting?

* * *

><p>Getting some much needed groceries for the Astro Megaship, Serena and Junior went to the nearest grocery store. They quickly gathered everything that they needed when something peculiar began to happen while they were in the store.<p>

Everything was fine at first until a women started to argue with one of the cashiers about a coupon. The only thing was that she wasn't arguing about it, she was singing. She sang about how he was cheating her four dollars with the other costumers in line dancing around her as the cashier sang back to her.

"You're wrong, ma'am!" sang the cashier. "The coupon has been expired for two weeks now."

"But the store says it'll honor any coupon!" the woman sang in a high note.

"And we shall!" sang a nearby manager.

There was a round of applause as the customers and employees resumed their regular routine. All while Junior and Serena were holding onto the bags full of food. They both glanced at each other, agreeing that this was very out of the ordinary.

Junior led Serena out of the store towards his car. As they crossed the street, they saw people actually dancing on the road, while waving their dry cleaning around.

Serena paused to watch the performance when Junior grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the car. They quickly threw all the groceries into the trunk of his car before getting the hell out of there.

"What in God's name is wrong with these people?" said Junior. "They're singing and dancing like this is some kind of musical."

Serena looked out her window, seeing people dancing all over the city. There was defiant music in the air, which made her laugh as she saw a fat man going on about how happy he was with his weight. "I think this is kind of neat," she said, smiling. "What's wrong with people singing and dancing?"

"This isn't normal," Junior said, bluntly. "This isn't how people should behave. Nobody acts this way. We act proper and sane for a good reason. Why the hell anyone would be willing to behave this way is beyond me."

Feeling something in her chest, Serena touched her heart while letting out a deep sigh. She leaned back against the back of her seat with on hand touching her cheek. "Everyone wears such a pretty mask," sang Serena. "But I'm no different than them." She pulled herself closer to the window, looking at all the people as they continued to sing and dance. "I hide behind a false face."

Junior tried to question her, but the song overpowered him and forced him into silence. He pulled the car over on the middle of the road with Serena jumping out at that moment.

"We all hide ourselves so well," sang Serena. A crowd of girls began to dance around her. They each covered their faces with the scarves that they wore as they turned to Junior. "Nothing is what it seems. I can't grasp reality." They wrapped their scarves around their eyes, blinding themselves intentionally. "Because I won't tell the truth, I keep it to myself."

Serena ran away from her crowd of dancers as she took Junior by the hand.

"I'm in a world of enchantment." Serena pointed at all the tall buildings and the colorful people and the excitement that Angel Grove had to offer them. Junior could only roll his eyes before getting pulled back to the car by her. "I'm living behind my mask. I see the world only through these covered eyes."

"Cheerful optimism is my way," sang the young woman. "But now I'm bathed in darkness. My blood tainted by the corruption of my uncle. My virtue stolen by avarice."

Junior took Serena's hand this time as he spun her around for a few moments. The two of them danced together, throwing themselves on the road while the dancers around them did exactly the same thing.

They were all lost in dance before Serena called for it all to stop. Everyone fell to their backs, while she was the only one left standing. "We all hide ourselves so well. Nothing is what it seems," she sang. "I can't grasp reality. Because I won't tell the truth, I keep it to myself."

Her song came to a close.

Junior got back on his feet and immediately took Serena back to the car. They were both in shock considering what had just happened as Junior hauled ass towards the ship.

They stayed practically silent for the entire car ride. Once they were close to the warehouse that housed the ship, they got everything out of the car and made their way inside.

Serena looked at Junior, watching the way that his muscles were tensed up against the muscle tee that he wore. She frowned as his back was turned as she felt so much tension wound up underneath his skin.

"You really shouldn't make yourself suffer like this," Serena said as they finished up. They had brought the last of the bags inside and were about halfway done with putting them away.

Junior raised an eyebrow at her as he did not know what she meant.

The alien girl tried to send him a smile as she took him by the hand and made him sit down. "I know you're going through a lot, Junior," said Serena. "Between everything going on with your dad and the obvious feelings that you have for Connor but are afraid that he doesn't feel the same way about you, it's a lot."

"What are you talking about?" Junior said, pulling his hands away. He got up to his feet, putting as much distance between himself and his friend. "I don't like Connor that way. I'm not gay."

But Serena wasn't about to have any of that. She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. "Junior, quit hiding behind this mask," she told him. "You're torturing yourself for no reason at all. You protect us all so well, let us protect you too."

"You can't protect someone who is dead inside," Junior said, softly.

When Serena was about to ask what he meant, the same feeling that hit her in the car began to hit him.

Junior held onto the wall of the kitchen as he let out a deep sigh. He touched his stomach, holding back all that agony that was eating at him. "I died…before I was even born," sang Junior. "My life's been a shame. A bunch of jumbled lies and broken promises."

Slamming his fist against the wall, this startled Serena as Junior turned to face her. The soft notes changed as Junior let out the real power of his face. "Well damn, I can't take this pain," he sang, louder. "Being around him so conflicted aches this rotten heart. Even while I decay in the ground, nothing I can say or do will make it right."

"I want to rest in peace!" Junior shouted, getting on top of a table. "Let me have my escape. Let me drown the sorrow down to the earth. I want to sleep six feet deep."

Serena pulled him down from the table with Junior landing gracefully on his feet. He turned on her, pinning her against a wall with a grave look on his face. "You know, I find that false face so amusing. You can shield yourself, while I cannot," sang Junior. "And I know that my heart beats for him. It yearns for him like the air I breathe. And I know that you know I love him."

"But I can't bring myself to confess," Junior sang, releasing her. He pounded his chest as hard as he could before turning to face her. "So I'll just go sleep now. And I'll rot in the deep."

"I want to rest in peace. Let me have my escape. Let me drown the sorrow down to the earth. I want to sleep six feet deep."

Junior dropped to his knees, letting out a deep sigh as a tear began to run down his cheek. "Let me rest in peace," he sang, softly. "Let me rest in peace…with him."

The music ended and Junior felt so many walls that he had built up around him collapse. Whatever it was that forced him to sing had revealed much more about Junior then he was ever willing to show off.

Serena got down on her knees, hugging her friend and roommate as tightly as she could.

The two of them just knelt there in silence even as their Communicators went off and Alpha told them to get to the base.

* * *

><p>Junior and Serena remained rather silent about what had just happened in town as they rushed to the Command Center. Alpha had sent out an emergency signal for the Rangers to go to the base immediately because of something wicked brewing.<p>

When the team got together, Alpha quickly got to work reporting what the situation was like in the city. Nobody and that mean everybody couldn't predict what type of misfortune had befallen the city. Alpha and Adam had spotted numerous reports of people just randomly busting out in song and dance. It was like "High School Musical" gone wrong as Adam got to work on tracking down the source of this.

"You're joking right?" laughed Landon. "You want us to believe that everybody is just singing and dancing like morons? This isn't Broadway."

"No, it's much worse," said Adam. "This is the work of a Daimon. Beelzebub is behind all of this."

That somehow made a lot of sense, especially to Junior and Serena. The little musical number they witnessed then became part of themselves made a lot of sense. Now, the two of them just wanted to know they chose to sing what they sang about.

Junior briefly glanced at Connor, remembering how part of his song was about him. He then thought about how he sang about his father and his own desire to end it all.

Serena held onto the locket around her neck, tightly. She had a lot of secrets that she was keeping from her friends; a lot of it went back on her upbringing on KO-35. She just couldn't tell her friends her status on the planet because she wasn't certain how differently they'd treat her if they knew.

Alpha 8 pulled up an image of people in Angel Grove singing and dancing. It was very odd watching this, but one part was insanely bad. A man confessed to his wife how he was into the kinkier side of sex, which he participated with other men. That led to the wife singing about how his brother was the father of their children.

"Oh, he's in so much trouble," laughed Alice.

"That's just plain trashy," said Haley.

Connor rolled his eyes, ignoring the rest of it as he dreaded the part that was coming next. So much for the vacation he thought he'd be able to enjoy that was pretty much down the drain now. "Great, another Daimon," Connor said as he took a seat. "What the hell was Beelzebub thinking when he decided to do this? What kind of sick bastard sends does this?"

"God only knows," said Adam. "All that matters now is that we find out where the Daimon is hiding and how to stop him."

"Time to get to work then," said Landon. "We go out in pairs and, everyone, be very careful."

* * *

><p>Before running off to hunt down a Daimon, Haley rushed home to change into something more appropriate for fighting in. The dress she had on wasn't exactly good for kicking ass hence why she doubled back home with Tommy following her. Like a proper gentleman, Tommy stayed in the living room as Haley got changed.<p>

Still thinking about what happened with her mom a few month ago made her blood boil. Haley didn't see why her mom had made such a big scene before, but it was enough to nearly make her snap.

When she was done getting dressed, Tommy was waiting for her but so were her parents. Her father seemed rather relaxed, while her mother didn't exactly look thrilled to see Tommy here with Haley. The young Ranger tried to ignore the way that her mother looked at him as she went over to grab Tommy's hand.

"The city's in trouble again," said Haley. "Don't wait up for us."

"Haley," her mother called out to her. "Remember what we talked about before."

Something began to tingle inside of Haley as she allowed herself to snap. She let go of Tommy's hand then turned around to look at her mother.

Feeling this boiling up inside of her, Haley gave the words freedom. "Accept that I'm growing up, mom," sang Haley. She walked towards her mother with an intense look in her eyes. It wasn't of anger, but it was of utter annoyance, a battle for independence. "You raised me right. You guided me into light. And now I'm ready to stand on my own."

"Momma," Haley sang, beautifully, "I'm able to go off on my way." She looked at her father, smiling at him before going off to Tommy. She took his hand, holding it tightly as she returned her gaze to her mother. "I've found love in my life. He makes me dance and sing. I got no reason to hold back. Because momma, I'm my own woman."

"This girl's going out," she continued. "You can't hold her back. The boy that she loves is a good man. He'll treat her right, he'll do her good."

Haley ran up the stairs, kicking her leg over the railing with perfect grave. "Momma, I'm able to go off on my own way." She pushed her full weight on the railing as she threw her hair back then slid down the entire thing. "I've found love in my life. He makes me dance and sing. I got no reason to hold back. Because momma, I'm my own woman."

"My life is my own." Haley danced past her mother and father, allowing this musical to continue to control her. "You've done your part. So now, I'm ready to face the world." She opened the front door, pulling it open with all her strength, almost. "I am a woman now."

Haley felt a little faint as that song exited her body. The control that had hit the rest of the city had gotten to her too, making her head a little dizzy from all of that.

But still, that didn't diminish the importance of this. She was still ready to go off on her own; she was ready to make her own decisions. "You can't make me stop loving Tommy, mom," said Haley. "I get that Tommy Oliver was a friend of yours back in the day."

"He wasn't just a friend, Haley," her mother sang, softly. "Tommy Oliver and I, we were in love."

Now that wasn't exactly what she had expected to her. Even Tommy seemed to be a little disturbed by this as he looked at Haley then at her mother.

That was kind of gross. She was in love with the clone of a guy that her mother was in love with back in high school. It still didn't change her love for Tommy, but it did serve to make things a little more awkward for her now.

Kimberly decided to sit down on the sofa, sitting beside Jason. Haley and Tommy went to sit down on a couch as they prepared to listen to her story or song. Who knows what will happen with the muck that the Daimon was creating.

Luckily, it was just a story.

"When I left Angel Grove, Tommy and I put our relationship on hold," said Kimberly. "I trained for the Olympics; while my replacement Katherine took over as the Pink Mighty Morphin Ranger then she became Zeo Ranger I Pink."

"Anyways, during that time, Katherine wrote a letter to Tommy, pretending to me, which said I wanted to break up with him. She did it so that Tommy would date her, which was a pretty bitter thing to do, but not really much of a surprise since she did use to work for Rita Repulsa. Anyways, he believed it even though when I came back a year later and told him that I never wrote the letter. Kat came clean, but the damage was already done and there was no fixing what had happened. Tommy went off on his own, Kat grew distant from all of us and went back to Australia, and I married your father."

Haley closed her eyes, finally getting what was up with her mother. She was only trying to protect her daughter from the same kind of hurt that she felt.

"You do love dad though, right?" asked Haley. "He wasn't just your second choice?"

Jason decided to answer that one for her. He wrapped his arm around his wife, smiling as he looked at his daughter. "Before Tommy and Kim, it was Jason and Kim," he said, simply. "We were each other's first loves."

At least Haley knew that she wasn't just the product of a second best romance. Her parents did honestly love each other, which helped to soften the blow of this shock.

In the midst of the silence, Tommy jumped up to his feet. "Mr. and Mrs. Scott," he said, firmly, "I promise I won't hurt your daughter. I love her with all of my heart. It would mean so much to me to know that you approve of our relationship" He turned over towards Haley, smiling as he dropped down to one knee. He took hold of one of her hands as something took hold of him as well.

The spell had snuck its way into his heart as well. He stayed down on one knee, holding her delicate hand against his rougher one. "Can you hear me?" he sang, smoothly. "My words are for you, you alone. All alone in this world."

"Girl, you know what I want. More than anything I want all of you. All of you in my arms."

Tommy released her hand and stepped away from Haley. He placed both hands over his chest, holding onto his heart. "What I know is I'm in love. In love with the goddess of love," sang Tommy. "You hold my heart, body, and soul. And it's all in the palm of your hand."

"Girl, what I know is that your voice is like honey to my ears! Let's test the water, swim in the deep. We'll survive the worst the world has to bring. It's because together we're at our best."

"What I know is I'm in love. In love with the goddess of love. You hold my heart, body, and soul. And it's all in the palm of your hand." Tommy returned to his spot beside Haley. He wrapped both of his arms around her, holding her close against him even as her parents watched. "What I know is I'm in love. In love with the goddess of love. You hold my heart, body, and soul. And it's all in the palm of your hand."

Exhausted from the song, Tommy released Haley from his grip. It felt so weird to profess his love for her in that manner. Sure, people did it all the time on TV and in movies, but this was the real world.

But either way, Haley was moved by this. She kissed Tommy's cheek and felt happier than she ever had in her whole life. As for her parents, there was no stopping the trap that their daughter had fallen for. Kimberly prayed that her daughter would do better than she did, however, as she led her husband out of the living room. Jason did warn Tommy that he would be watching him in a threatening tone that made Tommy shiver.

They might have a Daimon to hunt, but the young couple just wanted to enjoy the moment with each other for a little longer.

* * *

><p>It was getting a little late in the day.<p>

Dragged from the crowd dancing in the middle of downtown, a lone man found his way into the middle of an alley. His mouth was sealed by magic as he continued to dance uncontrollably. He felt a sharp pain attack him just from the pain of all the dancing, but something far worse was about to happen to him.

Smoke began to rise up around his feet and soon the smoke sparked a fire. The man quickly became consumed by the hottest of flames as he burned alive, his screams muffled down by the magic that sealed his mouth.

In moments, his entire existence was lost in the flames. Nothing was left of him but a pile of ash and bone as the Daimon's spell claimed its first victim. And soon enough, the rest of the city will be dragged down to a similar fate if the Daimon had anything to say about that.

Hiding in the shadows, the Daimon watched as the man died painfully. A throaty laugh escaped him as he walked over towards the man's ashes. His tap shoes stomped over the ashes with a smile gracing his lips.

"Now that's entertainment," said the Daimon.

* * *

><p>Landon and Alice were together, searching for this Daimon that was causing so much trouble for the city. They spotted a lot of people singing and dancing along the way. Alice thought that this had some kind of odd romance to it, while Landon wasn't sure he could stomach another one of these songs. Especially from that last one that involved a pedophile singing about how he loved little kids.<p>

It was safe to say that the cops grabbed him and dragged him off to prison.

"Okay so maybe that one wasn't so romantic," said Alice. "Alright, that was just downright disgusting."

"Thank you," said Landon. He was defending his cause that this was all just too strange for anyone to handle. People should not be allowed to sing and dance like this on a daily basis. It was too weird in more ways than one.

Alice was still in defense of all this as she held onto Landon's arm. She looked up to the starry sky and spotted a shooting star streaking above them. The first thing that came to mind was her mother, which made her heart hut when she remembered her.

Leaning her head against Landon, Alice felt something touching her chest. It wasn't physical, but a force was worming its way inside of her. "Landon," she said, softly. "Thank you for being there for me at my mom's funeral. I don't know if I could've handled being there on my own. I really do need someone strong right now to help keep me together. I just feel so lost without my mother."

Softly, Landon let out a deep breath as the same something began to hit him. He looked sadly up to the sky as he thought about that. "I'm not strong," Landon finally said. "If I was strong then Connor would've never had to die. We wouldn't have had to resurrect him. And we wouldn't have to worry about Thrax, Zodiark, or the Dark Lords. They would all be gone and we'd be living happily ever after."

They both began to split apart, walking on the opposite ends of the empty road as song overtook them both. The music that hit Alice was softer as Landon's had more power behind it. They both carried depth as they let loose the words that they kept locked away.

"My pride is on the line," sang Landon. "I can't keep us together. What kind of leader can't keep his soldiers strong?"

"Tell me what I'm supposed to do," sang Alice. "Tell me who I should be. Tell me I'm a good girl now."

"I have to pull us back on track," continued Landon. "The team is falling through the cracks."

"I've always been pushed around," interrupted Alice. "I've been shoved into this life. My half-life, I've no control of, no direction of my own. So tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

Landon jumped on top of a car, hammering the next part of his song. A crowd drew around him and began to thrash around him against the pumping music. "No guts, no glory! I'm hanging on the edge of an abyss," sang Landon. "I gotta fight through the dark. I'm the one to save us all."

Alice gently sat down on a bench as was soon surrounded by a few people as well. They all sat down on the ground as she looked up to the sky. "Where's my direction?" she sang. "What's my purpose? I got no reason of my own."

Still on the car, Landon began to jump around with his crowd. "But what kind of leader am I? My power can't protect or save! I have to find a way to save us all."

Alice's crowd hummed against her beautiful voice as she placed her hands on her lap. "I did all you expected of me. I did it all for you. And now you're gone!"

"I got to fix the cracks!" shouted Landon. "I have to rebuild the roads. I have to bring us back to glory!" He threw his fist up into the air with his crowd doing the same.

"Where's my direction? What's my purpose," sang Alice. "I got no reason of my own."

"I have to pull us back on track," sang Landon. "The team is falling through the cracks."

"I need my director," sang Alice, "to tell me my direction. Because I can't find my way!"

Getting off the car and running towards Alice, Landon pushed through their crowds. He took her by the hand, helping to get her back on her feet. "No guts, no glory!" Landon shouted. "I'm hanging on the edge of an abyss." The two of them ran down the road with their crowd following their tracks. "I gotta fight through the dark. I'm the one to save us all!"

The two continued to run even as the song was over and the crowd went away.

As they were getting away, a group of specters followed them to bring the Rangers to their master.

Unaware of the events taking place on Earth, Thrax continued to groan about how pitiful his life had become since Beelzebub's return. The destruction of his precious Nexus had stolen much from him, breaking his evil heart as he lost his chance at reclaiming the honor of his family. It was bad enough what the Rangers constantly humiliated him in battle, but what Beelzebub did was just purely despicable.

* * *

><p>Lightning and Dark Knight watched how their once mighty leader had fallen to such this pitiful state. The knight felt such sadness for his master, while Lightning had already knew she was going to jump ship when she could. All that she was waiting for was her moment to get out of this pathetic place.<p>

"What are we going to do about all of this?" asked Lightning. "We have no monsters to attack the Rangers with. Thrax still isn't at his full best. And Zodiark has joined Beelzebub in this insane plot to destroy everything."

"Beelzebub, himself, is the least of our worries," said Dark Knight. "The thing we should fear the most is the King of the Dark Lords. If he should be freed then there is nothing that can stop the destruction that will take place. The universe will collapse before him."

Thrax began to stir from his throne, walking away as he dismissed his Putties from his side. The mutant leader was going to return to his bedroom to sulk when a familiar taste of power touched the tip of his tongue.

Everyone looked towards the balcony and saw Beelzebub standing there. The Dark Lord had his arms crossed over his chest with a malicious smile plastered onto his face. With his presence here, Lightning and Dark Knight drew their blades to keep this beast from going any further.

"Drop the act, I'm not here to fight," said Beelzebub. "I'm actually here to invite you all to a little party."

Lightning and Dark Knight kept their blades up when Thrax began to approach the balcony. His warriors followed his instruction to drop their weapons.

"What kind of a party?" asked Thrax.

"The one where the Power Rangers are defeated," said Beelzebub. "What else?"

Thrax stood still for a moment before agreeing to accept this invitation.

* * *

><p>Exactly why he agreed to go patrolling the city with Ric was beyond Connor. It probably dealt with the fact that he was such a masochist that the boy enjoyed the pain that being around the young man brought him. But the real reason was to remind Connor the fact that he was alive and that this world could never bring him the happiness that he felt before.<p>

That would remain a secret for as long as he lived, however. Connor knew that none of the Rangers could withstand hearing that his soul wasn't dragged down to the Underworld with Barbas. It went onto a world of beauty and peace. And now, he was stuck in a world that was far from being beautiful and peaceful like the one he was in before.

Ric took the lead as they searched around their part of town. He looked for anything suspicious, besides the people dancing and singing on every corner of town.

"I guess this is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought," Ric said to Connor. "How the hell are we going to spot a Daimon amongst all this chaos? Isn't he the one responsible for making everyone sing and dance anyways?"

"Pay attention to what you're doing, Ric," Connor said, walking around him. He looked around a corner for anything suspicious before turning back to the ex. "Maybe if you actually did your job then we would be able to catch this Daimon before we both grow old."

Ric wanted to say something, but there was no way he could justify himself. He chose this bad guy role so now he would have to pay the consequences of all this. Connor hating him was his fault to begin with so he might as well play the part.

Ignoring each other for a while, they ended up walking towards the fountain at a nearby park. The two of them sat at the edge and felt the water splash against them while the moonlight reflected against the water.

For a moment, Connor felt free and as close to happiness as he could get. Then he remembered that Ric was there so that feeling of serenity was replaced with one of dread. He tightened his fists into balls as he held onto his jeans, wishing that he could rip his own skin off. All that pain that Ric had caused him was just driving him insane now that he was torn away from that peaceful world.

This didn't go unnoticed though. Ric barely got a syllable out when a strong feeling hit Connor, forcing the boy to stand up.

"You're a pretty boy with a pretty face. You told me a lot of pretty words," sang Connor. "You told me I was your everything. But too bad you're just a liar."

Connor ran his hands through his blond hair, pulling them at the ends. " My lovely liar my heart was just a fun little game for you to play! My lovely liar, you pretended to love me and tossed me out at first notice!" Connor's words were like knives to Ric, but they were far from being over. His feelings for Ric that he kept buried were coming out to the surface. "My lovely liar."

"Keep playing your games. Keep going on breaking hearts, but keep away from me!"

"My lovely liar, my heart was just a fun little game for you to play. My lovely liar, you pretended to love me and tossed me out at first notice. My lovely liar."

"I'm done, I'm through. I'm not your boy anymore. My heart's not yours. I've finally cut you loose!"

Connor turned to Ric, looking at him with intense hate. He tried to convince himself that he didn't hate him, but there was no point lying to himself any longer. "I want you gone," sang Connor.

Ric closed his eyes as the feeling that overtook Connor had passed onto him. He was tired of feeling all this blame, but this was the price he had to pay. Now though, he was tired of this burden.

If Connor wanted anger then Ric would give him a good reason to be angry. It was time that Connor found out the reason why Ric did what he did to him.

As the boy was going to leave, Ric grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him back. "I'll tell you a story to make your ears bleed," Ric sang, deeply. "The words I said were all lies. I tried to soften the heart break. I tried to protect you."

Connor rolled his eyes at another lie, but Ric was forcing him to listen as he brought him closer.

"My decision wasn't blind. It wasn't out of hate. What I did was try to save you!"

"Put the blame on me," sang Ric. "Its better I be damned. Better that you hate me. Its better than hearing the truth."

At this point, Connor was willing to listen, which led to Ric releasing his wrist. The boy went to sit down on the edge of the fountain as Ric continued to sing.

"The reason I called it quits," he sang. "The reason why left was to save you from guilt. It was either you or my family."

"I couldn't let you live with that guilt. Better that you hate me. Better so you could move on," continued Ric. "Better…its just better this way."

"So put the blame on me! Its better I be damned. Better that you hate me. Its better than hearing the truth."

The song and the feeling was over. Ric fell to one knee as he was drained from that performance. Not knowing what else to do, he tried to apologize to Connor as he turned his head to see the boy.

But the moment he looked at where Connor was sitting, Ric saw that Connor wasn't there anymore. He saw a brief trail of dirt getting thrown up and realized that Connor ran away after hearing the truth.

Not that he could blame him, the blame was supposed to be all on Ric after all.

Ric sat down on the ground and closed his eyes. He didn't know what else to do when suddenly he felt arms grabbing him. Before he could let out a yell, something smacked him in the face. Ric saw stars before completely passing out and was dragged out of the park.

* * *

><p>This was really not how they planned to spend their day.<p>

Ric was carelessly thrown to the ground by these things in suits. He wasn't exactly sure if they were male or female because of these giant, masks they wore that covered their entire heads. The only thing that he knew for certain was that he was in a massive theater like where they'd host a play, an opera, or a musical.

He wasn't the only one either.

Junior and Serena were by the stage with two more of those freaks surrounding them both. A sharp scream filled the air before the three of them saw Alice and Landon getting thrown in with them. That brought the total up to six, masked freaks and five of them had their Crystal Morphers in hand, while the sixth went to the stage.

As their gaze followed them, the sound of tapping stole their attention. The Rangers looked to the center of the stage to see someone tap dancing who wasn't there a moment ago.

Dressed up in a red suit, the man spun around and danced on the stage before finally showing his face to the Rangers. Alice and Serena bit down on their tongues to hold back the urge to scream, while the guys were pushed down to the ground by the freaks. The man looked far more demonic then human, which led the Rangers to believe that this was the Daimon responsible for all the singing and dancing.

The Daimon's skin was bright red. He had this twisted mustache that was made from skin, not hair. He had this bumpy ridge along the bridge of his nose that went up to his forehead, touching the hairless head of his. His amber eyes radiated with intense malice, but also gazed upon the Rangers with intense interest.

"Why'd you run away?" sang the Daimon. "Don't you like my style?" The Daimon laughed as he tugged on his suit. The color changed from red to blue as he resumed dancing. He jumped from the stage and strutted his stuff in front of the powerless Rangers. "Why don't you come and play. I guarantee a great big smile."

"I come from the imagination and I'm here strictly by invocation. So what'd say? Why don't we dance a while." The Daimon pulled Serena to her feet, while his henchmen began to force the guys and Alice up on their feet. They were all forced into a dance by the magic that the Daimon wielded against them all.

The Daimon's voice only got louder as he took Serena to the stage. "I'm the heart of swing. I'm the twist and shout when you gotta sing. When you gotta let it out." The Daimon spun Serena around, pulling the young woman around the stage, leading her on as she was tugged into dancing with him. "You call me and I come a-runnin'. I turn the music on - I bring the fun in. Now where partying - that's what it's all about. 'Cause I know what you feel girl. I know just what you feel girl!"

Serena managed to break through his spell for a moment, stopping herself from dancing any further. At first, she took in a deep breath, while the other Rangers continued to dance with their bizarre partners. "You're like a good Daimon then?" asked the alien. "You make things fun?"

The Daimon laughed as he shook his head at her. All these melodies they go on too long." He pulled her by the end, taking her to center stage as his dancers and the Rangers went insane with the dance. "Then that energy starts to come on way too strong. All those hearts laid open - that must sting." A door dropped down on the stage, which the Daimon opened up to reveal the man that had danced to his death earlier. "Plus some customers just start combusting." The door and the body vanished within a moment as the Daimon started to spin Serena around on the stage.

"That's the penalty when life is but a song," sang the Daimon.

Pumping up the last of his song, the Daimon really gave it his all, while making the Rangers and his henchmen continue their dance. "I can bring whole cities to ruin and still have time to get a soft shoe in." The Daimon turned Serena to look at her friends. The guys and the Daimon's henchmen surrounded Alice in a circle who wiggled her hips and tugged her shirt up to expose skin. They were all thrashing their heads about, while pulling their bodies along an invisible string. "Somethin's cooking," sang the Daimon. "I'm at the griddle. I bought Nero his very first fiddle."

Serena threw herself from the stage and landed in Alice's arms. The girls fell to the ground with the boys following suit. As the Rangers dropped, the henchmen swarmed around them, tying them up in rope that tightly held them all in place before returning to their master.

"Why are you doing this?" said Landon. "Why are you attacking the city through song?"

The Daimon smirked as he continued to stand on the stage. "It's my specialty, little boy," he said, simply. "Weren't you listening to my song? My name is Sweets, I get people to confess their deepest, darkest secrets through song and dance."

"How do people die though?" asked Serena. "I don't understand."

"Once the secrets run out, you have no choice but to dance until you die," said Sweets. "Now, I have three more Rangers to lure here before the main event can begin. Lord Beelzebub wants to see a good show and that is exactly what I shall give him."

There mere mention of the Dark Lord's name made the Rangers shiver in terror. They all tried to fight their bounds, but the rope was just too tight for them to easily break. And they were powerless to mention. Sweets' henchmen held their Crystal Morphers in their hands, preventing the Rangers from a successful escape."

"Now were partying," sang Sweets. "That's what it's all about."

The Daimon disappeared to his dressing room to get all dolled up for the main event. All he needed now was for three more Rangers to get on set before the curtain rises for the climax of their performance.

* * *

><p>After running as far away as he could, Connor finally forced him to stop once he was at the outskirts of Angel Grove. He could've made it to L.A. if he really pushed himself, but somehow he didn't find himself motivated enough to do that. He just couldn't bare all this weight that had been thrown onto his shoulders, it was all just too much.<p>

Letting out a deep scream from his chest the boy let loose everything at once. The pain, the betrayal, this cruel existence known as life, Connor let it all out at one point. He hoped that this release would make him feel better, but it didn't exactly help out as much as he had wanted it to.

Not knowing what else to do, he had no choice but to turn back towards down. The moment he did, however, his Communicator began to go off with news for him to report to the Command Center. Without wasting another moment, Connor teleported to the Command Center to find out what was going on now.

Upon his arrival, Haley and Tommy rushed in as well. The three of them turned to Alpha and Adam, knowing damn well that they would know just what was going on right now.

"The others have been captured," said Alpha. "We know that the Daimon that is attacking the city has them. We've managed to track their coordinates down to the Angel Grove Music Hall."

"Why the concert hall?" asked Tommy.

"Where else would a Daimon who makes people sing and dance set up shop?" said Haley.

Fair point, Tommy had no choice but to agree with his girlfriend as he held out his hand to hers.

Connor caught sight of this and didn't even seem to care about his adopted sister's happiness. The only thing he knew was that he was annoyed by this latest development of their friends being held captive. "I guess we'd better get going then," said Connor. "The sooner we destroy this Daimon then the sooner I get back moving on with my life."

As Connor was about to leave, Haley felt the need to put a stop to this. She stormed towards Connor and grabbed him by the wrist with her eyes glaring at him.

"What is the matter with you, Connor?" asked Haley. "You've been acting like such a jerk since…since we brought you back." It sounded really bad now that she was saying it, but there was no putting a genie back in the bottle. Now, she had no choice but to run with the box that she opened. "We all understand that the Underworld was terrible to you. We saved you as quickly as we could to spare you from that torment."

Before she could even add another thought, Connor pushed Haley away from him. He struck her shoulder, catching her and everyone else by surprise by the harshness in his attack.

The boy's eyes were glazed over with an unfamiliar glare. The look of Death was in his eyes as he fought to keep himself from ripping out Haley's throat. "No, you don't understand a damn thing!" he shouted, instead. "You have no idea at all what I went through. What I'm going through right now." He pulled up his sleeve, showing off his Communicator as he played with the teleportation button. "I'm leaving. If you two want to credit for the rescue mission then I suggest that you hurry up."

A black light consumed Connor as he teleported out of the Command Center.

Haley held onto her shoulder, still feeling the blow of where Connor had struck her. Inside her chest, her heart felt like something else had grabbed onto it. It felt like a fist that held her so tight that it nearly made her lose her breath as a result.

Tommy went over to her side, holding onto her as he asked if she was okay. Physically, Haley was just fine, but her mind just couldn't process Connor right now.

"Just don't ask questions," said Adam. "It's best that you do not know, trust me. Go save the other Rangers."

"You know?" Haley asked him. "You know what's wrong with Connor, don't you?"

"He made me swear to secrecy," said Adam. "I won't break Connor's trust. If he wishes to tell you then he will."

Haley wasn't sure if she could trust Adam right now though. These secrets just weren't good at all, especially the one she heard about her mother. It made looking at Tommy difficult when she thought about it, so she tried to bury that revelation into the ground where it belonged.

Knowing nothing else to do, Haley had Tommy teleport with her to go rescue their friends from the Daimon.

Adam let out a deep sigh as he prayed for Connor. He wasn't much of a prayer, but he felt that it was necessary to do right now. Something had to be done to save Connor from this…this whatever it was that he was slowly changing into.

The grim looks that Connor bore made him look like Death, which was something that Adam felt was unbecoming of Connor. Alpha would agree with him if the robot knew just what was going on. Alpha 8 was as confused as everyone else when it came to Connor.

* * *

><p>As the curtain was about to rise, Sweets peered from the corner to see Beelzebub assembled the villains at the front of the stage. About half of the crowd was composed of the Putties, while rest of the villains took up the entire front row. Beelzebub, Thrax, and Zodiark sat the very middle. Lightning, Dark Knight, Umbra, Bakari, Helios, and Kratein sat the sides of their respective masters.<p>

The Rangers that they had captured were tied up in chairs behind the curtains. Sweets had one of his henchmen holding onto the Rangers' Morphers inside of a case. The rest of them stood in front of a Ranger, awaiting further orders.

Checking his watch, Sweets saw that they only had two minutes for the Rangers to show up for their appropriate cue. It was time for the curtain to rise and the show to begin.

"I hate working with divas," said the Daimon. "They always wait to the last minute to arrive to the stage."

Sweets had his henchmen pull up the curtain as he stood at the center of the stage with the Rangers tied up behind him. The Putties began to applaud him, while the rest of the villains remained silent in their chairs.

The Daimon was not about to disappoint them as he celebrated the opening and final night of his grand performance. "Welcome ladies, gentlemen, and Putties," said the Daimon. "I am your humble host for the night. I am Sweets, and welcome to our show, Once More, with Feeling! Our special guests of the night are the Angel Force Power Rangers!"

The villains spotted five of the eight Rangers tied up on stage. They began to laugh as they saw just how powerless the heroes looked before them. The Rangers tried to fight through the rope that had them tangled up, but found that it was even more difficult now that the show had started.

"Now, it is time for the main event to begin!" shouted the Daimon.

Just as the words escaped his lips, the doors at the back of the audience were blown open. A cloud of smoke rose up as Black Ranger ran inside with Pink Ranger and White Ranger trailing behind them. The moment that the Rangers entered, however, they were forced into powering down.

The Daimon applauded their arrival as he spot the Ranger that he had the most interest in. He knew that Connor would bring him all the glory that he so desperately sought.

"I do love a dramatic entrance," said Sweets.

Connor walked away from Haley and Tommy with the leather of his jacket making noise as he strolled down the stage without any fear. He didn't bother to look at any of the villains, especially at Zodiark. "Well, how are you with death scenes then?" said the boy. "You won't make it out of here alive."

The villains chuckled from the cockiness of the boy, except for Zodiark who felt something different about the boy. The resurrection had changed much to him. The innocence that the boy once held had changed into something else.

"I wouldn't be so bold if I were you," said Sweets. "You will be the one who will pay the price. I will not go easy on you."

"That's just life then," Connor said, standing between the Daimon and the villains.

Sweets smiled as he found his opening. He manipulated his spell around Connor as he prepared to give the boy his cue to dance until he burned. "Isn't life just a miraculous thing?" asked the Daimon.

Feeling the Daimon's magic against him, Connor had no choice but to respond to him.

"Life's a show and we all play a part," sang Connor. "And when the music starts, we open up our hearts." He unzipped his jacket and dropped it to the ground. Sweets' Henchmen began leave the stage and surround him. "It's all right if some things come out wrong. We'll sing a happy song." The boy turned his head back, winking at the villains. "And you can sing along."

The first of the henchmen tried to get the jump on Connor, only to get punched by the boy. "Where's there's life, there's hope. Everyday's a gift." Connor continued to sing as he fought off all the henchmen with all his might. Tommy and Haley were coming down the stage to back him up and soon felt dragged in by the song. The other Rangers and the villains all watched in awe of the scene displaying before them. "Wishes can come true. Whistle while you work so hard all day."

"To be like other boys," Connor sang, softly. The last of Sweets' henchmen dropped to the ground at that point, except for the one holding the Morphers. "To fit in this glittering world. Don't give me songs. Don't give me songs."

Connor was soon surrounded by Haley and Tommy who stayed at his sides. "Give me something to sing about," sang Connor. "I need something to sing about." The three of them danced together, in perfect harmony as Connor led them.

When it was over, Connor tossed his hair back as he smirked at the villains. "Life's a song you don't get to rehearse," the boy sang, dragging out the last line. "And every single verse can make it that much worse."

The boy turned to his two companions, holding his hand up to block their faces from him. "Still my friends don't know why I ignore. The million things or more." He crossed his hands over his heart, while still staring at the villains. "I should be dancing for."

On his own now, Connor danced freely. "All the joy life sends. Family and friends." He pointed towards his adopted sister and the other Rangers who were all tied up. Knowing that he should be doing more to save them, but the song kept him performing even as he only wanted to destroy this Daimon. "All the twists and bends. Knowing that it ends. Well that depends…"

"On if they let you go. On if they know enough to know." Connor walked towards the stairs that led to the stage as he joined Sweets at the center. He looked back at his friend and even at the villains that had been assembled for the performance. "That when you bow you leave the crowd.

Connor turned to Sweets, knowing exactly where the song was going to next. He was too afraid to go there, but the Daimon edged him on with the simple flick of his wrist. There would be no holding back now. So Connor allowed the truth to leave his heart, the real reason behind the change that had afflicted him.

"There was no pain," sang Connor. "No fear, no doubt till they pulled me out of heaven." His voice was so soft and full of heartache, which hit the Rangers like a ton of bricks. The moment he said Heaven, they began to see the true weight of their actions. "So that's my refrain. I live in hell 'cause I've been expelled from heaven. I think I was in heaven."

Even the villains were surprised to hear such a declaration. Zodiark looked at the boy, feeling completely lost as he saw only the being that looked like Connor from the dream. As for Beelzebub, he felt the pain as he remembered that feeling. Although, the fall purely on them, their Fall from Paradise had been a painful one, nonetheless.

Connor looked at Sweets, letting out a painful cry escape from his chest that was mixed with tears. "So give me something to sing about!" sang Connor. "Please give me something."

Sweets refused to give him another song, forcing Connor to end this one.

The boy jumped from the stage and without anything to stop him, preceded to dance. He danced and he danced without a moment to pause. His body was twisting and turning in rapid motions until he began to spin around as quickly as he could.

And this all led to smoke escaping his entire body with flames beginning to kiss the soles of his shoes. The Rangers would soon be forced into watching their friend burn to death.

Refusing to allow such a thing to happen, Junior reacted violently. In a single second, everyone else disappeared as he thought only about saving Connor's life. They might have stolen Paradise from him, but he would not allow him to suffer at this Daimon's hands. Evil will not claim his life again.

Junior force field ripped throughout his body. It tore apart the ropes and chairs that kept the Rangers bound. Even the last of the henchmen was knocked back as the case that kept their Morphers was destroyed.

The Orange Crystal Morpher responded to Junior's strong emotions and morphed him into his Dragoon form in a second. The Ranger pushed his lance into the chest of the henchman, ending its life before jumping off the stage with remarkable speed.

The Dragoon armor and his Ranger powers shattered to protect himself and Connor from the flames. Junior wrapped his entire body around Connor, ending the smoke and smothering the flames to the surprise of everyone present.

Connor was surprised by Junior's sacrificed. When he looked him into the eye, intense emotions hit him hard as was held onto by Junior.

"Life's not a song," sang Junior. "Life isn't bliss. Life is just this. It's living." He brushed his hand against Connor's cheek, wiping away the tears that had fallen from the song. The heavenly confession had hit them all hard, but Connor was most affected by his own confession "You'll get along. The pain that you feel only can heal by living. You have to go on living. So that one of us is living."

At last, the song was over, freeing Connor from another untimely death.

Sweets looked rather annoyed to see that his plot had been thwarted. The Daimon was even less pleased to see the other Rangers had reclaimed their Morphers and were ready to fight him.

However, Beelzebub stood up and put a stop to all of it. "It's time to go," said the Dark Lord. "This battle is over." The Dark Lord vanished in a puff of smoke with black feathers falling at his leave.

Zodiark felt the same as he and his warriors vanished into darkness. Thrax didn't seem surprised to see Beelzebub's plot failed. He stomped his staff to the ground, causing him, his warriors, and the Putties to vanish from the theater.

The Rangers all turned to Connor where they looked at their friend, feeling nothing but agony in their own hearts for what they did to him.

Sweets decided to reclaim their attention as he began to applaud them. The Rangers did what he wanted too as they turned to face the Daimon. "Congratulations everyone," said Sweets. "You beat the bad guy."

"Get out of here!" Haley hissed, bitterly.

The Daimon laughed as he chose to bow at the Rangers. However, there was still one more thing he had left to say. And what better a way to let it out then through song?

"What a lot of fun," sang the Daimon. "You guys have been real swell. And there's not a one who can say this ended well!"

He continued to dance at one spot, snapping his fingers as he waved his legs around. "All those secrets you've been concealing," sang the Daimon. "Say you're happy now, once more with feeling."

"Now I gotta run." Sweets turned around and made his exit with a dramatic yelp. "See you all in Hell!"

The Daimon disappeared into a wisp of red smoke, zooming around each of the Rangers before vanishing completely. No doubt, the Daimon had made his big exit to return back to the Underworld where he belonged.

But there was one more gift left behind for the Rangers even though the need to sing and dance was gone. It would be up to them to open it, which they did once they turned to face one another.

Serena made her way towards the stairs with the others on stage following behind her. "Where do we go from here?" sang Serena. She and the others joined the rest of their friends on the ground, standing still as they looked away from each other. "Where do we go from here?"

"The battle's done," sang Landon, "and we kind of won."

"So we sound our victory cheer," sang all the Rangers. "Where do we go from here?"

The Rangers turned to face the stage, looking up to the lights high above them. "Why is the path unclear? When we know home is near," sang the Rangers. They began to one by one take each other's hand, holding it firmly. "Understand we'll go hand in hand." They then released each other's hands and began to split away from one another. "But we'll walk alone in fear. Tell me. Where do we go from here?"

"When does the end appear? When do the trumpets cheer? The curtains closed on a kiss God knows. We can tell the end is near. Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from here?"

Most of the Rangers remained standing there, standing in the false victory that they had achieved against evil.

Connor had escaped before the end of the song with Junior following behind him. The two of them had gone on unnoticed as nobody really wanted to face the reality of just what happened in the theater.

Junior was the only one brave enough to face this fear. Even as Connor tried to get away, he refused to let things just end where they had.

When Connor was about to leave the building, Junior stopped him at the exit. He stepped in front of him and took hold of both of the boy's hands. "If we ever got what we wanted or even what we deserved then there'd never be evil in this world," said Junior. "All of us wouldn't be Rangers right now. We'd all be living happily ever after."

"How does that help?" asked Connor. "It doesn't change the fact that being here feels like Hell to me. I was happy…I was so happy in Heaven."

The weight of his words would crush anyone, but Junior refused to buckle down. He would be the shield that would keep Connor safe. "Then let me bring you back Heaven," said Junior. "I'll give you back your Paradise."

"Are you going to kill me, Junior?" Connor asked. His voice was broken and sad, but yet a part of him was hopeful to have Death's sweet release.

"Eric," said the young man. "Call me Eric."

Connor didn't know why Junior…Eric would ask him to do so. He half-expected a knife to plunge into his chest when something very different happened.

Eric pulled Connor up into his arms, carrying the boy as he leaned his head forward to kiss Connor's lips. The immediate contact of their lips sent such emotion throughout Connor's being that the boy didn't know what to do. All Connor could process was that he felt something that he hadn't felt since his return to Earth.

It was hope.

For the first time, Connor had some hope back. Connor didn't want to lose this last chance at any kind of happiness so he kissed Eric back as he locked his arms around his neck and legs around his waist. The two stayed like that, surrendering to each other and not carrying just who might see them at this point.

Nobody did though as the two continued the kiss that brought them both back from the dead.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

Songs - The Rangers "Time Warp" from Rocky Horror Picture Show & "Where do we go from here" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sweets "Sweet's Song" & "Sweet's Song (Reprise) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Connor "Life's a Show" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The rest are all original songs. Landon "Glory", Alice "My Direction", Ric "Blame it on Me", Connor "Lovely Liar", Haley "I'm My Own Woman", Tommy "Get to Me", Junior/Eric "Rest in Peace", Serena "Nothing's What It Seems".

On the next chapter, the time has come. Zodiark and Umbra attack the planet with their Zords, while the rest of the weapons are near completion. The Rangers go to battle against their enemies only to discover that even with both Megazords that their powers are still not enough. Find out what will happen to the Rangers and Angel Grove in **Bigger Guns!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: **Another lovely chapter written just for you all. Some reviews would be nice to see. So read and review! RIGHT NOW!

**Bigger Guns:**

_Lost in the dreamscape once more, Connor and Zodiark felt their souls being pulled by unknown forces to this realm. Instead of being lost on a divine beach, they were pulled to a war-torn field that was stained crimson with the blood of mortals. The other versions of them were the only ones left alive on this field with the other Connor beginning to slowly dance around the bodies._

_Zodiark's other's appearance cleared up as he approached Connor's dancing other. His skin tone was significantly whiter with those mesmerizing cold-blue eyes and chocolate-brown hair. He was clad in leather clothing that showed off every curve of his lean, muscular physique, making him appear all the more lethal but also stunning._

_Connor's other was nothing to bat an eyelash at either. He looked almost perfectly like Connor, but with a slightly darker skin-tone and soulful brown eyes that spoke clearly of his youth. Unlike Zodiark's other, Connor's other hardly wore a thing. He wore pants that were slipping off his slim waistline and had a long, white shirt that was completely unbuttoned to show off his youthful chest._

_The other Connor's movements were graceful as he danced around the bodies. Their lifeless forms remained still, but their very souls began to weep from the travesty that had befallen the people who had fallen on the battlefield. Unattached to their grief to preserve his own sanity, the other Connor ignored all emotional ties as he focused on his sacred duties to the Father. _

"_I do not understand you, Connor," spoke the other Zodiark. He stayed out of the way of the other Connor's dance, knowing better then to actually get in the way. The last time that he did something so foolish got him smacked across the face followed by a sword being drawn at him. Despite being the superior in their relationship, the other Zodiark understood how seriously that the other Connor took his duties. "Why do you bother with these simpletons when you can make your messengers do it? Yet here you are once again, people die and you dance. When will you stop dancing for these insignificant creatures?"_

_For a moment, he wasn't graced with a response. The other Zodiark was forced to stand there, waiting for a response that had yet to come. The other Connor tuned the man out for a moment as he focused solely on his dance for the departed. His ever brilliant movements would entice any mortal that was still living, but that was something that he needn't to worry about. Everyone was dead now so he could focus on just granting passage for their souls._

_Dropping to his knees, the other Connor let out a deep sigh as the souls began to drift away. The essence of man began to float up into the sky to follow their destined paths. Either they would be reborn to begin the cycle anew or they would be granted entrance into the Divine._

"_You should understand why I do what I do better than anybody else," said the other Connor. He remained on the blood stained ground with his clothes becoming soiled by the blood that belonged to the deceased. This was something normal to him so he didn't exactly care as he slowly turned his head back. "The Creator trusted me with this task; He created me solely to grant safe passage to those who died to the next life. I may find the job pointless, but it satisfies me and it's what I'm best at."_

"_What difference does it make," snorted the other Zodiark. "Humans lives don't matter to use. We are part of the Divine."_

_"Father gave us each a task to perform, love," said the other Connor. "We must trust in His more then even I trust in you."_

_The other Connor finally began to stir as he rose up to his feet. He was going to return to their home in the Divine, but the other Zodiark grabbed him by the hand to prevent him from leaving. The younger looked his superior into the eyes and saw the coldness in those blue eyes being replaced by something warm and kind._

"_I never want to have to see you dance for them again," whispered the other Zodiark. "It saddens my soul to watch you so devoid of life. You should only dance out of joy, not out of duty. When I take the Throne, you will never have to continue down this path. I will free you from this damnable service."_

"_You know we cannot escape out duty," whispered the other Connor, "but thank you, my love. I appreciate the gesture."_

"_How sweet," said a mockingly, musical voice. "It's so cute watching the two of you go on about how much you love each other."_

_The other Zodiark and Connor turned to the side, finding themselves facing one of their many siblings. However, unlike the others who they could dismiss without a care, he wasn't one who could be budged. Their brother would stick around no matter how unwanted, rubbing his nose in places that he didn't belong. _

_He stood about as tall as the other Zodiark with curly, blond hair that went almost everywhere. His eyes a deep shade of blue that was full of life and energy that made all his brothers and sisters envious. The paleness of his skin reflect nicely on the black suit that he wore which was all black and failed to wear a shirt underneath like the other Connor so his smooth, marble chest could be seen as well._

_As he approached, the other Connor melted as he held out his out to him. Their brother accepted, holding it up to plant a gentle kiss on the dancer's hand. Zodiark's other looked annoyed, but mostly kept it to himself as he too love his brother and wouldn't dream of striking him down._

"_What is it now, Yahweh?" asked the other Zodiark._

_Tarring his eyes away from the beautiful other of Connor, this Yahweh looked at Zodiark's other. His typically joyful, comedic expression drifted away like the souls as he became serious as these were important matters. "Father wants us all now," said their brother. "Something is stirring back in home."_

"_Let us go then," said Connor's other. "I have fulfilled my duty here. We must see what Father wants of us."_

_Zodiark's other agreed and soon the three brothers ascended to a higher plane of existence._

* * *

><p>Startling himself awake, Connor opened his eyes and nearly leapt out of bed. His chest was heaving from another strange dream of this other him. This other felt so closely tied to him, but yet Connor still couldn't understand what was so special about this other, if he was even real, or why they were connected together.<p>

All that the boy did know was that somehow Zodiark and a great deal of other powers were tied to him as well. It frightened Connor extremely as he curled into himself, shivering at the mere thought of what this connection could mean. These terrifying thoughts were eating away at him until he felt something warm press up against him.

It nearly caused the boy to scream when he began to remember just where he was.

The dark room was somewhat smaller and less decorated then his own room. Connor noticed that it was packed with mostly the bare essentials, simple but organized just how Junior…correction how Eric liked it. The boy turned his head back, straining his stiff neck a bit; to see Eric sleeping on his side with one arm on the boy's waist and another being snaked around his side to pull him close.

Jumping into Eric's bed the same day that he kissed him might be considered a little slutty. Especially when one considered that Serena was also sleeping in the Astro Megaship so she would know about anything dirty happening and she'd tell the others. Thankfully, they had both kept their clothes on and had just stuck to sleeping after everything that had just happened with Sweets and that musical disaster.

Connor allowed himself to sink into Eric's protective arms, feeling the power of the natural shield that he wielded protecting him. It brought ease to Connor's troubled mind as he felt Eric holding onto him. He relaxed and sunk his face against Eric's large biceps, while withering in the shirt and shorts that Eric had lent him to sleep in.

Eric's clothes fit him ridiculously big; they actually had a good laugh out of that before falling asleep. The sleep shirt hung off of Connor's shoulder like it did from that chick in "Flash Dance" without being done on purpose. The shorts went all the way past Connor's knees, while Eric wore the same ones but they ended around his thighs. Sometimes, Connor just hated being so skinny and short, but he never seemed to mind when he was wearing another guy's clothes and that same guy was sleeping with him.

It was very relaxing of him and made him feel adored.

That was probably the only thing that was holding him back from giving up his life again. Just thinking about how willing Connor had been to end his life during that musical number, how close he had been to combusting to death made his own heart break. There was no way he could allow himself to fall into such a self-destructive path again. But it would be difficult to keep holding on when he compared to the turmoil's of this life to the beauty and harmony of the life he had in Heaven.

Three o'clock and still Connor found himself thinking about all of this mess. He was beginning to wonder who felt more guilty about the whole Heaven thing, himself or his friends?

One thing was certain though, at least there was Eric. He was the only one who was able to push back all of that guilty and at least try to make things right. Granted, selfish reasons were still applied, but at least Eric sincerely loved Connor which was all that mattered right now.

And sensing all of this tension, Eric managed to wake up from his own sleep while Connor was still in his arms. He briefly yawned as he shifted himself closer to the boy until his shorts and his chest rubbed against the back of Connor's body.

"Penny for your thoughts," Eric whispered into his ear.

There was a small smile forming on Connor's lips as Eric's rough voice hit him. He never noticed before just how deep and rhythmic his voice was, but it made Connor swoon a little. "Oh no," whispered the boy, "I'll sell them for a dollar. My thoughts are worth more than a penny since I died."

"But you're no longer dead so they drop in value," Eric joked, kissing the back of his head.

Connor couldn't help but to laugh as well as he fought to turn around and face Eric. Their bodies were smooshed perfectly together as they looked each other in the eyes. Connor kept his hands to himself, while Eric continued to have his arms around him.

They had both changed since the musical nightmare. Even though Sweets said that none of them could say it ended well, Eric and Connor were willing to argue that case.

Eric had changed the most since then. His usually serious, cold, and loner side had faded away into oblivion as it became replaced by someone warmer and pleasant. The protective nature was still there, but it became more nurturing then dominating and angry at the world.

"We should really get back to sleep," said Connor.

"We really should," agreed Eric. "I have to call my dad in the morning. I want to try and make things right between us."

"About damn time," Connor told him.

Eric rolled his eyes before leaning forward to kiss the boy's forehead. He was still apprehensive about kissing Connor on the lips since their heated make out session in the theater. They hadn't been caught by the other Rangers and it's not like he was concerned about the whole Connor being a minor thing, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It more had to deal with Eric being too afraid to taint something so beautiful and sweet with the muck of his own past.

But Connor didn't seem to care as he gave Eric a proper kiss on the lips. It was a simple, chaste kiss that was filled with warmth and love, not heated lust like their first kiss. That brought Eric a little bit of ease and even helped to erase the dream that Connor had, making it easier for the both of them to fall into a restful sleep.

* * *

><p>While most of Angel Grove slumbered, the freaks truly came out at night.<p>

The clubs had fully cleared out so all of the wild drunks were running around the streets, heading home or someplace to find something to drink or sober up. It was downright hilarious watching how the humans stumbled about and acted once their minds had been just a little clouded by liquor. There was no defining just how much these creatures amused him, even more so when he witnessed the beginnings of their existence.

His cool skin brought him much ease as he sat on the middle of a bench. Just sitting there, aimlessly, he watched the humans walking around to their intended destinations. Occasionally, one would collapse near him or another would end up vomiting or someone would go on about how desperately they needed to be fucked. Their disheveled state would've disgusted his older brother, but he found it remarkably entertaining to see humanity at its most inappropriate moment.

One woman, in particular, got a little bold as she dropped to her knees in front of him. She touched his leg, running her hand up his thigh. "Hey sexy," whispered the drunk woman. "How would you like to have a good time with me tonight? I promise to give you the most wild ride of your life."

A musical laugh escaped his throat as the blond headed youth leaned forward. His plump, pink limps hovered just an inch away from her drunken lips, easily allowing him to smell the alcohol on her breath. "Sorry my dear," he said, softly, "but you wouldn't be able to handle me. I am far too much for you to bear, but that man over there seems to be more on your level."

She barely even heard a word that he said. The young man's voice was so mesmerizingly powerful that she had been completely hypnotized by his words. She stumbled away from him, approaching the man that he had told her to go to. The man greeted her kindly before walking away with her for that good time.

"Humans," sighed Yahweh, "what an interesting bunch." He turned to his right hand, touching the ring on his finger. The band was the brightest shade of white possible that was accented by a large diamond at the center with two smaller diamonds on the sides. "Sometimes I agree that they're better off being exterminated, but its times like these that I just love having them around." Lifting his hand up, he kissed the ring, feeling the energy within it pooled inside as the diamond chilled his lips. "It's good to have a good laugh every now and then."

Yahweh rose up from the bench he had been sitting on with the clothing that had appeared in the dream that Connor and Zodiark had covering his body. Again, he bore no shirt underneath his black coat but did have a black, skinny tie to provide him with some cover. The rest of the time, his skin was exposed with every step that he took, venturing into unknown parts of the city.

Not that he had anything to fear by entering the dangerous parts of Angel Grove this late. He was more then capable at disposing anyone who dared to do anything to him.

No, what Yahweh found himself more curious with was what was about to happen. He took in a deep breath to smell the storm that was brewing in the horizon.

Only a fool couldn't see this. Big things were about to happen to the world and Angel Grove would be the battlefield once more.

"Those moronic Dark Lords," Yahweh said, tiredly. "Why must they always be so full of doom and gloom? Why can't they just stop their bitching like the rest of us? Need they always be so annoying and fuck things up for the rest of us?"

Somehow, Yahweh felt that he answered his own question. With his nearly infinite knowledge that was quite possible now that he thought about it. In turn, it helped to make him feel a little foolish about even talking to himself about such a dreary subject. That only seemed to depress him as he remembered just where he spent the better part of the last couple of millennia.

Knowing damn well who to blame for that, Yahweh turned his head up to the starlit sky. He could see the red planet that decorated the cosmos. It was where the accursed traitor could be found that he knew was the blame for all of this mess.

A grin formed on his face as the member of the Divine ascended to the sky, vanishing into space.

* * *

><p>Oblivious to all of this, the Rangers flocked to Skulls and Crosses for lunch. Part of this was because they failed to have a get together that didn't end in somebody wanting to kill someone, and because they felt it necessary to deal with the Connor situation. Thanks to the musical fiasco, the Rangers had to face the fact that they had pulled a good friend from Paradise and dragged him back to this life of Hell.<p>

It was a painful fact that they had to face, but it was something that the Rangers knew they had to survive. If they were ever going to hope to unite against the Dark Lords, Zodiark and his warriors, and Thrax then they needed to be stronger than they ever had been before. Teamwork was the only way that they would survive the coming storm that was threatening their very survival.

So the Rangers sat at their usual table, which they had to upgrade to when their old usual wasn't able to fit Serena and Eric. Yes, Eric. The rest of the Rangers were no allowed to call Eric by his real name, no longer did they have to call him Junior. It was a weird transition, but it wasn't unwelcomed especially for the girls since they each had a bit of a fascination with Eric Northman from True Blood.

What was more surprising for the Rangers was that Eric and Connor were sitting side by side, their arms locked together. This sudden development came without any explanation to their friends, which led to Landon and Tommy their gazes to Ric. Their Latino friend remained mum about seeing his ex now in the arms of someone else, especially considering the reasons why he ended their relationship.

"Does anyone have anything fun planned for today?" Haley asked, trying to change the awkward mess that was bubbling up. The last thing that they needed was for somebody to blow up and leave the team again or for her to strangle someone again.

Eric took a French fry from the basket that him and Connor were splitting. "Actually, Connor and I were planning on heading to the county fair," he said, calmly. "Serena already decided to hitch with us, the rest of you are free to join us if you want."

"It'll be a lot of fun," added Serena. "Connor's told me so much about this funnel cake and this Ferris wheel thing. I can't wait to try them both!"

"They don't have funnel cakes on KO-35?" asked Alice. She placed a gentle hand on the shoulder of her companion. "Oh, you poor deprived girl. We have to educate you on all the Earth junk foods, aren't we?"

"Well, I know I like French fries and milkshakes," Serena said, happily. That's what led her to steal one of the fries from Connor and Eric, later dipping it into her strawberry milkshake. Her eyes lit up as she savored the hot and cold and salty and sweet mixture. Her Uncle Andros was so right about that combination.

None of them could disagree with that combo as Spike finally showed up to deliver their food. His Uncle Bulk had been on his ass more lately, which kind of helped improve the young man's work ethic. It didn't really help his clumsy streak out much though because once he finished delivering all of the food, he ended up tripping on his shoelace.

Haley and Tommy rushed to help him back up before his uncle noticed him on the ground. At least this time he didn't drop any of the food, which was a great improvement on Spike standards.

"You okay, sweetie?" asked Haley.

"Fine," Spike said, shaking the fall off. "Thanks for the help, guys."

"Not a problem, man," said Tommy.

Spike went back towards the kitchen to help with the rest of the orders, while the Rangers began their lunchtime feast.

As the young heroes began to demolish all of the food in front of them, there was still one issue that they left buried under the table. They had yet to talk to Connor about his brief time in Heaven. Part of the reason dealt with trying to respect the boy's space, but the other was that they were just too afraid to open their mouths to even ask. It wasn't exactly something easy for someone to ask another person.

One couldn't just say 'So what was Heaven like?' without causing a stir. The Rangers knew that they had to approach the subject delicately so that they didn't risk pushing Connor away from them again. After all it took to bring him back in the team; they couldn't risk losing him now due to their insensitivity.

Connor could feel this awkward bubble about to bust. He dropped his chicken strips in his basket before looking around at all of his friends. "I know what you're all just dying to ask me," said the boy. He ran a hand through his blond bangs as a deep sigh escaped his pale throat. "There's not much to describe. I can't remember much and with each day that passes more and more of the memories fade. I don't know if it's being done purposely or if it's a side-effect of being brought back. Whatever the reason, I'm losing it."

"Do you remember anything at all?" asked Alice. "When you sang…you said you felt no pain or pain while you were there."

"I didn't," Connor said, softly. "What little I do remember is that it was so beautiful and peaceful. Time also worked differently there. I felt like I had been there for a hundred years. It was amazing being up there."

One by one, the Rangers began to frown as they listened to his words. They saw the hopeful way that boy's eyes twinkled as he remembered what little he had left to hang onto.

Connor tried not to think too much about it because it was far too depressing for him. He was beginning to accept that he wasn't in Paradise any longer. He had to deal with the way that things were and move on to find some way to keep his life together.

* * *

><p>After their lunch, the Rangers went their separate ways before they'd reunite to go to the county fair. That wasn't until later in the evening so Alice took advantage of all that spare time to go to the Command Center. She didn't have any projects in particular to work on; her main focus was just to find out if there was any suspicious activity going on.<p>

Alice was helping Adam and Alpha out with something that they were tracking. They had apparently spotted some disturbance on their galactic radar that scanned activity in the solar system.

Their three brilliant minds worked together in hopes of analyzing what this possible commotion could be. They pulled up the radar and after working through some interference, they were able to spot that the source was coming from Mars.

"Well, that's strange," Alice said, softly. "I wonder what's up with Mars."

Her mentor could only shrug his shoulders before broadening their scan. Once again, Adam was met with some strong interference that not even Alpha could help him break through. "This isn't good at all," said Adam. "We've never had that much interference from Mars. It's not Thrax since he's still on the Moon."

"Then that means it's Beelzebub and Zodiark," said Alpha. "Ay yi yi. What could they be doing?"

"A Dark Lord and the Dark Prince working together," said Alice, "it can't be anything good at all. With all this interference then it means they're plotting something big. I'll warn the other Rangers to be on alert because the shit is about to hit the fan."

"That'll be wise," said Adam. "Alpha and I will continue to monitor the situation. You go and enjoy what may be our last peaceful night for a long time."

Alice couldn't disagree with that. It was already after four and they were supposed to meet up at seven for the fair. That would give her enough time to get ready so Alice took off after saying goodbye to Adam and Alpha.

With the Yellow Ranger gone, Adam and Alpha returned to focusing on trying to deal with this new situation.

Their instincts were warning them that something big was about to happen. It was terrifying to even think about it, but they needed to remain on high alert. There was no telling what Beelzebub and Zodiark were plotting. They already faced Daimons that nearly won: Barbas had nearly sucked Angel Grove into Hell and Sweets had nearly got the Rangers to spontaneously combust.

Only time would unveil what the villains had up their sleeves.

* * *

><p>While they worked on discovering what Zodiark and Beelzebub was up to, the plot of the villains had reached completion. On Mars, Zodiark had held up his end of the bargain and had finished the production of his Avenger Project. The Dark Prince escorted the Dark Lord to the hanger where the weapons were housed alongside his and Umbra's personal Zords.<p>

Standing proud and tall, the Chaos Shadow Zord stood near the front of the mechanical instruments. Alongside it was Zodiark's personal Zord, the golden Sun Crusher Zord in its full warrior form. The golden, mobile suit's armor shinned as the light from the sun was reflected off of it now that its repairs had been fully completed.

Behind their Zords stood an army of mobile suits that Zodiark had mass produced to serve Beelzebub in defeating the Power Rangers. The MPZ-01 and MPZ-01C, or better known as the Victoria Zords and Victoria Command Zords, were the weapons that Zodiark had spent months perfecting. Thanks to Venjix's mind being used to stabilize the Zords, they had the army that they needed to crush the Power Rangers.

The Victoria Zords were bulky suits that stood shorter than the Sun Crusher and Chaos Shadow Zords. Their armor went extended along the torso to help stabilize its flight and combat patterns. They were painted with mostly gray with small, purple trimmings around certain regions. The Victoria Command Zords were similar to the Victoria Zords, but larger with a dark gray paintjob and white trimmings. But both sets of Zords would be operated by the Venjix A.I. that Zodiark had retrieved. And with this mechanical virus piloting the Zords then it would make it virtually impossible for the Rangers to overcome the overwhelming numbers.

Over a hundred Zords stood ready to battle the heroes and blacken their world with their sheer numbers.

Beelzebub couldn't help but to laugh, joyfully, as he marveled at the sight before him. He counted every single one of the Zords, truly amazed by what Zodiark had accomplished. "You've truly outdone yourself, Zodiark," said the Dark Lord. "I never imagined that you'd actually finish, but you've done it." The Dark Lord was very impressed as he turned to face the Dark Prince, still praising him for the job he accomplished. "How soon can they be launched to attack Angel Grove?"

Zodiark shrugged off the praise that the Dark Lord had bestowed upon him. He didn't work on this project for praise; he wanted what was pledged to him. "As soon as you uphold your promise, Beelzebub," said Zodiark. "Before I send out the Zords, I want the power that you promised to give me for completing the project."

"Yes, I suppose you have earned it," said the Dark Lord. "You did give me exactly what I wanted so it's only fair that I give you what you want. So take the power, but I can't guarantee that you'll survive the effects of what you're about to give you."

Without understanding what Beelzebub meant, Zodiark began to approach the Dark Lord of Gluttony. Expecting him to give the power, the Dark Prince was unaware of the figure that suddenly appeared behind him. Not even his warriors were able to react quickly enough to warn their master of the figure that arrived.

The figure was clocked in a brown robe that completely covered grab entire being. The figure looked ragged from the half-torn fabric as it stretched its hands out to restrain Zodiark by his head with magic.

"Power is what you seek," hissed a serpentine voice, "so shall it be. By the Power of Envy, on behalf of the Dark Lords and our King, I give you your reward."

Darkness escaped the hands of the mysterious figure before it faded away into space. The effects of its spell, however, lingered as the darkness began to enter Zodiark's body. The Dark Prince was gagging as the power entered his body, slowly beginning a grim, painful process. As did all power, the power given to him from the Dark Lords would come at a price.

Beelzebub turned away, disappearing to his office as Zodiark dropped to his hands and knees, spitting out blood from his mouth. The Dark Lord gave exactly what the warrior wanted, and in the process served him a slice of humble pie.

Zodiark wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. He was soon joined by his warriors, consort, and son who all gave him looks of concern. The Dark Prince ignored them as he looked at Beelzebub's trail with his eyes following him. For a moment, his eyes turned into a deep shade of blue before icing over into a frigid shade of blue before returning to their amber-orange color.

* * *

><p>As evening approached and countless citizens of Angel Grove flocked to the county fair, their night of frivolity was interrupted. The sky suddenly got dark above the heart of Angel Grove in a way that left an ominous feeling as the people looked up out of curiosity. Nobody was certain what was happening; they knew it wasn't an eclipse because one wasn't scheduled to occur for another five years.<p>

What they did know was that something was about to happen.

Even the Rangers had to stop in their tracks as they approached the county fair lines. They stepped away from the fair and turned to the sky like everyone else when they heard a crack of thunder. However, no lightning appeared in the sky and not a single cloud was above them, which made the situation all the more terrifying.

That's when it finally happened. At first, they were just what looked like specks descending from the sky before becoming something else. While they drew closer, it became easier to tell that these were humanoid figures before it became completely clear that these were mechanized suits that were armed with weapons.

Immediately, terror wormed its way into the people of Angel Grove as they fell to a panic. The fair grounds were quickly evacuated as everyone abandoned the rides and the surrounding area as soon as they possibly could. There was mass hysteria flying about, which was fairly typical as these mechanized suits stayed flying above the city, suspended in the air by their flight capabilities.

The Victoria Zords and Victoria Command Zords were ready to begin their operation, now they only awaited further command.

* * *

><p>Aware that this could be what Alpha and Adam believed their enemies were planning, the Rangers left the fairgrounds as well. Landon called their companions at the Command Center to track down Zodiark, knowing damn well that the Dark Prince would be present to show-off. Alpha quickly got to work on tracking down their enemy, which led to the Rangers springing to action before the worst could happen.<p>

Racing across town, eventually the heroes made it towards the heart of the city. As the Rangers got closer, the enemy Zords continued to stay above the tallest of buildings. The Zords were still armed with their weapons as they waited for their orders to attack.

If they acted quickly enough then they might be able to prevent this attack. At least, that's what the Rangers were betting once they found corridors of darkness opening up.

The dark portals opened up, releasing Zodiark and Umbra from their dark depths. The two warriors looked about as intimidating as ever, which was all that took to get the Rangers to stop in their tracks. The heroes grabbed the bracelets on their wrists to summon their Crystal Morphers as they waited for the villains to make the first move.

Zodiark stood perfectly still as the breeze blew in and brushed his hair aside. The Dark Prince had cleaned up his face from that shameful moment of weakness on Mars. Then again, power did come at a great price. He was playing with powers that were only godly territory, while he was still but a man even with all the strength he had in his possession.

Still as insane as ever, Umbra was smirking as he itched for a fight. The last time that he went up against the Rangers he had been so embarrassingly defeated by just one of them. He wouldn't allow himself to suffer like that again, this time it was very personal. He would make sure that they'd all suffer for his humiliation.

The Rangers stood strong though with Landon and Tommy leading their pack. Landon was the first to step up, still cautious though as he calculated the situation. "What are you up to now, Zodiark?" shouted their leader. "What are those suits above the city?"

"The instrument of your defeat, Red Ranger," said Zodiark. "I have been constructing the Victoria Zords and Victoria Command Zords for Beelzebub in exchange for powers that the Dark Lords posses."

"Do you understand how ridiculous that is?" Connor half-shouted. "The Dark Lords are dangerous. Playing with them could lead to your own destruction."

"I'm not afraid of them unlike the rest of you," said Zodiark. He held his gloved hands up, allowing the dark powers that had been bestowed upon him to be release. The energy swirled chaotically around him as this power began to put the Rangers at unease. "This power has become one with me now. I now have what it takes to survive the coming Apocalypse now that I have proven myself worthy to the Dark Lords."

"This guy has gone about as insane as Umbra," whispered Tommy.

Zodiark prepared to make his first move against the Rangers when he was forced to pause himself. The Dark Prince gulped as a heavy pounding began to hammer away against his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. "What's…what's…happening to…me?" questioned the Dark Prince. As he choked out those words, blood began to spit out from his mouth in such a disgusting manner. The Rangers were taken back by this as Zodiark dropped down to his knees, clenching his sides.

"Zodiark!" Umbra shouted, nearly beside him. As the Consort was about to touch the Dark Prince's shoulder, a wave of electricity began to ripple throughout his body. Umbra was painfully tossed back, dropping his blade in the process, with his helmet cracking upon impact.

This really surprised the Rangers as they pushed themselves back. Landon didn't want any of them getting anywhere near Zodiark right now. It looks like Connor was right about the forces that Zodiark had played with leading to his own doom.

An agonizing cry escaped Zodiark's mouth as the electrical surges of darkness went up into the sky. It actually managed to hit a few of his Zords, nor more than three, before his entire body became enshrouded in a dark shell.

For a moment, everything went completely silent as everyone waited to see what was about to happen next. Unsure of what was going on, the Rangers found themselves to paralyze to move as did Umbra. They all watched, not one of them doing anything more than breathe until that dark shell began to crack.

The cracks grew larger and larger until a slimy hand forced its way out. Once that one hand had found its way to freedom the rest of the shell crumbled apart by a blast of psychic energy. The shells faded away into oblivion as a new figure emerged from where Zodiark once stood.

His feet touched ground with his body appearing initially completely nude. The muscles on this figure were one to envy as the veins pumped the blood across this glorious, manly form. Then the darkness returned, wrapping his body up in rich vestments. The clothes appeared royal as his chest was covered by layers of blues, yellows, and blacks: a simple shirt with long blue sleeves underneath a yellow, linked vest with the fabric died blue as well, and a black coat with blue and yellow trimmings. His legs covered by black pants with the cuffs embroidered with yellow and blue pattern as well with a red sash around his waist.

Silver hair began to grow rapidly from his head until it went all the way down his back. The hair was perfectly straight and shinned remarkably enough to make anyone jealous. Now the face of the man, as the rest of his skin, was pale to the extent that it made his perfectly, marble smooth facial features all the more remarkable, especially his elfin ears. And now his eyes, those eyes were the most perfect shade of blue that were like deep pools of water that went on forever.

The man held his hands up once more, looking at his own appearance with a childlike wonder. Before any of them could take time to analyze what had happened, a dark laughter escaped the man which sounded all too familiar to them. "Well, this certainly is surprising," said the familiar voice. "It seems I have changed forms once again."

"Zodiark," whispered Umbra.

"Yes, it is I," said the Dark Prince. "The powers that the Dark Lords have given me, they gave me a new appearance as well. I'd take the time to look at myself in a mirror so I could truly appreciate this gift, but I'm afraid that we must deal with the Power Rangers now."

Knowing exactly where this was going, the Rangers fought past the fear. They held their Crystal Morphers into the air to pierce the darkness in the sky with their powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight heroes. Their bodies began to glow in the light of their individual colors while the same colored feathers began to circle around them.

In a matter of seconds, the Rangers were completely morphed and ready for battle.

Zodiark continued to smile in the face of his new body. With only one hand up, he called forth his Shadow Fang Blade, which came to his side without any hesitation. He clenched onto the dark handle and waited for the Rangers to come after him.

Umbra didn't grace the heroes with that same amount of patience. He retrieved his Void Gear from the ground and quickly went into his battle rage. The Ranger Hunter charged after the Rangers with the darkness in his own body consuming his aura.

Violet Ranger took the arm of Black Ranger, yelling at the others to go after Zodiark. She knew damn-well that the Dark Prince wouldn't attack either one of them so they were better off fending off Umbra. She had already defeated the Ranger Hunter once, but she doubted she'd be able to pull it off again. Black Ranger didn't fight her thinking since he wasn't exactly in the mood to go up against Zodiark right now.

The two of them took charge against Umbra and were met with a surprising amount of resistance from him. Even when they took him on with their Angel Sword and Twilight Ray, Umbra easily managed to hold both of their blows back with his blade. The crack in his helmet revealed one of his eyes and his mouth, which was unfortunately smiling at them. His terrifying smile was enough to send shiver down their spines as they parried away from him.

Umbra was as fierce as ever. He leaped into the air with darkness channeling around his blade as he attempted to drive his powers into the ground to get after them. Violet Ranger lifted her fellow Ranger and herself into the air with her powerful psychic mind. They managed to avoid the dark shockwave without getting a scratch on them.

Black Ranger rushed in after the Ranger Hunter, replacing his sword for his bow. He leaped above the Consort when Umbra though he was going to attack upfront. The Ranger pulled his bowstring to fire a few rounds of arrows from above, which Umbra protected himself against by swinging his blade around.

Violet Ranger attempted to exploit this distraction as she pointed her Celestial Ray at Umbra. She pulled her trigger to fire a fully charged blast of energy at him, which did manage to hit the lunatic in the back. Umbra was forced to stagger onto his knee just as Black Ranger touched the ground.

They believed that they had him beat, which was far from being true. A soft laugh began to escape Umbra's throat until it built itself up to something much bigger. He tore his broken helmet off, allowing his face to be properly seen by the Rangers. His amber eyes radiate with intense darkness as he channeled his powers into his blade.

Without a moment's notice, Umbra swung his Void Gear front and back to release bands of powerful darkness. The slashes ripped through the air until they managed to hit each Ranger, causing the Black Ranger and Violet Ranger to succumb to defeat. Umbra laughed into the air with his spiky, black hair flowing in the breeze as he relished in his victory.

As those two had been beaten, the others didn't exactly fair much better against this newly evolved Zodiark.

Red Ranger, Yellow Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Pink Ranger attempted to catch the Dark Prince off guard by using their Heaven Power Slash. Unleashing powerful energy from their Angel Sword, the Rangers hoped that the slash attacks would be enough. Meanwhile, the White Ranger and Orange Ranger struck from behind with their Celestial Twilight Ray. They pulled their triggers as they planned that Zodiark couldn't possibly block them all at once.

However, they had all been proven wrong as the Dark Prince became much smarter and stronger now thanks to the Dark Lords. He wielded his Shadow Fang Blade effortlessly in hand as he guarded against the Heaven Power Slash. Then as the other attack was coming from behind him, he waved his hand back causing the attacks to rocket up into the sky were they crashed against one another.

"My turn now," said Zodiark. The Dark Prince held up his hand and released surges of electricity from his palm that struck the Rangers all at once. The six heroes were immediately crippled, knocked down to the ground like the insignificant creatures that they were.

But Red Ranger refused to submit to defeat, as usual. He fought through the pain of Zodiark's electrical attack with his aura exploding in a fiery display of emotion. "I don't care how strong you've gotten, Zodiark, I refuse to let you win!" he shouted, angrily. Coiling the fiery around him, Red Ranger gave birth to a fiery eagle in the palms of his hands. "Eagle Man Burning Strike!" Releasing the fiery eagle, Red Ranger unleashed his full spiritual abilities and the power of his people against Zodiark.

The fiery eagle wrapped its wings around Zodiark, erupting in a ferocious explosion of heat.

A smirk formed underneath the helmet of Red Ranger, but it soon faded as the smoke began to clear. Zodiark was still standing with only the area around him being scorched as his body remained unharmed. Red Ranger became truly afraid as he understood that Zodiark had only been given a piece of the Dark Lords' powers. It made him worry just how strong the Dark Lords truly were as Beelzebub already had warned the Rangers that he hadn't even used their full powers against them.

Zodiark snapped his fingers, creating an orb of dark energy above Red Ranger's head. The orb circled around the Ranger before crashing into his chest, knocking all of the air out of the hero's body as he was dropped down to the ground.

Black Ranger and Violet Ranger also showed up as they were tossed towards their fallen companions by Umbra. The Dark Prince looked to see his Consort approaching him with a smile on his pale skin.

"Well Rangers," said Zodiark, "this has certainly been a fun exercise, but I have much work to do. I have a city to grab control of in order to prove myself worthy to the Dark Lords. Now, begins my rule of this pathetic city."

The Dark Prince and his Consort vanished up to the sky just as the lights of the Zords began to go off. The Victoria Zords and Victoria Command Zords began to mobilize their attack on the city without hesitation.

The Rangers were barely able to move as they witnessed the first building being attacked. Thankfully, it was an empty one, but soon enough the enemy Zords would destroy one that wasn't as abandoned.

Forcing themselves to stir, the Rangers called upon their Zords to help counter this assault.

The Angel Force Zords and Archangel Zords came storming into the city with the Rangers immediately jumping into their cockpits. Forming the Megazords right now was out of the question as there were too many enemy Zords to fight against. They needed to do some crowd control in order to prevent a greater tragedy.

Angel Zord and Condor Zord took to the skies where they faced off against a group of enemy Zords. The Zords flapped their mighty wings; unleashing explosive orbs that managed to blow a few of the Zord sup upon impact. The rest of their attacks had been cancelled out by beam rifle blasts.

Unicorn Zord and Dolphin Zord took to firing their own beam blasts to help beat back the tide of rifle blasts. The horn of the Unicorn Zord shot through a few defenses of their enemies, blowing pieces of their armor off. Dolphin Zord then fired its own rifle from its fin, taking down the exposed bits of the enemy Zords.

Bear Zord, Wolf Zord, Tiger Zord, and Rhino Zord had to take a more direct approach as they ended up facing against a greater number of the Command Zords. Bear Zord smashed into one Zords that it could, while the other three used their fangs and horn to pierce their armored defenses. Rhino Zord managed to stomp down on one of the Zords as Tiger Zord fired a bolt of lightning from its mouth. Wolf Zord jumped over Bear Zord to slash its sharp tail into the armor of an enemy Zord, leaving it vulnerable to the horn of Rhino Zord.

Even as successful as their counterattack was, the number of Victoria Zords were just far too great for the Rangers to completely destroy. Plus, more of those enemy Zords kept coming into the scene with each minute that passed until the city was full of them.

With no other choice, the Rangers formed their Megazords to help crush the assault. The Angel Force Zord came together to form Angel Force Megazord, while the Archangel Zords became Archangel Megazord. The Megazords took to the offensive as they went after the enemy Zords with their weapons.

But suddenly, the Victoria Zords were pulled back after the Megazords crushed about a dozen of them. The Rangers knew better then to celebrate a victory too quickly. And they were right not too as two gigantic figures came down from the sky.

The Rangers recognized one of them, which was the colossal weaponized Zord that belonged to Umbra. Chaos Shadow Zord stomped the ground with its clawed feet as the double-barreled, beam riffles adjusted themselves. Umbra activated his own Megazord sequence, causing his Zord to shift around until it had formed the Shadow Fortress Megazord, giving his weapon an appearance a little more comparable to the mobile suits.

The other Zord was golden and completely unfamiliar to the heroes. The ship-like form of Sun Crusher Zord didn't make it look exactly intimidating, but the weapons underneath the shell were deserving of terror. Inside its cockpit was Zodiark who pushed a single button to create its Megazord sequence. The Zord shifted about until it formed its mobile suit form, the Solar Celestial Megazord. Its large outer shell bursting apart to form the wings of the Megazord as the rest of its body straightened out from its confinement.

Solar Celestial Megazord was a true beauty. Its entire body was golden, giving it an exquisite shine as its green visor began to blink with life. The blue cover that protected the cockpit also began to shine as Zodiark's silhouette could be briefly seen inside the Megazord.

Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger quickly recognized this Megazord from their rescue mission on the Moon. When they had taken off to save Black Ranger from Zodiark, they had discovered this powerful Zord in the process. Now, they were all about to witness the power of this super weapon as it took out its twin, beam riffles.

"Hello Rangers," laughed Zodiark. "Do you like my Megazord?"

"Sweet baby Jesus!" said Pink Ranger. "This is not good."

The other Rangers held similar feelings as they realized this was becoming a showdown between Megazords. Red Ranger was the first to come up with anything that might be remotely helpful in this fight. He could still remember, just like the others, how poorly they had done in the battle against Shadow Fortress Megazord. Things couldn't be that much better as he was certain that both Megazords had undergone their full repairs.

"Tommy," said Red Ranger, "I want you guys to fight Umbra. We'll handle Zodiark."

"Got it, Landon," said White Ranger. "You guys be careful now."

The two Megazords split apart with Zodiark and Umbra following similar measures. The four Megazords met for combat, beginning their attacks on one another.

Solar Celestial Megazord removed its twin rifles, strapping them onto its back before grabbing a beam saber. It swung the sword after Angel Force Megazord's Angel Power Sword. Their blade met in the middle with sparks flying off as the Megazords faced off in their dual.

Shadow Fortress Megazord and Archangel Megazord began to pummel after each other with their mechanized limbs. With its clawed feet, Shadow Fortress Megazord stomped down on the feet of the opposing Megazord. The crushing impact rattled the Archangel Megazord as Umbra used the feet of his Megazord to squeeze the foot.

Archangel Megazord swung one of its fists forward, landing a blow on the torso of the enemy Megazord were the cockpit was located. This rattled Umbra up a bit thus forcing him to release his enemies, but not before returning a "kind" gesture. Shadow Fortress Megazord fires rocket blasts from the twin armaments on its arms. The fire crushed the Archangel Megazord, causing the Rangers to be shook up inside their own Megazord.

Taking off for the air, Angel Force Megazord and Solar Celestial Megazord continued their dual above the city. Their blades causing numerous sparks to fly off all over the place when Zodiark grew tired of this little dance and slammed the weight of his Megazord against the Rangers. Inside the Megazord, the Rangers were rattled around like a bunch of monkeys in a barrel. The heroes tried to steer around to avoid a hit like that against, but Solar Celestial Megazord ended up slashing into the armor of the Megazord with its beam saber.

"Shields are down to twenty percent," reported Yellow Ranger. "Applying all auxiliary power to the shields."

"We can't let ourselves be defeated, Rangers!" shouted Red Ranger. "We hit them with everything we got!"

"Right!" shouted all the others.

Inside Angel Force Megazord, the Rangers charged their sword up to deliver its ultimate attack. Once a sufficient amount of energy had been put into it, they released their Heaven Mega Power Slash in hopes of doing some serious damage to the Solar Celestial Megazord. However, as the attack inched closer, the enemy Megazord was protected by a golden shield that completely neutralized their attack.

Zodiark withdrew his saber, choosing to arm himself with his twin rifles. He pulled down on the trigger to unleash twin blasts of a high caliber that exploded against the Megazord.

Yellow Ranger reported that their shields were completely gone now in this moment of distress.

For the Archangel Megazord, things weren't that much better for those Rangers. Shadow Fortress Megazord had finally gotten smarter as it bent over to fire heavy blasts from the rifles on its back. The twin blasts were powerful enough to completely shatter through the shields of the Archangel Megazord, while also reducing half of its power cells.

"We only have sixty percent power left in the Megazord and its dropping fast!" reported Orange Ranger. "If we take another direct hit like that then we're all done."

"How much power do you guys have left?" Violet Ranger asked the others.

"Less then you guys," said Black Ranger. "We're down to forty."

"We don't stand a chance against these guys," said White Ranger.

"But we can't give up just yet," said Blue Ranger.

"There's not much of a choice, Ric," said Pink Ranger. "The Zords can't take much more of this and we have yet to even scratch those two."

The Rangers were in a panic, which their enemies quickly exploited. Pulling the triggers on their weapons once more, Zodiark and Umbra fired powerful blasts from their rifles. The twin blasts of their individual weapons shattered into the Megazords, leaving behind nearly nothing in its wake.

Without anything left to defend itself with, the Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord began to erupt in countless explosions all over their bodies. The Megazords were falling apart with emergency orders taking place in the process. Before the Rangers had even the slightest chance to blink, their Megazords force the Rangers to eject from them before it was too late.

All at once, the Rangers were flung out of their Megazords, falling to the ground without any mercy. Upon landing, their powers faded away, leaving them behind in their civilian forms as this nightmare continued. The Megazords continued to burst apart as they crumbled, forcing their separation as their individual Zords disappeared right before them.

"No!" Landon shouted as he attempted to morph again.

However, he soon discovered that he couldn't transform into Red Ranger. His Crystal Morpher shinned in calling forth his power, but the power never came. The other Rangers saw this and attempted to morph only to discover that they had the same problem as well.

Unable to morph and with their Zords gone, the heroes realized that evil had finally won.

Zodiark and Umbra had succeeded in defeating the Angel Force Power Rangers. And now, as their prize, the world would fall before them as their protectors were no more.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, the Rangers have to figure out what to do with their powers gone and their Zords beaten. Meanwhile, Zodiark begins his occupation of Angel Grove, forcing the city to submit to his demands. The Rangers then discover the existence of new weapons on Pluto and race to the former planet to recover them before all hope is lost. And it is during this process that Yahweh comes face to face with the Rangers, revealing to the heroes of the forces that they are up against. What are these weapons and will they help the Rangers save Angel Grove? Find out in **Hope!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** Here's an amazing chapter for all of you wonderful fans. I had a wild time writing this, but I was able to do it and still get some work done for finals! So yay you! I hope you enjoy the chapter because this was a lot of work to write. As always, read and review or else I will come and get you! GRR!

**Hope:**

Badly beaten and without power, the Angel Force Rangers had no choice but to retreat to the Command Center. Had they stuck around then they would've been either captured or slaughtered by Zodiark's new superpowers. Not to mention without their Zords and unable to morph then there was no chance in hell that the Rangers could've survived that battle.

The only good thing about the battle was that nobody was horribly injured. A few minor cuts and scrapes, but nothing that needed to be seriously attended to.

Landon stood looking at the viewing monitor to the problems that was befalling the city. The invasion of Victoria Zords had the entire city sealed off, preventing anyone from escaping or coming in. So far, nothing was getting blown up, but since Umbra was still running around in his Zord, it was enough to make Landon's blood run cold.

"We have to do something," said Landon. "If we can't find a way to power-up so then the rest of the world will fall to Zodiark."

Haley and Tommy were sitting beside each other, witnessing the horrors unfolding as well. Connor, Eric, Ric, and Serena sat around in a circle with their heads bowed down in shame. Every one of them felt that they could have done something to prevent this from happening or at least done a better job at fighting.

Alice was with Alpha and Adam, viewing the damage done to the Zords. It had taken forever and a half to retrieve information on where their Zords had disappeared to, but they eventually tracked down the dimension that they fled to.

Keeping up with the scan, they saw how bad things were for them.

"Ay yi yi!" said Alpha 8.

"Oh wow," said Alice. "This is not good at all."

Adam closed the viewing monitor that Landon was still staring at so to show the Rangers how their Zords were fairing. The team began to crowd around the monitor to see just how bad things were for them. "The Zords have retreated further into their dimension than ever before," said Adam. "The damages that they suffered were so severe that they had to severe their connection to you all, thus putting a block on your link to the Morphing Grid."

"How do we remove the block?" asked Haley.

"Even if we can't use the Zords," said Ric, "we need our powers to fight Zodiark and Beelzebub."

Pausing for a moment, Adam attempted to create some kind of solution for them. Alice and Alpha had to step aside to let him work in peace. Meanwhile, Landon changed the image on the monitor to see what was happening to Angel Grove.

Right now, Zodiark's warriors were running around the city. They weren't attacking anybody just yet, but they were grabbing who they could that was foolish enough to be out on the streets. What they would do with them was a complete mystery to the Rangers as Adam had changed the screen back before they could see anything else.

The image was of an outline of a human and a Megazord. Arrows were pointed at both figures with the arrows glowing with some sort of energy wave.

"This is how your relationship between your powers and Zords operate," said Adam. "They are fundamentally linked together because of the spiritual elements of your Zords. They are not merely machine, but their very core lies the spirit of something united with cores of your Crystal Morphers. In a sense, your Zords are your power source and without them operational then you are blocked off from that power."

"Lovely," said Connor. "We know how we're fucked, can we find out how to fix that?"

"I second that," said Serena.

"Well," said Eric, "it sounds like we need a new power source."

"Do you know of one lying around?" asked Tommy.

Eric went completely silent as that did make an idea hit Adam. Their mentor didn't say anything to the Rangers as he went over everything that they had on the disk that the Celestials gave to Zordon.

The Rangers watched, waiting for Adam to discover something that could help them.

* * *

><p>As the devastation was about to begin, Beelzebub found himself very amused by all of these developments. He got to watch the Rangers get smacked around by Zodiark and Umbra until they were forced to retreat with their tails between their legs. Well, maybe not so literally, but the fall of the Power Rangers was so smashing that it made the Dark Lord laugh.<p>

They were still alive, but that would all change in due time. The Rangers no longer had their powers that much the Dark Lord was aware of, so it wouldn't be much longer until they were torn to shreds. Plus, he had learnt from Envy that only one of their companions was waiting to be released before they could move forward on their plans to free their King Pride. It was something that made all of this turmoil worth all of the trouble as his gluttonous revenge was about to be sedated.

Beelzebub grabbed his shotguns and strapped them to their holster to get the hell off of Mars. He was about to zap himself to Earth when he heard wings flapping inside of the office and the overwhelming aura that made him drop to his knees. The very familiar power kept him kneeling as the sounds of boots walking against tiled floor.

"Well, well, hello there, little boy," said a dangerously, smooth voice.

For a moment, the Dark Lord felt himself being choked by a force of power that far exceeded his own. They both knew that if his superior truly wanted to that he could easily end the Dark Lord, sending him to where the recycling plant that their souls went to.

Fighting the power, Beelzebub attempted to utter the name of the one who had him so easily bound. "Y…Ya…" His words were silenced until the boots were lined up in the Dark Lord's immediate sight. The supernatural rope around him was loosened enough to allow him control of his voice. "Yahweh," spat the Dark Lord, "how did you escape?"

A smile formed on Yahweh's face as he forced the Dark Lord to get up on his feet. Beelzebub ascended in a matter of seconds so that know he could properly gaze into the eyes of a being far more superior to him. "You don't know?" said Yahweh. "I have you to thank for my freedom. It's because you destroyed the Nexus that the Veil was torn thin enough for me to slither my way out of that junkyard."

Yahweh dropped the Dark Lord with his mind, laughing as he heard that thump. The curly, haired blond stepped towards a window to see the miserable state of this factory despite the repairs that Zodiark made. "What a hideous hangout," said his superior. "I know you Dark Lords are fond of dark and dreary, but this is downright revolting. I should just blow this entire place up."

Beelzebub gulped, fearing that he would be trapped in this place.

"Don't worry," laughed Yahweh. "I won't lock you up in here. I'm not that inhumane, despite how much I fucking hate you!" For a moment, Beelzebub was able to see the burning anger in the eyes of his superior. Those blue gems sparkled with fires that outmatched those of the Underworld. But, as always, Yahweh reigned himself back in and began to smile as he touched the pale face of the Dark Lord.

"You started all the trouble. It's because of you that the rebellion was born with the result causing so many of our brothers and sisters to fall from Grave. The Creator turned His back on all of us after that, both humans and Celestials have lost their way ever sense."

The pain in his voice should be obvious, but the Celestial kept all of that inside. Yahweh maintained his true emotions behind his mask as he grabbed onto both sides of Beelzebub's face. "It's because of you and the other Dark Lords that I was sealed away and _he_ sacrificed his life to save us, the ones that he loved unconditionally."

"I did what had to be done," said Beelzebub. "The Creator wanted us to be the mortals' bitches. We are the superior race! Celestials are the ones who have been serving Him, worshipping Him for millennia. Luther understood that and that is why we began the Rebellion."

"Then you became the Fallen, got kicked out of Heaven, and dragged down to Hell," said Yahweh. "Your actions led to the damnation of all Celestials and brought us to where we are standing today. Even I wasn't spared from the Creator's fury, and that is because I am amongst one of His first-borns!" He pushed Beelzebub aside before brandishing a flaming sword in hand. The Dark Lord's eyes widened in utter terror as Yahweh pointed the tip at him. "I should destroy you now, but I'll allow this game of yours to continue. With any luck, you might piss big brother enough to come after you, himself."

"He's too weak," said Beelzebub. "He is not the Celestial that he used to be."

"We'll see," said Yahweh. He dismissed his sword before turning away from the Dark Lord. "Be good, Beelzebub. I suggest that you don't do anything to provoke my wrath again, I would have to have to come after you again."

The moment that the Dark Lord blinked, Yahweh had vanished from sight and left behind a single white feather.

* * *

><p>Two hours after their fall, the Rangers were still waiting for any news from Adam. Their mentor had retrieved the data from the disc and was going through numerous files to find something of use. Alpha was assisting him in this search with the Rangers waiting, anxiously to help them stop Zodiark before he could do too much damage.<p>

Something appeared on the screen that the Rangers recognized as dealing with the Megazords. Alice told Adam to stop there as she joined him at the computers to use her abilities to unseal some form of hidden information. Adam and Alpha joined in on the assault until they finally cracked the code with a new file appearing on the screen.

Eight images appeared on the viewing monitor that very much interested the Rangers. The images contained figures that were both mechanized with a human shape. Granted, this might only be a small image but they still looked colossal in comparison to the image that had been pulled up of their Zords.

"Eureka!" Adam said, cheerfully. "I found the Holy Grail."

"That's not the Holy Grail," said Ric, "that's more like Noah's Ark!"

"Are those…Zords?" said Serena.

Adam nodded his head with a large grin on his face. He pulled up the entire file up on the screen so that numerous texts and other miscellaneous information began to show up. "We have your new power source," said their mentor. "These new Zords are dormant, but as soon as we uncover them then they'll link to your Crystal Morphers."

"New Zords," Tommy said, smiling.

"Just what we needed too," added Eric.

"Hopefully, they will be strong enough to fight Zodiark," said Haley.

"Look at them!" said Connor. "They could take on Beelzebub."

"They look like they can handle all of the Dark Lords," added Alice.

"Where are the Zords?" asked Landon. "Are they on Earth?"

That's the part that Adam had to shake his head on. He could see that the Zords weren't on Earth and that they weren't part of a dimensional link that they could access like their other Zords. He cross-referenced the coordinates that were on the file until they found a match on a galactic scale.

From there, they all saw the entire solar system appear on the screen. Earth was the first thing that they saw with the moon and sun in the back. The screen began to scroll rapidly until there was a dot significantly smaller than all the others that they saw.

"You're joking," said Alice.

"I'm not," said Adam. "The new Zords are on Pluto."

"How the hell are we going to all teleport to Pluto?" asked Ric. "When Zodiark kidnapped Connor, you could barely teleport Eric and me to the Moon."

"Yeah," Eric said, siding with his boyfriend's ex. "How are you going to manage to pull that off?"

"This time will be easier," said Adam. "If you use your Morphers than it's possible. Your Morphers will call out to the Zords, strengthening the range of the teleportation to make it possible for you to arrive on Pluto. I'm afraid though that there's only enough power to get you there. You'll have to use the Zords to bring you back."

"This is a risk we'll have to take," said Landon. "The Earth needs us now more than ever."

All of the Rangers agreed as they took out their Crystal Morphers. They gathered together at the center of the Command Center with Adam and Alpha 8 working on the teleportation sequence. The Rangers brought their Morphers together just as the teleportation wave began to hit them and their Morphers exploded in a bright wave of light.

Adam and Alpha turned around to see that the Rangers were gone and on their way to Pluto.

* * *

><p>The Victoria Zords were all scattered about the city, either surrounding the perimeter or on the rooftop of the larger buildings. No one would escape and no one would be able to enter without the consent of Zodiark. The newly evolved, Dark Prince watched as the people that were foolish enough to be out on the street were gathered up like lambs to the slaughter.<p>

Zodiark sat on the rooftop beside his Zord with his eyes gazing out to the city. Gaining the power from the Dark Lords had made everything so much clearer for the Dark Prince. It was almost possible for him to see all the stitching that kept everything together. He could see the order of this world clearly for the first time, but there were still blind spots that kept him from seeing the nature of things.

He held up the broken piece of the Nexus, sensing the power that was contained within it. Even though the Nexus had long sense been destroyed by Beelzebub, but this small fragment retained such a great power that the Dark Prince needed to learn how to harness. It would be a while before he could master what secrets that the Nexus held that they were so close to unearthing.

Umbra, Bakari, Kratein, and Helios joined their master on the rooftop soon after. Zodiark hid the fragment in his coat as he turned to face his warriors. They all appeared rather bored even considering how long they had been working on the occupation of Angel Grove.

"Report," said Zodiark.

"The city is ours," said Umbra.

"And the Rangers are nowhere in sight," said Bakari.

Zodiark was amused to hear this, but something didn't sit right with him. He knew that the Rangers were beaten, but they weren't defeated just yet. They had always been a resourceful bunch, every generation was chosen because of their cunning as much as their strength and bravery.

The Dark Prince knew that he only had to wait before the Rangers would show themselves again.

And he didn't have to wait long either. The moment that Zodiark turned around, he saw eight rays of light coming from the ground that began to rush towards the sky. "Nowhere in sight, huh?" Zodiark said to Bakari. "I'm pretty sure that those are the Rangers."

The warriors rushed towards the edge of the rooftop and looked at the lights. The Rangers went up to the sky, no doubt leaving the atmosphere of the planet.

"Where are they going?" asked Umbra.

"That doesn't matter," said Zodiark. "The Rangers are after something, I don't know what though." He looked over at his warriors, pointing at his son and his warriors. "You three, go after the Rangers. Find out what they're after and stop them from returning."

"Yes father," said Kratein.

"Yes milord!" said Bakari and Helios.

Umbra huffed and was not pleased at all to be left out of a fight. He would've had a lot of fun if he got a chance to get after the Rangers so he could finish them off once and for all. But he wouldn't get that kind of action since Zodiark told him to stay there with him.

Not wasting any more time, the three warriors vanished into the sky, teleporting after the Rangers within waves of darkness.

Zodiark wasn't the only one interested in the Rangers right now.

* * *

><p>On the moon, Thrax sat at his throne after witnessing the crushing defeat that the heroes had suffered. Under normal circumstances Thrax would've been celebrating, but considering the Rangers had fallen to his traitors, it made their defeat downright insulting. It annoyed the hell out of Thrax to see that all of his plots failed, but those of Zodiark and Beelzebub had actually succeeded.<p>

Thrax struck the ground with his staff as he growled in all that frustration. Lightning and Dark Knight stepped aside as the mutant approached the railing of the balcony with his free hand gripping onto the rail. "I cannot bare this insult!" shouted Thrax. "How many times more must I suffer all this humiliation? Why is it that everyone can defeat the Power Rangers but me? What makes me so unable to destroy them?"

"We have been stripped of our resources by that traitorous Beelzebub," said Dark Knight. "He humiliated us all then turned Zodiark against us."

"The Dark Lord must die," said Lightning. "Killing him will cleanse us all of his filth."

"Excellent," laughed Thrax. "Yes, we will kill Beelzebub! Kill the source of it all."

As unlikely as that was to actually happen, the fantasy at least made it possible for Thrax to keep going. The mutant could at least laugh at the prospect of the Dark Lord getting ripped apart when he spotted something coming from the Earth.

He raised his brow and attempted to see if he could make out exactly what it was. By judging how fast the lights were coming, it was clear to Thrax that somebody was attempting to teleport. The lights rushed past the Earth then further out into space until it was clear to Thrax that these were the lights of the Power Rangers.

Not long after the Power Rangers left the Earth, three more lights followed behind them, swallowed in darkness.

"Zodiark is after the Rangers," said Thrax. "They must have found something to help them fight that traitor." His chest began to boil over inside of him as something fun began to dawn on him. He looked back at his warriors, pointing his Z-staff after them both. "I want you two to follow the Rangers and stop Zodiark's warriors from getting in their way."

"Why?" said Dark Knight.

"We're helping the Rangers now?" Lightning asked, confused.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," said Thrax. "As much as I hate the Power Rangers, right now, I hate Zodiark and Beelzebub so much more. At least with the Rangers it's a struggle between good and evil, but what those two did to me is downright shameful. The deepest pits of the Underworld are reserved for traitors who turned against their family, friends, and allies. So it is time to show Zodiark and Beelzebub the error of their ways."

Before his own warriors could say anything else, Thrax zapped them both and hurled them out to space to save the Rangers.

* * *

><p>Racing across the stars, the Rangers made it to Pluto within an hour. The whole teleporting thing made them a little woozy from having their molecules rearranged like that, but they all managed not to throw up from that long ride.<p>

Serena had to wipe some drool off the corner of her mouth as she mumbled that they should've just taken the Astro Megaship. It was Landon who reminded Serena that Zodiark would've ended up shooting it down before they got near the sky. That was a valid theory, so it looked like teleportation was the safer decision after all.

Looking around their new surroundings, the Rangers could tell that they were in some factory or a housing facility of some sort. The place didn't look as futuristic as some would've expected. It did look like the place did belong to a military organization to say the very least. Whoever was responsible for the construction and storage of these new Zords did draw a lot of suspicions from the heroes.

"Is anyone else a little worried here?" asked Haley.

"Everyone, stay close," said Tommy. "We don't know what kind of traps might have been put in place here."

They all were in agreement on that part as they began to walk along the empty area, looking for any signs of these new Zords. All while Alice was still amazed that they were able to breathe while inside. She grabbed a scanner that she had developed to see that the facility was using recycled air that was perfectly safe for them to breathe. At least they didn't have to worry about their heads exploding while on Pluto.

Connor and Eric approached a window that was a little dusty. Eric pulled his sleeve up to cover his hand as he wiped it clean so that they might be able to see outside. What they both saw was a vast empty space with a tiny speck in the distance.

"Poor Pluto," said Connor. "What gives us a right to demote a planet?"

"Those scientists probably got killed during the Venjix Outbreak," said Eric, "so I guess we'll have to ask their ghosts." He continued to look out the window, seeing nothing at all that was remotely interesting. This was probably the only thing on Pluto that was worth anything, but it also made him wonder how Hubble could've never seen the facility unless it was cloaked. "Well, at least now I know why they named it after the God of the Underworld. This place is pretty lifeless."

Connor shook his head at the bad joke as he dragged Eric back to rejoin the others.

Serena, Tommy, and Haley had finished their quick search to spot the boyfriends walking over towards the others. Alice was at a computer and probably going through some sensitive data with Landon and Ric at her side. The screen was all lit up with Alice's eyes just sparkling like diamonds as she was completely dazzled by all of this information.

The Rangers gathered around their companions as they waited for some answers to get spilt. Alice remained perfectly silent, however, until a pair of doors opened up in the distance. They all looked to their side to see a bridge that led to these newly opened doors that would no doubt take them to someplace special.

"Beyond there are the Zords," said Alice. "Let's hurry."

They were all in agreement with her as they began to run towards the bridge only for a bolt of darkness to come rushing from out of nowhere. The explosion that was triggered caused some of the crates to burst open with the Rangers being flung back like weightless specks of dust.

Caught completely off their guard, the Rangers spotted Kratein standing with Bakari and Helios at his side. The Prince held his hand up with his sword in the other hand and a dark grin forming on his youthful face. "Well, hello Rangers," said Kratein. His black hair shinned magnificently in the light as he began his approach with the warriors following behind him. "Father said you were after something, but I'm sure he didn't expect you to be on the hunt for new Zords."

"But Pluto of all places?" said Bakari. "Why in God's name would you come to Pluto to find Zords? This planet is virtually barren, well, except for this lovely facility."

"I guarantee that these Zords will not be able to save you," said Helios. "Zodiark's power is too strong to be conquered by you pathetic Earthlings."

The heroes cursed their luck as they were still too powerless to fight off the warriors. Landon still refused to give up as he got up with Ric, Eric, Tommy, and Haley following his lead. Their best fighters could hold them off without powers, while Alice took Connor and Serena to unlock the new Zords. Hopefully that would revitalize all their powers and this galactic trip wouldn't be the end of them all.

It was an unspoken plan that none had to make confirmation of.

As the Rangers were about to spring into action, a wave of fire went rushing through the ground to create a line between the Rangers and the warriors. Everyone looked off to the side, where they were caught surprised once more by Dark Knight who held his sword forward. Lightning was at his back with her hand on the handle of her Gunblade.

"Oh fuck me," whispered Ric. "Not these two."

"Do not worry, Rangers," said Dark Knight. "Thrax sent us to help you just this once."

"Why?" asked Landon. "Last I checked, we're enemies."

"Thrax hates Zodiark and Beelzebub a lot more then he hates you," said Dark Knight. "He wants to destroy you himself, but he wants Zodiark to pay first." The knight held up his sword and took a stance against Zodiark's warriors. The three warriors drew their arms against the corrupted knight as they prepared for whatever it was that he'd throw at them. "Now Lightning, let us be done with these ingrates!"

Lightning nodded her head as she pulled out her Gunblade. The weapon instantly shifted into its blade form, which she held up with fluid grace. "Yes, let us end this here," she said, calmly. Twisting the handle around, Lightning did the unexpected as she struck Dark Knight from behind with her weapon.

Underneath the helmet, Dark Knight was in astonished as he felt the weapon tare against his back. He dropped down to one knee, his breaths becoming ragged underneath the helmet. He lifted his head up to see Lightning walking away from him and get closer to Kratein and the other warriors.

"Why?" gasped Dark Knight. "You vowed to Thrax."

Stopping in her tracks, the warrior woman spun around to face her former companion with a hand on her waist. "My vows were broken upon his defeat," said Lightning. She held onto her Gunblade now that it was in its gun form, dangerously tapping on the trigger. "When he was defeated by Landon, my oath ended. I swore loyalty to Thrax on the condition that he personally would never be defeated by the Power Rangers. I found my loophole so I then turned my allegiance to the winning side."

"A wise decision," Bakari said with a smile.

"Yes," said Kratein, "now let us end the Rangers."

Helios prepared to join his Prince in a ferocious attack only to have a ring of fire being cast around them. The warriors took a step back once more where they saw Dark Knight back on his feet with his sword stabbed into the ground.

"I swore allegiance to Thrax for all my life!" said Dark Knight. "He gave me my orders and I shall follow them!"

"Foolish bastard," groaned Lightning.

"You should've just accepted defeat!" yelled Helios.

Dark Knight ordered the Rangers to run as he pulled his sword out from the ground. He fought past the pained that Lightning had inflicted upon him as the armored man rushed after the warriors. The knight collided against all of their blades, wielding his heavy sword with all his might so to hold them at bay.

Sparks flew everywhere as the explosion of energy wafted off of their beings, creating a massive diversion.

Running as quickly as they could down the main hanger, the Rangers tried to put as much distance between them and all the fighting. None of them looked back, not since Dark Knight had told the heroes to get out of there. As far as they knew, Dark Knight was still battling against Zodiark's warriors and the traitor Lightning.

Alice and Landon were the first to a doorway when they heard the fighting getting louder. The other Rangers began to flood in with Serena trailing behind. She wasn't as used to all of the running as they were, but she caught up when it was really needed.

Just in time to as Kratein had escaped the fighting, while the others had Dark Knight completely worn out. Lightning and Helios slashed the armored man apart with their blades before Bakari jumped in with all five of his swords. Striking the knight down, the warriors turned their sights after the Rangers in order to prevent them from finding their new Zords. Kratein tried to hurl darkness after the Rangers, but Eric pulled up a shield in the middle of the walkway.

The shield was able to withstand the impact, but that didn't stop Kratein for continuing to come after them. When his sword was about to strike the shield, Serena hurled him back with her mental willpower as the other warriors got close.

Alice placed her hand on a keypad, using her own powers to contact the mechanical system. She made contact with the system and was able to cause the doors to the hanger to seal themselves up. In a matter of seconds, the doors to their Holy Grail were sealed up just as Kratein and the others broke through the shield.

With any luck, the door would last long enough for the Rangers to uncover their Zords and get the hell off of Pluto.

* * *

><p>There was nothing but darkness as the Rangers lost themselves in this hanger.<p>

They held one another's hand so not to get lost and to hopefully guide them to safety. Landon was at the very lead, using his Crystal Morpher to create some much needed light so that they wouldn't fall into a dark pit. They each took a cautious step forward as they continued their search for these new Zords, which were becoming more and more worthless with every trap that they were falling for.

"If these Zords aren't here, I don't know what I'll do," said Ric.

"Shut up!" Alice yelled at him. "Don't say something like that. We don't want to jinx it."

The Latino apologized as he slowly crossed a broken panel and warned everyone else about it. The others had to do a little bit of re-navigating in order to make sure they avoided it and didn't plummet to their doom.

Landon kept his eyes peeled until he spotted something blinking in the distance. He squinted his eyes a little to see if he could make out what exactly it was. To him, they looked like a pair of green eyes, large green eyes that would belong to something like a Zord.

Fighting past all of the darkness, Landon told the others to get their Crystal Morphers out. Each one followed his orders and pulled the bracelet from their wrist to hold their individual crystals up in the air. In response to this, their crystals began to shine until the entire hanger was completely illuminated by these lights, turning the power on.

A blinding moment past until the Rangers could see again, but once their eyes adjusted it hit them hard. The discovery caused the Rangers to drop their jaws as they saw a gigantic Zord stationed right in front of them. Not just one Zord either, the Rangers looked around to spot seven more Zords all around them. They were on a circular pillar that was locked with railings to keep them from falling and separate pathways that led to each Zord.

The heroes gave out a victorious cheer as they had finally discovered the Zords. Each one looked more magnificent then the last without even a hint as to who operated what. The Zords were about the size of a Megazord all on their own and appeared to be mobile suits like what Zodiark used and created against them.

"This is it!" said Landon. "We stand a chance against Zodiark now."

"Everyone jump in!" yelled Serena.

Before the Rangers could follow their alien friend's advice, the thunderous flapping of wings caught their attention. "I wouldn't do that just yet." The Rangers were startled as they looked to see a young man standing at the center of the pillar. He was dressed like a professional suit with the stunning looks of a model. His hearty blue eyes were the picture of perfection along with that flawless skin and curly, blond hair.

Connor felt his entire body got numb as he recognized this man from the dream he had. The name of the man was at the tip of his tongue but he couldn't bring himself to utter those words out of fear.

"Who are you?" Tommy said, jumping in front of everyone.

A smile crossed the face of the newcomer as he just stood there. "Well, that depends on what you want to hear, Rangers," said Yahweh. "You can either hear the truth or a lie, but I think I'll tell you the truth since you are all so special. I am a Celestial, one of the highest ranking ones, fyi. As for my name, you can call me Yahweh."

At least his suspicions were confirmed. Connor knew that his name was Yahweh, but he kept that all to himself since he wasn't certain where this was going.

Neither were the other Rangers as Landon took liberty to approach the Celestial. He was cautious and fearful, which was exactly what he should be at the moment. "You're a Celestial?" repeated Landon. "The same Celestials that are responsible for creating our powers?"

"Guilty as charged," smirked Yahweh. He held up a finger, pointing it at Landon then at each Ranger. "You see, kiddies, you got yourselves locked into a major power struggle. This war has been going on for millennia, part of the reason for it starting in the first place was because of humanity, but that's such a long story."

"What are you talking about?" asked Alice. "Does this have anything to do with Beelzebub and the other Dark Lords?"

Yahweh nodded his pretty, heavenly head as he began to take a moment to look at the young woman. He found Landon tensing up in defense of her so he eased up the reigns a little, but still smirked. "The Dark Lords are only the tip of the divine iceberg, but yes a lot of it involves the Fallen," said the Celestial. "You see, Rangers, the Dark Lords were once a part of our divine family. We all resided in the Realm of Paradise and served our Eternal Father, the Almighty Creator."

"Is this going where I think it is?" Haley asked, remembering her Sunday school classes.

"I think so," added Ric.

Yahweh ignored the Rangers as he continued on with his speech. "Our perfect world came crashing down though when some decided to rebel against the Creator," said the Celestial. "They became forever known as the Fallen, and their leaders are the Dark Lords. The war lasted for a hundred years, but the Faithful to the Creator survived and we cast the Fallen down to the Underworld for their crimes. But it was too late for us all, the Creator began to turn His back on all His children which leads us to the chaotic world that we live in now."

"The Dark Lords seek their revenge against the Creator and all Faithful, but also at humanity," said Yahweh. "The powers you wield were created as a means to fight of the Dark Lords to prevent the end of this universe. And these Zords, the Sentinel Zords, were designed out of the Divine Machines that we Celestials wield up in Paradise. These are the weapons you shall use to put an end to the tyranny of the Seven Dark Lords."

Haley's eyes lit up as she pieced together exactly where all of this was going. Alice, Ric, Connor, and Eric looked equally as astonished. Landon felt his mind going back to what little biblical tales he knew of, while Tommy and Serena were left somewhat clueless.

"Oh God," said Haley, "we're in the middle of the War between Heaven and Hell."

"The Celestials are…angels," said Ric.

"And the Dark Lords are the fallen angels," said Alice.

"Bingo," Yahweh said in a musical tone.

Everyone truly began to understand the struggles that they were now trapped in. This was more than just a battle to protect the world from evil, this was a war to fight against the Source of All Evil!

Yahweh could see just how this truly bothered each and every one of them. Sure, it probably wasn't easy to hear, but the Rangers shouldn't be kept so far in the dark.

The Celestial looked at each of their youthful faces until one truly spoke to him. His eyes met with Connor's eyes and for a brief moment he could see _him_. But Yahweh knew damn well that was impossible, he knew what the Creator had done to _him_. Yet, the connection was just too uncanny to be a coincidence.

Then it dawned on him, what if his elder brother knew. He couldn't sense the mind of his brother right now, but if he were even to utter the true name of the one that they lost then all hell would break loose. So refusing to say or pay any more attention to this boy, Yahweh kept his mouth sealed so not to stir his brother from wherever in the Cosmos he had locked himself up in.

"I see that your powers have been drastically diminished," Yahweh said to the Rangers. "Well, get inside yours Zords so that you can be restored to full strength and then some. Good luck, Rangers, because you're going to need it to survive the long hull."

With another thunderous clap of wings, Yahweh completely vanished from sight. Only a single whit feather drifted close to the ground that Connor caught before that. The silky, soft feel of the feather reminded him of something great but he figured that to only be one of his fading memories of Heaven.

Landon was the first to snap out of this divine trance. He held onto his Crystal Morpher then turned to a Zord. "We have to get going," said Landon. "Who knows how much damage Zodiark has done to the Earth. Even though we know who are true enemy is that still doesn't change what's happening back home. It's time to get back into action."

The others agreed as they followed their crystals to the Zords they felt was appropriate for them. They leaped inside the cockpit and upon entering, they were morphed without even uttering a single world.

Now that they were the Angel Force Power Rangers again, the heroes felt more than capable of fending off whatever it was that Zodiark had to throw at them.

* * *

><p>Back on Earth, Zodiark was about to celebrate total victory against the Power Rangers and the city. He had claimed full control of the city by nightfall and nothing at all was standing in his way to take control of the rest of the world. Running a hand through his silver hair, Zodiark prepared to start the next stage of his plan when his warriors had returned with Lightning at their side and some bad news for him.<p>

"They escaped!" shouted Zodiark. "Where are they now?"

Just as the warriors were about to utter a single word, Umbra pointed up to the sky. Zodiark turned around to see a speck of light coming down from the sky. He ordered the Victoria Zords to attack when seven more specks began to appear in the horizon. Then, their forms became clearer to him until Zodiark realized that these were Zords.

"Damn Rangers!" said Zodiark. "That's what they were after, new Zords."

The Victoria Zords all were sprang into action to stop the Rangers before it was too late. Abandoning their posts through the city, Zodiark had his forces go out on the offensive before the Rangers could stop his plan.

However, Zodiark was about to find out that nothing was going to save his plans.

* * *

><p>Up in the sky, the Victoria Zords were approaching the Rangers and their Sentinel Zords.<p>

Red Ranger was at the front of the pack inside his brand new Zord. His mobile suit had a lot of blue and white armor with the head two sets of V's for antenna. The massive shoulders had red lines with the same lines running along the feet and torso of the Zord. The wings of the Zord had two, white outer bands with a red band at the very center. And along its hands were bulky, red gauntlets with yellow claws attached.

"Red Burning Sentinel Zord activated," Red Ranger said within the cockpit. He pushed the controls to cause his Sentinel Zord to go into battle.

Burning Sentinel Zord had machine guns close to the neck of the Zord, which it opened up from the blue covers. The guns went off at once and easily tore apart a few of the Victoria Zords and their Command models.

Blue Ranger's Sentinel Zord was massively bulky with all this red armor. Underneath that armor was a robotic, muscular physique that was all blue. Strapped to the hips of the Zord were a pair of pistols that held for range fighting. The shoulder pads could detach as well to form gloved fists for extra armor damage. The head of his Zord was actually blue with a single V for antenna.

"Blue Maxter Sentinel Zord activated," said Blue Ranger.

Taking off the shoulder pads, Maxter Sentinel Zord armed itself for battle. Blue Ranger steered his Zord into the fray to pummel away at a couple of the Victoria Zords before returning to their proper places. The Zord took out its pistols next then began to take fire, blowing up a few more in the process.

Black Ranger was happily in the cockpit of his Sentinel Zord. His black armored Zord had yellow trimmings along it. A detachable shield was on its left arm that bore a cross and a sharp blade along the sides. And in the hand of the Sentinel was a long pole that formed a blade of energy that made it look like a scythe. The head of his Sentinel Zord was black with a curved V for antenna.

"Black Deathscythe Sentinel Zord activated!" said Black Ranger.

Swinging its scythe around, Deathscythe Sentinel Zord tore through two of the Victoria Zords with ease. Black Ranger pulled the arm up and caused the shield to detach and crush a nearby enemy with his righteous fury.

Yellow Ranger's Zord had a more oriental type pattern to it. The armor on her Sentinel Zord had a lot of green and yellow to it with dragon-like faces on both arms. There was a long, yellow braid at the head of her Zord near the energy staff that was strapped to the back. Her Zord's head was red but with a yellow plate over the red with a pointed V.

"Yellow Dragon Sentinel Zord activated!" said Yellow Ranger.

Dragon Sentinel Zord pulled out its massive spear to stab the nearby enemies with all its might. She then released the dragons as the mounts took over her fists and extended forward. A gushing amount of fire escaped from the dragon mouths, burning any enemy Zords with the greatest amount of ease.

Pink Ranger's Zord had a lot of white, gray, and blacks to it. The torso of the Zord itself had pink as well as the winged shoulder pads feather-like design. On its back was a pair of curved blades that could cut through anything with a small machine gun at the back as well. Attached to the left arm was a fanged shield that the blades could be attached to for more fluid moves. The head had a double set of V's with pink trimmings along the armor.

"Pink Sandrock Sentinel Zord activated!" said Pink Ranger.

Retrieving the blades, Sandrock Sentinel Zord charged up a mighty attack before brandishing them for combat. The Zords that foolishly came in front of her were easily sliced in half upon impact before the Ranger attached them to her shield. Pink Ranger slashed at a few more enemies before firing away with her machine gun.

White Ranger came in next with his angelic Sentinel Zord. The Sentinel was mostly white with a great pair of robotic wings that looked like angel wings on the back. The layered shoulder armor was blue, white, and yellow with more blue armor over the white for aesthetic purposes. In both hands was a beam rifle that could combine together for a more powerful one. The head had three sets of V's with blue armor along the side.

"White Wing Zero Sentinel Zord activated!" said White Ranger.

Piloting his Zord with ease, Wing Zero entered the battlefield ready and armed. Using both riffles, it fired at the incoming enemy and tore their numbers down as it spun around. White Ranger took the gear of his Zord, having it fly faster before firing at a few more enemy Zords.

Orange Ranger's Sentinel Zord was a weapons wonder. The orange armored Sentinel was a living weapon with plenty of machines guns and missile ports all over the place. Attached to its right arm was a shield that had a machine gun attached to it. The other arm had a blade attached to it for close range, whenever ammo had run low. A single V was at the head of this Sentinel Zord.

"Orange Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord activated!" said Orange Ranger.

Using his living weapon, Heavy Arms let out a full assault. The rocket ports on the legs and shoulders opened up, the double machine guns on the chest went off, and the machine gun on the arm was told to fire as well. Orange Ranger led a successful attack against his enemies as he blew up everything that got caught in firing range.

Violet Ranger's Sentinel Zord was surprisingly bulky and tough. The violet armor along the torso and long shoulder pads with blue trimmings helped to give a new design to it. A long lance was strapped to its back with a port on the left arm for its energy arrows to be fire. The head of her Sentinel Zord only had a single V on it as well.

"Violet Rising Sentinel Zord activated!" said Violet Ranger.

Rising Sentinel Zord removed the lance on its back and used it to cut into the enemies' armor. They all exploded upon impact, clearing up a path to several more Zords. Using the energy arrow, Violet Ranger had the part move around as it charged up to fire. Releasing the arrow, the Ranger watched as it sliced through those enemies Zord with ease.

In only a few minutes, the Rangers' Sentinel Zords had completely demolished all of the Zords that Zodiark had crafted.

But the battle was far from over. As the Rangers cheered, Zodiark and Umbra had entered the cockpit of their Zords and were returning to battle. Solar Celestial Megazord and Shadow Fortress Megazords were on their way, and their pilots were far from being happy.

"You will pay, Rangers!" shouted Zodiark.

"The only one paying today will be you guys!" shouted Red Ranger. "Let's bring the Zords together!"

"Right!" said the other Rangers.

Inserting their Crystal Morphers into their power bases, the Rangers prepared for the next stage of battle. Burning Sentinel Zord, Maxter Sentinel Zord, Deathscythe Sentinel Zord, Dragon Sentinel Zord, and Sandrock Sentinel Zord flew together in a straight line. Wing Zero Sentinel Zord, Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord, and Rising Sentinel Zord took a separate path for their sequence.

The arms and legs of each Sentinel retracted to make room for a combination sequence as well as abandoned all detachable weapons.

Burning Sentinel was at the center with Deathscythe and Sandrock forming the arms as Dragon and Maxter formed the legs. Deathscythe and Sandrock retracted their shoulders with fists forming along where their legs once were with the armored gauntlets from Burning Sentinel attaching to them. Dragon and Maxter crouched together, following a similar process as a thick layer of armor appeared to cover as the feet. The wings on Burning Sentinel's back spread apart to form six wings with a burning ring around the back as a larger, angelic helmet fused with the head of the Zord.

"Seraph Sentinel Megazord activated!" shouted Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink Ranger from their new cockpit.

Wing Zero Sentinel shifted around to form the torso and the arms of the new Megazord. The wings remained there as well to continue flight functions. Heavy Arms Sentinel and Rising Sentinel crouched together to form the legs of the new Megazord before fusing together. A helmet floated in from nowhere which combined with Wing Zero's head, revealing a wheel-like contraption on the forehead.

"Cherub Sentinel Megazord activated!" shouted White, Orange, and Violet Ranger from their new cockpit..

Armed with these new Megazords, the Rangers wasted on time getting to work. They took on the same enemy Megazord as before for this final conflict against one another.

Shadow Fortress Megazord attempted to fire the full wrath of its weapons from Umbra's commands. As the missiles and bullets began to fire, Cherub Sentinel Megazord flew out of the way in remarkable speeds. The enemy fire exploded all around it, but not a single one could manage to lay a scratch on the new Megazord.

Violet Ranger stood at the top of this elevated level with White Ranger and Orange Ranger below her. She pushed down on a button to summon the shoulder pads from her Zord to form a mini shield to protect them from incoming missiles.

When the smoke cleared, Orange Ranger had his missile ports open up as he summoned an enlarged version of his shield/machine gun. He fired his own assault at the slower Megazord, which wasn't so fortunate to escape from. But Umbra's Megazord was able to withstand their firepower as he had his Megazord fire the double barrels from its back.

"Incoming!" shouted Violet Ranger.

"Evasive maneuvers!" said Orange Ranger.

They avoided the continuous assault as White Ranger summoned the double rifles. As they avoided the attack, White Ranger fired his rifles after Shadow Fortress Megazord's barrels with hopes of disrupting the attack. And it worked as the repeated fire caused severe damage to Umbra's weapon.

"Now the real fun begins!" said White Ranger.

"Cherub Wheel of Fire!" shouted the trio of Rangers.

Rotating the wheel on its head, Cherub Sentinel Megazord caused a larger wheel to appear in front of them. As the wheel spun around, the Megazord combined its rifles as one and the wheel began to shrink down until it was in front of the riffle. Pulling down on the trigger, Cherub Sentinel Megazord fired at the wheel with full force and watched as the wheel pierced through the armor of Shadow Fortress Megazord followed by the full blast from the beam riffle.

The explosions that followed after that led Umbra to retreat before his entire Megazord faced anymore damage.

As they overcame Umbra, Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Solar Celestial Megazord went on an all out offensive. The Rangers flew all across the sky, using their Beam Saber to fight against Zodiark's Beam Saber. Their attacks constantly crashed together with neither one gaining even the slightest of edge in battle.

When they pulled their Megazord back, Pink Ranger summoned her twin blade for back up. Charging them up, the Megazord flung them forward only to have Solar Celestial Megazord brush them aside. Black Ranger and Yellow Ranger were ready to intercept this move by calling on his scythe and her spear to challenge Zodiark at close quarters.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord used both weapons with fluid grace to lash out at Zodiark's defenses. This time they weren't going to be the ones to fall in battle.

Once the Beam Saber had been lost, the Megazord tossed aside its scythe and spear. Blue Ranger summoned his pistols which Seraph Sentinel Megazord was ordered to use to fire at Solar Celestial Megazord. The bullets rang over the shield that Zodiark had pulled up to defend his precious Zord from their rain of firepower.

"You will not defeat me, Rangers!" said Zodiark. "I have too much power to accept defeat."

"Power won't save you, Zodiark," said Black Ranger.

"Our teamwork will lead us through to the end," said Yellow Ranger.

"You just need to learn to stomach that," said Pink Ranger.

"We're not backing down either," said Blue Ranger.

"Because we are the Power Rangers!" said Red Ranger.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord pushed onward with the burning ring on its back glowing with intense fury. The gauntlets on both hands stretched forward with the yellow fangs coming out to sharpen the blow. "Seraph Heaven's Eruption!" shouted the five Rangers. The Megazord's hands began to glow with full rage as they turned gold with the Megazord drawing nearer to its foe.

Refusing to accept defeat, Zodiark summoned both of his rifles. He pulled down on the trigger to unleash the full torrent of fire, but Seraph Sentinel Megazord refused to back down. The Rangers pierced through the beam fire until one hand grabbed onto the front of the rifle and the second on the head of the Solar Celestial Megazord.

The golden palms began to crush these two parts until the burning ring on the Megazord's back spread with a burst of energy. The ring remained, but the energy triggered an explosion along those parts of Solar Celestial Megazord. Using their ultimate attack at close range instead of its original, long-range design unleashed the full fury with spectacular results.

Zodiark's riffles became completely useless and the head of the Megazord was severally damaged. The Dark Prince had no other choice but to retreat as it flew up to Mars for immediate repairs. But not before Zodiark vowed to have his revenge on the Rangers.

Cherub Sentinel Megazord flew towards Seraph Sentinel Megazord. The two Megazords bumped fists together. The Rangers defeated evil, the city was free, and Zodiark ran away with his tail between his legs. With these Sentinel Zords, the night was certainly looking brighter for the Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>Once again the day was saved as the Rangers had shown up just in time. They stopped the invasion and delivered a heavy blow on Zodiark and Beelzebub. It had been more than a difficult battle, but they had proven how strong they truly were by overcoming them against all of the odds.<p>

"Pop open a bottle of champagne, bitches!" cheered Alice. "We kicked bad guy ass!"

"Woohoo!" laughed Serena and Tommy.

Adam grabbed a celebratory bottle that he actually did have in the Command Center. He actually had a few stocked up for special occasions such as now. The bottle wasn't exactly meant for getting some new Zords, but it was a good new reason to celebrate nonetheless.

The glasses were filled up with the bubbly and each of the Rangers got one, even if they were underage or a robot.

"To the Sentinel Zords," said Landon, "and may they continue to help us fight evil."

"Cheers!" said the Rangers.

They clinked their glasses together, letting out a victorious cheer. Even Alpha gave out a celebratory cheer alongside all of the Rangers.

Amongst all of this cheer, Connor put on a false face as he celebrated with his friends. His mind was on something else though as he remembered what he had gone through with Yahweh. The Celestial was on his mind now, especially as he thought about what he had said to him.

Yahweh knew more about Connor then he was willing to let out. The boy was positive that the Celestial could tell him the meaning of his dreams, but he wasn't about to hold his breath on finding out the truth now. Only the Creator knew where Yahweh was now so there was no point in stressing out about this now.

Connor decided to fight and relax his mind about all of this so he could enjoy this moment of peace with his friends. To help snap himself out of this, the boy bumped into Eric with a soft smile on his face. Eric wrapped an arm around Connor, pulling the boy to him as closely as possible before planting a kiss on his forehead.

Tommy and Ric were throwing a couple of fist pumps into the air, while Haley and Alice started to cheer like idiots. Landon and Adam laughed as Alpha spilled the champagne all over his robotic body, while Serena was dancing around to the music playing in her head.

And for a moment, the Rangers didn't have to worry about a damn thing.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Thrax suffers a heavy blow after losing Lightning so in order to fix the damage the mutant will revive Master Xandred through dark means. With the Nighlock master back from the dead, the villains will join forces to defeat the Power Rangers. But the Angel Force Rangers won't be alone as a team of samurai join in to help put an end to the mess that they started. Find out what happens in **S****amurai Forever!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Author's** **Note: **Fresh from the presses! Here's the newest chapter. Sorry that it's a bit late, but I had a college graduation to attend last night, family comes first. Haha. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's possibly one of the longest so far, at least up in the top five. Haha. That's all that needs to be said. Read and review! I mean it. REVIEW!

**Samurai Forever:**

The humiliation that they had suffered only a week ago still left a stinging burn for them. Despite the new ally that they had acquired, the Power Rangers had laid a deadly blow onto Zodiark's ambitions by their discovery of the Sentinel Zords. The balance of power in the Morphing Grid had shifted once more with the Rangers gaining the upper hand now.

Zodiark stared out of the office window to see the repairs being performed on the Zords. All of his pseudo Zords had been destroyed by the Rangers' Sentinel Zords, while his and Umbra's personal Zords suffered serious damage. Solar Celestial Megazord and Shadow Fortress Megazord had to undergo serious repairs in order to be salvaged well enough to be used in future battles.

Boiling over with disgrace, Zodiark could not think of an appropriate plan to get back at the Rangers with. His invasion was supposed to have been perfect and it did go swimmingly by defeating the Rangers' Angel Zords. With these new Zords though, it wouldn't be so easy to overcome the Rangers. Zodiark had heard legends of the mythical Sentinels wielded by the Celestials, which he knew well the Rangers' Zords were based off of. The powers of the Sentinels were godly in themselves and no mortal weapon could hope to overcome them.

Slamming his fist down against a wall, this shameful defeat made his blood boil over. Now, he knew exactly what it felt like to be Thrax.

Bah, even thinking of that mutant freak was enough to really set Zodiark over the edge. Thrax had played his hand in the Rangers acquiring their new Zords. If Thrax hadn't sent Lightning and Dark Knight then things would've worked out much differently. The Rangers would be dead and Zodiark would have full control of the Earth.

Looking over his shoulder, Zodiark saw Beelzebub sitting on a chair and staring out into the vast star ocean. Zodiark realized that his business partner wasn't very helpful either during the last battle. Beelzebub was supposed to assist if necessary, but the Dark Lord failed to do anything to lend a hand. In fact, it seemed to the Dark Prince that the Dark Lord of Gluttony was suffering from a spell of fear.

This was certainly odd behavior for a Dark Lord to display. Zodiark couldn't put his finger down on just why Beelzebub was acting this way, but it was certainly annoying.

Storming towards the Dark Lord, Zodiark pulled the chair back with his new strength to gain attention. "Pull yourself together, Beelzebub!" said Zodiark. The Dark Prince stared into the red eyes of the Dark Lord to see them far more devoid of life than usual. For a practically soulless creature, Zodiark wasn't surprised to see such emptiness but there was still more to it. "What is the matter with you? Explain yourself, Beelzebub. Why did you fail to assist me in destroying the Power Rangers?"

"I was preoccupied with more important matters," Beelzebub said, rather bluntly. "A mortal such as yourself shouldn't concern yourself with the work that a superior being performs. Don't worry, you get to keep your little power boost since you did do so well, even if the Rangers did defeat you in the end."

Feeling that he didn't need to go into any further detail than that, Beelzebub returned to gazing out in to the universe. He would not speak anymore of what had happened that day. He did not need to replay the nightmare images that had been placed into his head by encountering the fearful Yahweh.

The Divine Celestial was a power far greater than the Dark Lord. Provoking Yahweh's wrath was something only an absolute fool would do. Beelzebub didn't want to risk incurring anymore of Yahweh's fury then the Dark Lord had already done as being the inspiration for the Great Rebellion.

But that answer was not good enough for Zodiark. In fact, the mere cockiness in the Dark Lord's voice was powerful enough to stir something deep within him. A sharp pain struck his chest as Zodiark closed his eyes and saw the powerful image of the man he had been dreaming of for the last couple of months. Losing himself to this powerful pain, Zodiark's mind had been locked away as something else took control.

This possessed Zodiark grabbed Beelzebub by the shoulder and threw the Dark Lord against the wall with enough force to shake the entire building. Anyone inside would be alarmed and would no doubt come to the office to see what the commotion was.

The Dark Lord was shocked by such display of strength and was prepared to attack Zodiark when he saw those eyes. Beelzebub's entire body froze over as he looked into these cold, blue eyes for a moment and saw someone he had hoped to never see again. There was no escaping _him_ though, which is what inspired so much fear within the soulless heart of the Dark Lord.

Possessed by this mysterious force, Zodiark slowly approached Beelzebub with a menacing expression on his pale skin. "I am the Edeonian Emperor," spoke the possessed Zodiark, "I am the Son of my and you're Creator, I am you're true King!" The voice of the possessor was far clearer, deeper, and richer than Zodiark's natural voice. It inspired both fear and adoration all at the same time, which could make all life tremble. The booming authority behind the voice frightened Beelzebub far more than Yahweh's had.

"I was born to lead you, to rule you, to make you remember you're place!" roared the possessed Zodiark. "I am not ruled by you. I am not commanded by you, I don't even like you! You should relearn and remain in your place." The possessed Zodiark stood in front of Beelzebub with his breath chilling the very being of the Dark Lord. "You are beneath me!"

The possessed man took a few steps as Beelzebub continued to tremble. Outside of the office, footsteps could be heard drawing closer, which provoked the possessor to finish. "I may be weaker than I have been in a long time," said the possessor, "but trust me Beelzebub, you can rebuild you're strength and join with your King of Pride but as soon as you become a challenge to me I'll just beat you down again. Next time, I'll send you on to the other side, especially if you forget your place and that which is forbidden to you by touch!"

As the doors to the office flung open, the entity that had taken possession of Zodiark had vanished from his being. Zodiark nearly lost his balance as he stumbled forward a few inches, while Beelzebub was still trembling from the voice of the possessor.

At that moment, Beelzebub could see what Zodiark was and that was downright terrifying. For the second time in a week, the Dark Lord had experienced a force that inspired true fear. He had heard the voice of the First. He had thought the First to have been lost or possibly even gone forever like their Father, but it seemed that the First was still present and ever watching.

Umbra entered the office with the other warriors, including Lightning, following his lead. They all took notice to the woozy Zodiark and the weak-kneed Beelzebub. This was a source of concern for them all as they tried to understand what had happened.

Beelzebub was the first to recover from this little episode. He straightened up his jacket as he suppressed the terror that he had been forced to face. "It was nothing, little monkeys," said the Dark Lord. "We were just testing your master's new powers. He needs to work a little more on self-control, but once he masters them than nothing can stand in our way." The Dark Lord left the office, leaving Zodiark unaware of what had truly just happened to him.

Zodiark had no memory at all of what happened besides feeling an overwhelming amount of pain. He believed what Beelzebub had said. He believed that he had lost control of his power for a moment so he paid no mind of the lingering taste left behind by a power even greater than their mysterious Yahweh.

But, at least, the First would be an issue that they'd attend to much, much later.

* * *

><p>While Mars was being true to its namesake, the Moon was host to some new changes as well.<p>

Thrax sat at his throne with Dark Knight knelt before him. The mutant radiated magical energy from the Z-Staff that had once been wielded by his father in order to heal his only, loyal warrior. His Dark Knight had returned only a few days ago after defending the Rangers from Zodiark's warriors and proving Lightning to be a traitor.

It was shameful to think of Lightning as a traitorous wench. Thrax could not believe that Lightning would betray him for that worthless dog, Zodiark. Her parents had been absolutely loyal to his parents. Well, her father, Goldar, did assist in sealing his mother, Rita Repulsa, away in that space dumpster, but it had been under the command of his father, Lord Zedd. Either way, Goldar and Scorpina had been loyal to Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa for their entire lives until their unfortunate demise by Zordon's energy wave.

What Lightning had done to him was truly despicable and she would face a great punishment the next time that they met.

Thrax concerned himself with his own work at the moment though. He had to get Dark Knight back on his feet as quickly as possible though so he could begin working on his next plot. Since the Rangers had put a stop to Zodiark and Beelzebub's invasion that would put those two miles behind the race. It gave Thrax the opening that he needed to deliver a punishing blow to the Power Rangers.

But as he thought about it, this task was going to be exceptionally difficult now. The Rangers' new Zords were incredibly powerful so that meant that Thrax would have to up the stakes. However, without the Nexus, Thrax had no means of summoning pure monsters to go after the heroes in spandex.

No, he had to think of a better plan. What he needed to do was to get an ancient power on his side just as the Dark Prince had the Dark Lord in his pocket. A smile began to creep up Thrax's face to as he knew exactly where to find that ancient power too.

Dark Knight began to rise from his feet as he used his sword to support his heavy weight. The injuries he had sustained from the battle left him incredibly weak, but thanks to his master he was almost to full strength now. Kratein, Lightning, and the others had left as soon as they discovered that they couldn't break through the door that the Rangers sealed themselves behind. Their distraction had given the injured knight enough time to hide himself so that he could return to the Moon with what little strength he had left.

All that pain was worth it. He had faithfully served his master, while Lightning showed her true colors and disgraced her own honor. Dark Knight had been suspicious of Lightning since Thrax had been defeated by the Red Angel Force Ranger, and his concerns had been proven to be true just a week ago.

"My lord," said Dark Knight, "what is it that you have planned now?"

Thrax stood from his throne as he began to approach the balcony. His knight remained behind as he was still recovering from the damage inflicted upon him. "You and I are going to take a little pleasure cruise to the river," said the mutant. "We'll need a boat for three because we'll be bringing somebody back with us."

The terrifying laugh that escaped Thrax was a concern for Dark Knight as he tried to imagine what it was that his master had planned for the Earth and its Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>As usual, the people on Earth were blissfully unaware about the terrors that were about to strike them soon. Some were sleeping peacefully in their beds as they believed the fighting to be over or at least feeling safer knowing that the Power Rangers were able to protect them from evil. Others did what they felt was appropriate; they celebrated and partied their heads off until they were too tired to continue celebrating.<p>

Something similar went on in a particular bedroom.

Landon and Alice were in bed with their limbs tangled together as they swapped tongue. Their naked flesh molded together as they surrendered to one another's desire for each other. Their passion caused the heat in the room to increase, which wasn't totally undesirable since it was a little chilly from their lack of clothing.

Kissing a particular spot along her collar bone, Landon was able to get Alice to quiver completely underneath him. He had his muscular, rock hard body on top of her fully toned body with his desire rubbing against her thighs. Alice's eyes began to roll back with her fingers tangling up into the sheets as Landon playfully bit down on her weak spot.

He was well aware of her weaknesses by now just like she was aware of his. So as she let out a grateful moan, she used her foot to press on a certain weak spot of Landon's along his right leg. Applying a little gentle pressure along that point, she could feel a part of Landon's essence escape him and drip onto her leg in response of this.

"Fuck me," Landon groaned into a pillow.

A smirk formed on Alice's face as she moved her hands to grab his tight ass. She squeezed his butt since she was a woman who appreciated a nice ass on a man. "I didn't know you played both teams, Landon," she whispered into his ear. "If you'd like, I could go get Ric so that you two can have some fun time."

Landon fought the urge to chuckle as he placed his hands onto her shoulders, pushing her further down into the mattress. Using only minimal strength, he leaned closer towards her face with his lips hovering just above hers. "Let's now go there," said Landon. "The only place I want to be right now is inside of you."

"You really know how to sweet talk a girl, Samuels," Alice said, sarcastically. "With that type of smooth talk, it's amazing that I didn't put out sooner."

"We really should just stop talking and return to where we were," said Landon. "Having a full conversation during sex is never a good idea. It only just leads to a box of worms opening up and being thrown all over the place."

"Gross mental image," said Alice. Pushing Landon off of her shoulders, she rolled them around so that he was the one on his back now. With her breasts grazing his chest, Alice bore a wicked grin on her face as she moved her ass against his dick. "Alright, let's get back to the fun stuff. Since you've been such a good, supportive, loving boy, Landon, I should give you a reward."

"I like rewards," Landon said, in a husky tone.

"Don't we all," Alice said, leaning towards his neck. "I've been such a good girl too; don't you think I deserve a reward too?" She took hold of his dick and began to stroke it slowly with a gentle but firm grip along it. Her movements were rewarded with more lube from Landon's own tool as pre-cum began to flow by the gallon.

"A big one," moaned Landon. "A really big one!"

Still smiling, Alice enjoyed exactly where this was going and so did Landon as they turned up the head in the bedroom a lot more.

* * *

><p>Crossing the dimensional bridge, Thrax and Dark Knight entered the Netherworld to their intended destination. Thrax had been successful at casting the spell that he had found in one of the spellbooks that had once belonged to his mother. He had been surprised to find that not all of her dark materials had been destroyed by either the Power Rangers or herself as she was now the Mystic Mother, Empress of Good Magick.<p>

But returning to more pressing matters, the two found themselves in a very grim world. The entire world was very read from the sky, the clouds, the rocks, the ground, and even the pathetic excuse of a river. Thrax could see that they were walking along a riverbed that had once housed a mighty amount of water in it. A serious drought had affected it though and it was all thanks to the actions of a particular group of heroes.

Thrax crossed the dried river with his feet splashing in the occasional puddle. Dark Knight remained close behind him with his sword drawn in case any creature dared to attack them. But the Nighlock of the Sanzu River were virtually gone by now. Either they had been destroyed or they had died from a lack of nourishment. Without the tears of humans being tied to their river, the Nighlock's source for sustenance had been severed from them.

What miserable creatures the Nighlock was, though Dark Knight.

Entering into the depths of the Sanzu River, Thrax was able to spot a decent body of water. There was enough water for someone to completely submerge themselves in, but there was only room for one as the entire space had been sealed off.

Powerful magic was at work to contain this small body of water. Thrax could sense the sealing spell that had been placed to keep the ancient power locked away from the natural world. It was a complex spell, but all spells could be broken with enough power and patience.

"I still do not understand why we're in the Sanzu River, milord," said Dark Knight. "The Nighlock are gone. The Samurai Power Rangers had defeated them all."

"Not all of them, Dark Knight," corrected Thrax. "There is still one Nighlock alive that the Samurai Rangers couldn't defeat. They were only powerful enough to seal him away, permanently, but I shall break that spell." Raising his Z-Staff up into the air, Thrax was about to demonstrate just how he would do just that. The bolt of lightning that came down from the Netherworld's sky only heightened the magical power he was about to unleash.

Dark Knight appeared startled as he took a step away from the spell that his master was casting.

Thrax pulled his Z-Staff forward to strike the magical bubble before them. The energy he had unleashed began to interfere with the Symbol Power that kept the ancient power away. Unleashing his own spell, Thrax caused cracks to appear all along the bubble until a red hand was able to burst forth. The other hand soon followed as the rest of the prison began to shatter apart into magical bursts of light.

With the Sealing Symbol disappearing into the ether, the Sanzu water that contained the ancient power burst forth to revitalize him. A sinister laugh escaped the ancient power as it rose up to his feet to properly celebrate his return.

His skin was scaly armor that was primarily red. Sharp, blue fin-like spikes stuck out along his legs, arms, shoulders, and the side of his head. He had six, yellow eyes along with a mouthful of white, sharp teeth. In his right hand, he brandished a thick broadsword that he'd use to cleave his enemies apart, especially when he'd have his revenge on the ones who sealed him away.

"At least, I am free!" laughed Master Xandred. "Nothing can seal me away; nobody can keep me locked away from this world!"

"Yes, yes, you're free," Thrax said, cutting Master Xandred's speech short. The mutant began to approach the Nighlock King with Dark Knight following in his footsteps. He touched Master Xandred's shoulder so to properly gain the attention of this creature. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Master Xandred. It was I who released you from the awful Sealing Symbol that the Samurai Rangers used to contain you."

Master Xandred turned his head to properly gaze at the horrid looking man. Then again, he wasn't much of a looker either so who was he to judge. "And just who are you?" said Master Xandred. "What am I supposed to call my 'great' rescuer?"

"I am Thrax," said the mutant, "son of Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. I am the sworn enemy of the Power Rangers, which is something that we both have in common."

"The Power Rangers," growled Master Xandred. "I hate those meddlesome teenagers! I'd do anything to get my hands on them and rip them to shreds."

"Well that is just perfect than," laughed Thrax. "The reason why I released you was so that we could work together to destroy them."

Master Xandred certainly found this piece of information amusing as he agreed to listen to what Thrax had to offer him.

* * *

><p>As evil stirred, good began to rise up to greet the morning.<p>

Feeling exhausted from what happened last night but refreshed at the same time, Antonio debated with himself to get out of bed or not. He could feel that the bed was cold without his bedmate around, but the nice ocean breeze that blew in felt great on his naked, bronze back. He was too lazy to even pull the sheets back up since it was dangerously close to fall off his naked waist as well.

What to do, what to do. Antonio continued this mental duel with himself when he felt weight being applied onto the bed and the sound of somebody putting on some clothes. He had a smile on his face as he found enough willpower to stretch an arm forward to greet the creamy arm of the more active member of the household.

"Good morning, mi amor," said the sleeping Latino. "How did you sleep?"

"It was wonderful as usual," said a deep voice. The man lifted his sleepy partner's hand up so to kiss it with his lips. This caused Antonio to actually open his eyes as he soon found himself being greeted with the smiling face of Jayden.

Antonio wasn't too thrilled to see Jayden with his samurai gear on though. Granted, the black outfit did fit him nicely, but the Nighlock were gone so there was no point to training anymore. But old habits die hard. He had heard from Mia that Kevin was still continuing with the Samurai training too, while Emily and Mike had pretty much given up on their old lives.

"You gonna stay in bed all morning or are you going to train with me?" asked Jayden.

There was a slight scowl on the Latino's face as he looked into the eyes of his best friend and his boyfriend. He pointed to his ass then pointed at the front of Jayden's pants. "Do you not remember what happened last night?" said Antonio. "You worked me out plenty. I am completely exhausted, Jayden. All I want to do is go back to sleep with you."

"I'm sorry, love," Jayden said, crawling back into bed. He kissed the forehead of his best friend and boyfriend with a smile appearing on both of their faces. "You can go back to sleep but I have to get back to training. A fat, lazy samurai isn't very useful."

But as Jayden was pulling away from his sleepy boyfriend, a cold breeze blew into their portside apartment. Antonio paid no attention to it as he attempted to return to sleep. Jayden, on the other hand, was completely frozen by the sudden breeze. His clear eyes narrowed as he felt a dark force stirring in the distance.

Realizing that there was no time to waste, Jayden went into their closet and forced the door open. The violent motion caused Antonio to jump up from the bed as he tried to understand what was wrong with him. All he could see though was Jayden digging through the box until he found what he was looking for.

Jayden took hold of his Samuraizer and flipped it open to see that it had powered up. He heard the roar of his Red Lion Folding Zord, which now floated around his head. Octo Zord and Claw Zord were getting closer to Antonio, all three of which were unaware of what was going on with those two.

It all came together when Jayden used his Samuraizer to write the kanji for emergency. Jayden smacked the symbol with his Morpher, which caused four copies of his symbol to escape from the window to arrive to their intended destinations.

"Jayden?" Antonio asked, confused. "What is going on? What's the emergency?"

"You have to get dressed, Antonio," said Jayden. He grabbed Antonio's Samurai Morpher from the box as well, handing it over to his partner. Antonio accepted it, but was still lost until Jayden uttered those fatal words. "Someone broke my Sealing Symbol, Master Xandred is free. We have to stop him."

"Dios mio," whispered Antonio.

Aware of the situation now, Antonio threw the covers off his naked body to grab his samurai gear. Jayden released a location symbol to find where Master Xandred was at now, only to discover that the Nighlock master was in Angel Grove, California. The puzzle was beginning to come together as Jayden and Antonio were aware that a team of Power Rangers were active in Angel Grove.

Those Rangers were about to be in grave danger if the Samurai Rangers didn't make it there on time.

* * *

><p>While preparations were being made by Jayden and Antonio, over in Angel Grove, trouble had broken free.<p>

The sirens in the Command Center began to ring with their full fury. Alpha 8 was going berserk as he saw how the sensors were reading an incredible power stirring on the Earth along with an attack taking place on the city. It took every trick that Adam had in the book to calm the Alpha bot down as he attempted to track down the attack as well as the Rangers.

Once he was able to steady the readings, Adam was able to pull up the attack on the screen. He spotted something very curious as he saw the Putties were joined by some interesting friends.

"Rangers," Adam said, alerting the heroes, "we have trouble by the civic center. Get down there as quickly as possible. Make sure to get there already morphed because it looks pretty bad."

"We're on our way, Adam," said Landon.

The transmission ended soon after that. Adam and Alpha kept the screens on the incoming battle as they tried to understand just why Moggers were attacking the city now. They knew that those were the foot soldiers of the Nighlock, but the Nighlock had been defeated by the Samurai Power Rangers.

Alpha was able to narrow down the disturbance that the sensors had picked up. It nearly made the robot go berserk again as he showed the report to Adam so that he could see it with his own eyes.

"Who could've opened up an entrance to the Netherworld?" Adam said to himself. "Never mind, I answered my own question. This has to be Thrax, Zodiark, or Beelzebub's doing."

"But why were they in the Netherworld, Adam?" said Alpha 8. "Did they go there just to find some Nighlock?"

"My guess, Alpha," said Adam, "they were there to release a Nighlock. I have a bad feeling that we're about to be in some very big trouble."

"Ay, yi, yi," said Alpha 8.

Adam couldn't have said it better himself.

* * *

><p>Rushing to the civic center, the Angel Force Rangers witnessed firsthand the terror that was going on. People were fleeing as quickly as they could when they caught sight of the heroes. This caused the innocent to rejoice as they moved to get further away from the danger zone, while the Rangers rushed in to face the trouble that was brewing.<p>

Yellow Ranger was the first to notice that something was a little off here. She paused as she caught sight of these creatures that were bulkier then the Putties that were dressed up in yellow armor with red skin. Each one of these creatures carried either a sword or a bow and arrow.

"Are these a new breed of Putties?" asked Yellow Ranger.

White Ranger and the others began to spot this as well. The Putties were joined by such strange creatures that it made them all wonder just what they were up against. "I have no idea what these freaks are," said White Ranger, "but we take them down either way! Let's get to work, Rangers!"

"Right!" shouted the others.

The Rangers rushed into battle against the Putties and the Moggers. Going off with all their strengths, the Rangers met their enemies in the middle.

Blue Ranger and Pink Ranger teamed up together to slashed through a couple of the Putties and Moggers. Blue Ranger smashed a couple down with his Glory Hammer as Pink Ranger took down their numbers by using her Sacred Claws. The Rangers had no trouble mowing down the Putties, however, the Moggers proved to be a little more resistant to their weapons.

It took a little more effort, but they were able to take them down as well.

Yellow Ranger, Black Ranger, and Violet Ranger tried to fight the army off from further away. They used their weapons since those three specialized in long-range to pierce through their numbers so that it would hopefully actually do some good for their friends. Violet Ranger conjured up a couple of stars that she used to hack away at a few of the Putties and Moggers. Yellow Ranger used her Holy Pistols and Black Ranger used his Heaven Bow to fire after their opponents.

Their firepower was enough to take down some of their opponents, but a lot more were still on the way.

Orange Ranger was joined by White Ranger to handle another crowd. The Putties and Moggers in this particular bunch proved to be a little more aggressive, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle. White Ranger went through them with his Solar Blade as Orange Ranger had his trusty Celestial Lance. Orange Ranger cut through their numbers by moving as quickly as he could and burned them with waves of sunlight. White Ranger went on after another bunch and used his bright light to crush whatever foes dared to get in his way.

Even with all their efforts, the number of Putties and Moggers were just too great.

Red Ranger could see this as he took out his Aurora Sword to face a great number on his own. He didn't fear though as he trusted in his strength and took off at full charge. He cut through their numbers with his sword, going off on them as he cursed at every group that had dared to get in his way. He couldn't understand why the Putties were working with such creatures, but he knew that Thrax must be up to something very bad.

The army of Moggers gathered together to fire off explosive blasts from their mouths, while others went airborne and fired their arrows after the Rangers. The explosions that went off were enough to distract the Rangers from attacking them, thus giving the Putties an opening. The Putties rushed after the Rangers and pummeled them down with all their might.

One by one, the Rangers fell and suffered from defeat.

The Putties and Moggers were so close to swarming against the Rangers once more. The Rangers prepared to get back on their feet when a burst of fire struck down a small chunk of them. The Moggers had known better and avoided the flames, while the Putties were all obliterated by the blast of heat.

"How?" said Red Ranger. "That wasn't me."

"It looks like you need help, Rangers."

The Angel Force Ranger turned back to see two figures standing by the nearby fountain. Both were armed with swords and they wore uniforms that belonged to Power Rangers. One was dressed up in red, while the other had gold and blue to clothe him. They both bore stripes at the front of the chest that gave their uniforms a particular cute with the same symbol over their left breast.

Underneath her helmet, Pink Ranger squinted her eyes to figure out just who these two were. But then it dawned on her once she remembered the statue in the park. "No way!" said Pink Ranger. "It's the Red and Gold Samurai Rangers."

"So you've heard of us, chica!" said the Gold Samurai Ranger. "Have no fear, Rangers." Even though he was all dressed up, the Angel Force Rangers could picture cocky expression underneath that helmet. They could tell that he was just a regular ball of fun as he swung his sword and sheath all over the place. "The Samurai Rangers are here to save the day!"

"Let's not waste anymore time!" said the Red Samurai Ranger.

The duo leaped into combat, ready to square off against the remaining Moggers as the Rangers recovered.

Armed with his Spin Sword, Red Samurai Ranger inserted his disc into the blade. He spun the disc around to cause a swirl of fire to take form as he charged after his enemies. "Get out of my way if you want to live, Moggers!" shouted the Red Ranger. He swung his sword forward, unleashing a scorching wave of fire that easily decimated about half of their numbers.

There was a grand cheer that escaped from the Gold Samurai Ranger as he cheered his lover on. He then remembered the Moggers that attempted to swarm around him for an ambush. "Don't you guys remember who I am?" said Gold Ranger. "I guess I'll have to teach you a new lesson." Taking out his own disc, Gold Ranger inserted it into his Barracuda Blade. He took charge after the Moggers, using his sword and sheath tactics to move in rapid speed and rip apart the Moggers all around him.

Constantly slashing his blade around, Gold Ranger easily brought the remainder of the Moggers to their knees. Red Ranger found that he was equally successful as he used his fiery Spin Sword to take down the last of their opponents.

Not a single Mogger was left standing thanks to the two Samurai Rangers.

With the battle over, the Angel Force Rangers got back on their feet to approach the Veteran Rangers. Everyone powered down at once with the Angel Force Rangers surrounded by feathers while the Samurai Rangers had kanji coming off of them.

"That was pretty cool," said Ric.

"Thanks for the rescue," said Serena, "but just why are you in Angel Grove?"

"Well," Antonio said, wrapping his arm around Jayden, "the wife and I decided to go on vacation. Then we saw how much trouble you were in and decided to help you guys out."

"Oh really?" Eric said as he wrapped an arm around Connor.

"No," Jayden said, still hanging onto his boyfriend. "Trouble is brewing here though. Is there someplace more private where we can speak?"

"I guess we'll be taking you to the Command Center then," said Connor. The boy held up his Communicator where he made contact with Alpha 8. He waited until he got a proper response out of the Alpha bot to make sure their connection was clear. "Alpha, we're bringing two guests back with us to the Command Center. You know the drill, beam us up, please."

"Alright," said Alpha 8. "Teleportation activated. We'll see you in just a moment, Rangers."

Jayden and Antonio tensed up as they felt the teleportation system taking over them. It was certainly different from Symbol Transportation, but they managed to hold down their lunches as they vanished with the Angel Force Rangers.

* * *

><p>Spreading across the country, Jayden's Symbols reached their intended destinations. Two stuck closely together, while the other two had to widen their search a little to find the targets.<p>

In Florida, a young athlete was training for the Olympics. Now that his days as a Samurai Ranger were over, he had more time to dedicate himself to swimming. He still continued his samurai training, but since working with the other Rangers, he had learned to better balance his life. He squeezed in more time for what he considered to be fun and had a passion about, swimming being one of the top things on his list.

As he pulled out of the water, the Symbol entered the empty pool. The young man stretched out his water soaked body and retrieved a towel so that he may see through his goggles. When he saw a glowing light, he thought himself to be going crazy, so he removed his goggles to prove his suspicions true.

"Master Xandred has returned," the Symbol spoke using Jayden's voice. "You are needed in Angel Grove, California."

Kevin nodded his head as he went over to his backpack to retrieve his Samuraizer. He activated the brush mode and created a Cleaning Symbol to rid his soaked, caramel brown skin of all the chlorine. "I'm coming, Jayden," said Kevin. "You can count on me!"

* * *

><p>In that same Florida town, a young Oriental woman was pulling out an early dinner from the oven. She had worked so hard on improving her cooking since her fellow Samurai Rangers had pointed out that she was not the greatest cooks she had always pictured herself to be. And after taking some proper lessons, she was proud to say that her cooking had improve a lot. She could now get her friends to eat her food without them trying to discreetly dispose of what she made them.<p>

The lasagna smelled so good that it made the dark-haired woman shiver. She opened the window to their small home and couldn't wait for Kevin to come back so she could surprise him with his favorite meal.

Mia was so busy beaming with joy that she failed to sense the incoming Symbol. When the Symbol entered the kitchen, she nearly dropped the salad bowl as she heard Jayden's voice. "Master Xandred has returned," said Jayden's Symbol. "You are needed in Angel Grove, California."

The initial alarm had passed and Mia regained her composure. She knew that Kevin must have already gotten the message since he had yet to come home. So she marched herself upstairs to their bedroom to retrieve her Samuraizer from the nightstand. Kevin already had his so she knew all she had to do was call him.

"You got Jayden's message?" Mia said, calling Kevin. "Alright, I'm on my way then. I'll see you soon, hun."

Mia crafted her own Symbol that would transport her to Angel Grove as Kevin did the same at the pool.

* * *

><p>Further up north, up in Montana, a young woman road her horse all along the ranch. She was smiling as she told Earthquake to go faster, which the intelligent beast responded to her commands in a moment. The wind picked up speed as it blew her blonde ponytails around, causing the young woman to squeal with joy as Earthquake leaped over fence.<p>

Emily was having a complete blast when she spotted something in the sky. She covered the sun's light with her hand in hopes of seeing just what it was. At first, she believed that it was just a plane, but the object was moving far too fast to be that. She got Earthquake to stop running, which the horse obeyed without too much trouble coming out from him.

The object reached Emily, which turned out to be Jayden's Symbol. The glowing red light was enough to caused Emily to grown concerned as she reached in her case for the Samuraizer. "Master Xandred has returned," said Jayden's voice. "You are needed in Angel Grove, California."

"I'm coming, Jayden," Emily said, firmly. "Mike and I will help you."

She got Earthquake running once more just as she noticed a second Symbol entering her home on the ranch. She could hear Jayden's voice once more as saw Mike standing on the front porch all dolled up like a cowboy. The city boy was really enjoying the ranch life, even though that it meant that the young Latino had to give up playing his video games as much as he normally liked to. But Mike had assured his white chocolate cowgirl that he traded up now that he had her in his arms.

"Master Xandred has returned," said Jayden's voice, once more. "You are needed in Angel Grove, California."

A sigh escaped Mike's lips as he realized just how much trouble he was going to be in. He had seriously been slacking off on the samurai training since they sealed Master Xandred away. Now, the Nighlock master was back from the dead, which pissed him off.

"Here I thought I was going to the simple, country life," said Mike. "Oh well, it looks like it's time to get back on that horse, Em."

Emily could only smirk as she approached Mike, catching him as he pulled out his Samuraizer from his pocket. At least his Symbol Power was as strong as ever since he often used his Symbols to slack on his chores.

The two of them crafted transportation symbols, after informing Emily's family of the danger going on. Her parents and sister wished them look as the two Rangers vanished to join their fellow samurai in battle.

* * *

><p>While the other Samurai Rangers prepared to return, Jayden and Antonio had been taken to the Command Center with the Angel Force Rangers. After they had defeated the small invasion of Putties and Moggers, the two generations of Rangers needed to figure just what was going on and what place better to find the answers to their questions than the Command Center?<p>

Adam and Alpha 8 were awaiting their arrival. The Alpha bot went insane as he saw Jayden and Antonio in person since he had went over their files on the Ranger Archives. Alpha 8 had done his work on keeping track of all the Power Rangers, so he needed to brush up on the previous generation that had defeated Master Xandred.

Antonio was in nerd Heaven as he grinned from ear to ear. The young man flattened down his samurai gear as he approached Alpha 8, marveling at the sight of all this tech. "Man, if the Shiba House was half this advanced then it would've made my job so much easier," said Antonio. "But Mentor barely allowed me to install one computer with a wireless network without going completely psycho on me."

"Mentor likes things old school, Antonio," said Jayden. "Don't judge him."

The two shared their personal joke with the other Rangers being completely left out of the loop.

Landon approached the fellow Red Ranger so to get things back on track. He knew, from last time, that Veteran Rangers just don't spring into town to visit. There's usually pressing matters that cause them to Ranger up again.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but why are you guys here?" asked Landon. "Didn't you finish your job back in Japan? Isn't the world supposed to be safe from the Nighlock?"

"It was," said Jayden, "since the other Samurai Rangers and we defeated Master Xandred. I sealed him away in the Sanzu River. He was supposed to be permanently sealed away since I perfected the Sealing Symbol, but it seems that someone has broken him free."

"That would probably be Thrax," said Haley. "The Putties were fighting beside the Moggers. He probably broke your Sealing Symbol."

Jayden and Antonio looked a little confused by this. It was clear to the new Rangers that they were unaware of just who Thrax was so Alpha 8 pulled up the screen. They showed the Samurai Rangers the enemies that they were up against in Angel Grove.

Thrax was the first to appear on screen followed by Beelzebub and Zodiark. The group of villains was enough to bring chills to the Samurai Rangers as they didn't envy the trouble that the Angel Force Rangers were going through.

"So this Thrax broke my Sealing Symbol," said Jayden. "We have to defeat Master Xandred before he can rebuild his Nighlock army or else my Sealing Symbol might not be strong enough."

"Well then," said Landon, "it's a good thing that we'll be helping you."

"If Thrax and Master Xandred are working together," said Tommy, "then your problem became our problem. We'll work together to end this mess."

"Thank you, Rangers," said Antonio. "But you shouldn't worry yourselves too much. We already called for backup; the other Samurai Rangers should be here soon."

The moment that those words escaped his lips, the sirens in the Command Center began to screech at their full fury. Jayden and Antonio were not exactly used to such noise so they cringed upon hearing it. Even the Angel Force Rangers and their companions were surprised by how loud the alarm had gotten. It clearly meant that something serious was going on in the city to trigger such alarm from their security system.

Adam returned to the computers to pull up the reason for their alarm. The two generations of Rangers looked to the screen to see what was happening in the city. The trouble was coming from Angel Memorial Park, an army of Putties and Moggers were present and attacking innocent people. But they were not alone, Master Xandred and Thrax were there as well with Dark Knight leading their forces.

If the Rangers didn't hurry then their forces would spread to do more harm to the city.

"So much for backup," said Connor.

"It looks like we got work to do," said Eric.

"You know what to do, Rangers," said Adam. "You have a city to save."

The Rangers were then teleported out of the Command Center to the park to stop this invasion. It would be up to them to save the city from evil once again.

* * *

><p>At Ranger Memorial Park, the forces of evil gathered to lure the Rangers out into the open.<p>

Master Xandred found himself staring at the statue of the Samurai Rangers who had sealed him away. The humans celebrated the Rangers' victory over the Nighlock King by building this memorial for them. It caused anger to boil over inside the master as all the headaches he had previously had began to boil up into the surface.

Striking down the statue with his sword, Master Xandred destroyed the memorial by charging his weapon with spiteful darkness. The explosion triggered caused a mass panic even as the Putties and Moggers pushed the worthless people of Angel Grove out of their way.

"How dare they memorialize those Power Punks!" growled Master Xandred. "This is downright insulting, I shall make those Samurai Rangers suffer eternal agony when I get my hands on them!"

Thrax laughed, amused by his new partner in crime. The mutant struck the ground with his Z-Staff, hurtling bolts of lightning at random places to create more destruction. Meanwhile, Dark Knight continued to lead the charge of their foot soldiers. The knight sent the Putties and Moggers out to attack and create enough havoc to lure the Rangers out of hiding.

Master Xandred was about to obliterate what little was left of the statue of the Samurai Rangers when a bolt of fire struck his sword. The Nighlock master gave out a painful groan as he dropped his broadsword from his hand as it had burned him. Thrax and Dark Knight caught sight of this so the three villains looked back to see who dared to strike.

It was then that they exactly who they were looking for.

Standing on the opposite end of the park, Jayden was holding onto his Spin Sword with the other Rangers standing behind him. The young Samurai raised his sword forward with a sharp glare being shot towards Master Xandred. "You were supposed to stay sealed away forever!" said Jayden.

"It's a good thing that I have friends in high places then," laughed Master Xandred. "I am back again, Red Ranger, and I shall make you all suffer! You will pay dearly for the humiliation that you forced me to suffer."

"The only one who'll be suffering today is you, Master Xandred," said Antonio, "once we seal you away again."

"You petty Sealing Symbol won't work on me this time!" said Master Xandred. "Thanks to Thrax's magic, I am protected from that accursed symbol. And together, we shall strike enough terror to cause the Sanzu River to flood into this world, making us both transcend into gods!"

"That has to be a joke," said Landon. "You won't get away with this. We will stop you."

"I'd like to see you try," laughed Thrax. "Now, if this small talk is over then we can begin to kill you, Power Rangers!"

The Power Rangers prepared to get dragged into battle when a surprise came to hit the bad guys. Four, small objects began to attack Master Xandred, Thrax, and Dark Knight all at once. Two of them were directed to the master, while the other two took on a separate villain at once.

No real damage was done to them, the objects only proved to be more of an annoyance than anything else. But it gave Jayden and Antonio enough time to realize those were the Folding Zords that belonged to their fellow Samurai Rangers.

The Folding Zords returned to the hands of their proper owners as they leaped into combat. Kevin, Mia, Mike, and Emily showed up just in time for the battle to begin as they stood beside Jayden and Antonio.

"Sorry we're a little late," said Kevin.

"We didn't realize you were going to start so soon," said Emily.

"Better late than never, I suppose," said Mike.

"Now we can stop Master Xandred together," said Mia.

"Yes, we'll stop him and Thrax, together," said Jayden.

"And we won't be alone this time," said Antonio.

"That's right," said Landon, "because you have Angel Force fighting with you."

The Samurai Rangers smiled at the Angel Force Rangers' gesture. The heroes all prepared for battle as they retrieved their Morphers. The Samurai Rangers took out their Samuraizers with Antonio bringing out his Samurai Morphers. The Angel Force Rangers removed their bracelets and now held their Crystal Morphers in hand.

Jayden, Emily, Kevin, Mike, and Mia held their Samuraizers up in their brush mode. "Go Go Samurai!" shouted the five Rangers. They used their Morphers to write the kanji for their individual elements so they could morph. They smacked the symbols with their Morphers, causing their bodies to glow as they became the Samurai Ranger.

"Red Samurai Ranger!" shouted Jayden.

"Blue Samurai Ranger!" shouted Kevin.

"Green Samurai Ranger!" shouted Mike.

"Yellow Samurai Ranger!" shouted Emily.

"Pink Samurai Ranger!" shouted Mia.

Antonio held his Samurai Morpher up to his face and began to dial on a few keys. "Gold Power!" he shouted. He pushed the final key, causing the kanji for his element to take form. He swatted the symbol, which caused his body to glow as he transformed into a Samurai Ranger as well.

"Gold Samurai Ranger!" shouted Antonio.

"Rangers together, Samurai Forever!" shouted the six Samurai Rangers.

Landon, Ric, Connor, Alice, Haley, Tommy, Eric, and Serena brought their Crystal Morphers close to their chests before raising them up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight Rangers. Their Crystal Morphers began to burst with intense light as dozens of feathers began to wrap around their bodies. The light grew stronger as the feathers tightened around them, transforming them into the Angel Force Rangers.

"Red Angel Force Ranger!"

"Blue Angel Force Ranger!"

"Black Angel Force Ranger!"

"Yellow Angel Force Ranger!"

"Pink Angel Force Ranger!"

"White Angel Force Ranger!"

"Orange Angel Force Ranger!"

"Violet Angel Force Ranger!"

Thrax and Master Xandred were not pleased at all to see all of these Rangers at once. They weren't about to surrender though so they sprung their trap against the Rangers. Thrax began to cast his magic to cause the Putties that he had brought to fuse together. His normal Super Putty Patrol shifted around until there were six, superior Super Putties to do battle against the Rangers. As for Master Xandred, he released his own power to fuse into the Moggers. He transformed them into Red Moggers which caused their uniforms and armor to darken as their powers began to skyrocket.

Dark Knight wasted no time after that to call for the foot soldiers to attack as he soon joined them all in battle.

The Angel Force Rangers brought their Crystal Morphers out once more, noticing the power boost that their enemies had received. They weren't about to be outdone for this showdown. "Job Class Form Activate!" shouted the Rangers. Their crystals exploded with intense blasts of light as the Rangers transformed into their Job Class Forms.

Following their example, Samurai Red and Samurai Gold laid down their upper hands. Samurai Red brought out the Black Box, while Samurai Gold brought out the Shark Zord Disc. They inserted the discs into their swords to trigger their own upgrades. Samurai Red became Super Samurai Red, which came with a long, white coat that went down to his knees and a golden belt. Samurai Gold's Barracuda Blade transformed into the Shark Sword, which looked similar to the Spin Swords only red with a shark design for a blade. In this Shark Attack Mode, Samurai Gold gained a long, red coat with sharp shoulder pads.

Super Samurai Red and Shark Attack Gold Ranger charged into battle. There was no doubt that Super Samurai Red was going after Master Xandred so Red Warrior Ranger joined up with him. Meanwhile, White Paladin Ranger, Orange Dragoon Ranger, and Violet Sage Ranger went with Shark Attack Gold Ranger towards a group of Moggers and Dark Knight.

The other Samurai Rangers mumbled something about not being able to go Super since they only had one Black Box disc. The four of them were about to charge into battle when the remaining Angel Force Rangers got in front of them. As they took hold of their crystals, the Angel Force Rangers gave their new companions a power boost, which allowed them to transform into Super Samurai Rangers as well. Gaining their new white coats and sharper swords, the Super Samurai Rangers were better able to handle the threat as they joined Angel Force into battle.

* * *

><p>Super Samurai Blue and Blue Gladiator Ranger charged into battle without any hesitation. They dove into the ground where they were coming out swinging with all of their might. The crowd was pretty large, but they knew that they'd be able to handle the punks that were trying to swarm them.<p>

Blue Gladiator Ranger went wild with his Glory Hammer as he gave into the more primal instincts of his Job Class. He bashed everything out of his way so to clear out the Moggers when he caught sight of the Super Putty. Charging up his hammer, Blue Gladiator Ranger flung it forward as it transformed into a vicious cyclone that struck the Super Putty down for the count.

"That's how we do things here," said Blue Gladiator Ranger.

"Then allow me to show you how it should be done!" said Super Samurai Blue.

Leaping above his head, the remaining Red Moggers were becoming a threat. Super Samurai Blue took out a disc to combine with his Spin Sword to create a bow. "Hydro Bow!" shouted the Samurai Ranger. He pulled the handle back to fire watery arrows that pierced through the Red Moggers like they were nothing.

As he touched ground, the Samurai Ranger's bow became a sword once more. He spun his disc once more to create a surge of water around his Spin Sword. He flung his weapon forward to unleash a heavy blast of water that tore apart the last of the Moggers that got in their way.

"Now this is how a Samurai handles things," said Super Samurai Blue.

* * *

><p>With a ferocious amount of speed, Super Samurai Yellow was going after everything as her trusty Spin Sword tore down her opponents. Meanwhile, Yellow Machinist Ranger was taking down their more airborne opponents. The flying, Red Moggers got shot down from the sky as the Angel Force Ranger used her Holy Pistols to bring them down to the ground.<p>

Super Samurai Yellow cleared them a path so that they could finish off these punks and get to dealing with Master Xandred. She chopped down every Red Mogger that was dumb enough to get in her way when she saw herself facing the Super Putty, while Yellow Machinist Ranger was busy shooting at more Moggers.

"Get out of my way!" shouted Super Samurai Yellow.

Not skipping a beat, she took off after the Super Putty. She repeatedly smashed it with her Spin Sword without giving the Super Putty even a second to recover in order to attack. With a heavier swing, she was able to push the Super Putty back as she inserted a disc. She spun her disc to create a surge of earthly energy that she threw at the Super Putty to deliver the final blow, which caused it to explode into murky gunk.

"That was pretty cool!" Yellow Machinist Ranger said, finally joining the Samurai. "Let's finish off the rest of these freaks together."

"You got it!" said Super Samurai Yellow.

Transforming her Spin Sword, the Samurai Ranger took hold of her Earth Slicer. The large shuriken was soon tossed out of her hand and went zipping through the air to attack their foes. Yellow Machinist Ranger held up her pistols before sending out round after round of bullets at the Red Moggers.

Their combined efforts proved to be more than enough to take care of this battalion.

* * *

><p>It was getting downright pink up in this park.<p>

Super Samurai Pink and Pink Ninja Ranger were going completely berserk as they took charge after all of the Red Moggers. Armed well, the two Pink Rangers showed their opponents not a single drop of mercy. Pink Ninja Ranger hacked away with her Sacred Claws as Super Samurai Pink used her Spin Sword to slash through them.

All of the Red Moggers were soon dropping like flies. The two of them were a fierce pair, which goes to show that even Pink Rangers could be feared.

One Red Mogger even cowered in fear as Super Samurai Pink slashed it away with her Spin Sword as disc was used to create a gust of wind. Another did the same thing as Pink Ninja Ranger zipped through the air before slashing it apart with her claws.

The moment that all of the Moggers were done for; only the Super Putty remained to cause them trouble.

Super Samurai Pink inserted a disc into her spin sword to create her war fan, the Sky Fan. She waved it forward to let out a soft gust before crossing it over the front of her chest. "We should take this bozo down together!" said the Samurai Ranger.

Clashing her claws together, Pink Ninja Ranger crouched down with her legs shoulder length apart. "I totally agree with you!" said the Angel Force Ranger. "Let's mix a little bit of water and wind together!" She slashed forward with her claws to create a splash of water that charged towards the Super Putty.

Blowing her Sky Fan forward once more, Super Samurai Pink unleashed a stronger gust of pink wind this time around. "Then we'll make a hurricane!" said the Samurai Ranger. Their two elements combined together to create an actual, miniature hurricane that attacked the Super Putty.

Their powers tore the Super Putty apart, putting an end to that mess.

* * *

><p>Shark Attack Gold Ranger was joined by three Angel Force Rangers at once. He was more than happy to have all of them helping since they seemed to be facing the largest numbers of the Red Moggers plus three Super Putties and Dark Knight. They had no choice but to split up in order to deal with this mess.<p>

Violet Sage Ranger had gone off to deal with the Red Moggers all on her own. She didn't show even the slightest bit of fear as she flew above them with a starry aura surrounding her figure. "It's time for a star shower, boys!" said Violet Sage Ranger. She held up her Divine Wand and let loose with a whirlwind of stars.

The bursts of starlight actually did their job and took down a good portion of her enemies. She touched ground after that attack and soon saw them charging towards her with a Super Putty amongst their ranks. "Get away from me!" she shouted, loudly. She let loose with a telekinetic blast that took down all those Moggers, while the Super Putty was hurled up into the air.

White Paladin Ranger showed up after that. He leaped over the remains of the Red Moggers with his Solar Blade drawn to strike down his true opponent. "Be bathed in the light!" shouted White Paladin Ranger. He bathed his blade in holy light as he unleashed two slashes that formed into a cross that blasted the Super Putty apart.

A second Super Putty was attempting to sneak up behind Violet Sage Ranger so he hurried to save her from harm.

Letting loose with a blast of light, White Paladin Ranger sent the attack from his blade. It became a powerful surge of light that pierced through the Super Putty's defense just as Violet Sage Ranger took notice to it.

"Thanks!" said Violet Sage Ranger.

"Anytime!" said White Paladin Ranger upon landing.

Meanwhile, Orange Dragoon Ranger was going after his own Super Putty. He had slashed through a few of the Red Moggers with his Celestial Lance, but he kept his eyes on the prize. He moved his armored bodied with as much grace and speed as he possibly could. Charging up his lance, the sunlit aura was burning bright by now.

"Time for you to go down!" shouted Orange Dragoon Ranger.

The Ranger released his lance, causing it to pierce through the defenses of the Super Putty immediately upon impact. He leaped forward to retrieve his lance and turned his head just in time to see Shark Attack Gold Ranger going after Dark Knight.

Looking purely golden, Shark Attack Gold Ranger was barely moving a step as he allowed the Shark Sword to do all the talking. The tip of the sword began to bite after Dark Knight as its wielder caused it to extend in length.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" Dark Knight said, defending himself from attack.

"It's just golden!" laughed Shark Attack Gold Ranger. "You should try to throw a little more gold into your life!"

"I prefer darkness much more!" said Dark Knight.

The two crossed blades and held each other back, but it wasn't about to end there.

Dark Knight covered his hand in darkness which he used to push the Shark Attack Ranger with at the fullest of force. Shark Attack Gold Ranger went sailing back as Dark Knight unleashed a slash of darkness from his sword.

As the Samurai Ranger landed on the ground, he wouldn't have enough time to defend himself from the attack.

Moving quickly, Orange Dragoon Ranger got between the Samurai Ranger and Dark Knight's attack. He pulled up his force field to shield them from harm, which managed to withstand the raw power of the knight.

Dark Knight cursed him just as White Paladin Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger got behind him. The knight appeared startled, but that wasn't the end of the show.

Shark Attack Gold Ranger was back on his feet after getting saved by his new buddies. He used his Shark Sword to attack while the Dark Knight had his back turned. Without even moving an inch, the Shark Sword did all the work as it grew to great lengths and bit away at the knight until he was forced to retreat.

As Dark Knight vanished away into darkness, this came as a relief to the four Rangers.

* * *

><p>The fight was a little different for Super Samurai Green Ranger and Black Archer Ranger. They were forced to face off against Thrax on their own. The mutant wasn't a pushover either, which was making their fight all the more difficult for them.<p>

Thrax waved his Z-Staff around all over the place as trails of explosive magic followed with every movement that he made. It made this very difficult for Super Samurai Green to get in close for a direct hit. His Spin Sword just wasn't going to cut through the explosions, even when he let out a burst of woody energy at the mutant.

It was all for not, which is where Black Archer Ranger came in handy. Taking out his Heaven Bow, the Ranger pulled the bowstring to fire a shadowy arrow after the mutant. It managed to strike Thrax in the hand, forcing him to use only one hand in wielding his staff.

Seizing the opportunity, Super Samurai Green slashed at Thrax with the Spin Sword. The mutant stumbled away as the Samurai Ranger decided to change things up a bit. "You could use a little more thrust in your life!" said the Samurai Ranger. He inserted a disc to change his Spin Sword into his Forest Spear. "And I just realized how wrong that sounded."

Super Samurai Green took charge after Thrax only to get hurtled back with a burst of darkness out of the mutant. He dropped his weapon in the process, while crashing into a bench in the process.

"Foolish boy!" laughed Thrax. "You pathetic powers aren't enough to defeat me."

"Well, we'll just have to use mine then!"

Black Archer Ranger fired seven, fully charged arrows all at once that went after Thrax. They moved with such speed that the mutant wasn't able to guard against them so they exploded upon coming into contact with him. The shadowy explosion should've been more then enough to handle him, which caused a smirk to form underneath the Angel Force Ranger's helmet.

But he had counted his chickens before they could've hatched.

A series of lightning bolts came out from the explosion that wrapped all around his body. Black Archer Ranger was suspended up into the air then thrown into the Memorial Wall at full force. The boy gave out a startled gulp as he slipped down and dropped his bow in the process.

Thrax emerged from the smoke with his Z-Staff in hand. He had a few scratches on his body and looked exceptionally angry as he approached the boy. "You will pay for that," said the mutant. "I will send your sorry self back to the grave!" As he raised his Z-Staff up, Thrax prepared to unleash another attack when he let out a gasp for breath.

Something penetrated his back before being retracted upon an instant. A great rush of pain took control of Thrax as he dropped his Z-Staff and fell to his knees.

"You should really have known better," said a dark, deep voice. "Did you really think I wouldn't have gotten you back for allowing the Rangers to defeat me? Foolish Thrax, you've proven to be even more of a total idiot then I could've possibly imagined."

"Zodiark," Thrax said as blood formed in his mouth. "I…I will make you pay."

Vanishing from sight, Thrax was forced to retreat because of the severe injuries placed upon him. All that remained was the blood that had oozed out from his wound, which soiled the ground in its impurities.

Black Archer Ranger picked his head up and found his vision clearing up to see that it was truly Zodiark that had attacked Thrax. He tightened his fists up into a ball as he struggled to push himself to his feet. "Why are you here?" said the Ranger. "You going to kick us while we're down, you evil son of a bitch."

"I just came here to return the favor to Thrax," said Zodiark. "And I wouldn't do that if I were you, boy."

That comment wasn't directed to Black Archer Ranger. Behind Zodiark, Super Samurai Green had the tip of his Spin Sword aimed directly at Zodiark's neck. The Samurai Ranger was surprised that the Dark Prince had heard him even though he had been careful not to make a single sound.

A smirk formed on Zodiark's face, briefly though, before vanishing into darkness.

With him gone, Super Samurai Green dropped his guard a bit. He ran over to help his fellow Ranger up to his feet. "I got you," said the Samurai Ranger. "Let's go help the others stop Master Xandred."

"Yeah," Black Archer Ranger said as he forced himself to properly stand.

* * *

><p>Master Xandred was ruthless as he fought both Red Rangers on his own. Super Samurai Red and Red Warrior Ranger were skilled swordsmen, but Master Xandred had centuries' worth of experience on top of them. He defeated against both of their blows with his broadsword, holding back the might of their Spin Sword and Aurora Sword.<p>

Super Samurai Red stepped back and was annoyed to see that Master Xandred seemed even stronger than before. He realized without the other Nighlock to support that the master was able to take in what power was left in the Sanzu River into himself. Whatever fear they managed to inspire, all that power now belonged to Master Xandred.

Red Warrior Ranger got away as well as he didn't want to be stuck facing this guy on his own. He grabbed his Angel Sword as he decided that two swords were better than one. "Let's get this guy already, Jayden!" said Red Warrior Ranger. "We can't afford to let him stick around any longer."

Not skipping a beat, Red Warrior Ranger sprang off after him. He used both of his swords, enchanted with flames, as he attempted to burn through all of Master Xandred's defenses.

But all that skill couldn't be ignored by some raw power. Master Xandred was easily able to reclaim the upper hand as he covered his broadsword in darkness. He broke the Ranger's grip on his Angel Sword before slashing him across the chest with his evil weapon.

"Don't even bother, Ranger!" laughed Master Xandred. "You have no real power. You cannot defeat me!" With a few more slashes, Master Xandred was able to get Red Warrior Ranger to drop his Aurora Sword as well. Charging his sword up once more, the Nighlock King slashed Red Warrior Ranger for the final time and sent him flying back.

With one of them done for, Master Xandred prepared to take down his real challenge. Super Samurai Red needed to die because he was the only one with the power to seal him away again. So the master swung his body around just in time to block Super Samurai Red's Fire Smasher. The massive Zanbato was born from his Spin Sword, which Super Samurai Red had hoped would be enough to break through Xandred's defenses.

"I will not be fooled by such simple tricks!" growled the Nighlock King.

"It worked the last time," said Super Samurai Red, "in case you forgot already."

This caused Master Xandred's blood to boil over as he pushed Super Samurai Red away from him. Extending the reach of his sword, he attacked the Samurai Ranger with over seven strikes before it was enough to get the Ranger to fall to the ground. Super Samurai Red landed on his wrist too, the same wrist that he uses to write his Symbols with as an audible crunch was heard.

A sharp surge of pain hit the Samurai Ranger, which caused Master Xandred to double over with laughter.

"You can't write your Sealing Symbol with an injured wrist, Red Ranger," said Master Xandred. "Allow me to put you out of your misery!"

Raising his sword into the air, Master Xandred prepared to deliver the final blow that would truly put an end to this battle. Super Samurai Red flinched as he had no means to defend himself now and prepared to accept his death.

"Quintuple Slash!"

"Heaven Power Slash!"

"Celestial Twilight Ray!"

The respective attacks crashed into Master Xandred from all angles. This caused the Nighlock King to be thrown away from Super Samurai Red just as the remaining Samurai Rangers and Angel Force Rangers joined the battle against him.

A sigh of relief escaped Super Samurai Red's lips as he saw all of the Rangers before him. It came as a welcome relief to know that the battle wouldn't end with his demise, at least not just yet.

Red Warrior Ranger got back on his feet as the others charged after Master Xandred to fight him. They were all going to work together to hold of Master Xandred to give Super Samurai Red the time he needed to seal him away again. But since he aware of the injury, Red Warrior Ranger wasn't certain of that now. That is why he retrieved the Samuraizer that had fallen out from the case that was strapped to Super Samurai Red's belt.

Kneeling towards him, Red Warrior Ranger activated the brush mode. "I'll write the Sealing Symbol for you," said the Angel Force Ranger. "I'll give you my power as well that way nothing can free Master Xandred again."

"You can't," groaned Super Samurai Red. "You don't have the training. Only I can use the seal."

"We'll do this together," said Red Warrior Ranger. "I'll hold write the Symbol so long as you guide my hand."

Super Samurai Red knew that they had no other choice. They couldn't afford to wait for his wrist to magically recover and it was too injured for him to just ignore. So he agreed to Red Warrior Ranger's plan as he got back onto his feet. He extended his injured hand to hold onto the wrist of the newer Ranger.

"Follow my motions," said Super Samurai Red. "If you mess up then we'll have to start over from the beginning."

"Right," said Red Warrior Ranger.

Moving slowly, the two began to craft the Sealing Symbol that would be used to defeat Master Xandred. Red Warrior Ranger didn't fight Super Samurai Red's movements as he simply allowed himself to be moved around. Super Samurai Red was able to do this easily enough, easier then it would've been to craft the Symbol on his own.

The Samuraizer responded well to this as the Symbol began to appear before them.

Master Xandred quickly took notice to what the Red Rangers were about to cast. His fear grew to new levels as he knew he had to dispose of these Rangers quickly. Luckily for him, such an opportunity came as they all attempted to strike him with their swords all at once. Taking in his malevolent powers, Master Xandred unleashed a wave of energy that hurled all of the Rangers away from him.

Just as Super Samurai Red and Red Warrior Ranger were crafting the final line, Master Xandred dealt with them. He knew charging after them would take too long so he hurtled a blast of darkness that went right towards them. The other Rangers warned them of impending doom at the exact moment the final line was drawn. At that second, Master Xandred's attack hit them with a massive explosion being triggered.

Letting out a victorious laugh, Master Xandred was about to celebrate when a burst of light escaped from the smoke. The cloud cleared away so that it was revealed that the Red Rangers were still standing. The Sealing Symbol had protected them from harm and, in the process, changed into something else.

With the combined powers of both the Red Samurai Ranger and Red Angel Force Ranger, the two generations altered the Sealing Symbol. This new Symbol had the power to defeat Master Xandred, once and for all.

"The Symbol of Destruction!" said Super Samurai Red. "I never believed that the Symbol existed. I thought it was a mere legend."

"Legends tend to come true with us," laughed Red Warrior Ranger. "Let's see how much destruction this puppy's got!"

Striking the Symbol, Red Warrior Ranger released the Symbol of Destruction. The Symbol raced across the park to where Master Xandred was standing with the Nighlock King attempting to block the incoming attack with his sword. But upon impact, his sword shattered as the symbol became imprinted on his chest.

The energy erupted as Master Xandred was completely lost in a column of light that ascended up into the sky. Upon reaching the heavens, the light became a large explosion with Master Xandred's cries of anguish being heard throughout the city. The light spread across the skylight with not a single trace of Master Xandred being left on this world.

Knowing that the nightmare was finally over, the Rangers let out a victorious cheer as Master Xandred was no more. They all powered down at once as they continued to go about how it was finally over.

Jayden had a smile on his face as he turned over to Landon. The Navajo bore a similar grin on his face as he handed the Samuraizer over to the samurai. He accepted the token with his uninjured limb just as the other Rangers began to circle around him. Jayden got pulled by Antonio with a kiss being planted on his lips, causing his smile to widen in the process. Landon got something similar from Alice who had him wrapped up by her arms as she planted a kiss on him.

"Power Rangers," said Jayden.

"Victory is ours," finished Landon.

* * *

><p>There was peace at last on the Earth, at least for now. The Angel Force Rangers and Samurai Rangers together managed to defeat the invasion that their foes had planned to bring in from the Netherworld. Best of all, Jayden and Landon succeeded in creating the Symbol of Destruction, thus ridding the world of Master Xandred for the remainder of existence. No future samurai would be called to battle against the Nighlock King, their destines were at last fulfilled.<p>

Mike was practically cheering at the very top of his lungs as he raced into the Command Center. The other Rangers bore similar responses, if only slightly less dramatic than his. They were all grateful to rid the world of another great source of evil, which helped to shift the balance of power in the Morphing Grid even more into their favor. Pulling out his Samuraizer, Mike crafted a kanji symbol that swatted to create a storm of confetti to rain down on them.

The explosion of colorful confetti was enough to cause a firestorm of cheers amongst the Rangers. And now that the world was safe, it was time to celebrate.

"Crank up the tunes, Alpha!" shouted Alice. "It's time to party!"

There was a chorus of cheers from some of the Samurai and Angel Force Rangers. Alpha 8 followed Alice's request and turned on some music that Serena had taken the liberty to load in the computer a few weeks ago. Immediately, the Command Center was full of load music with Alice deciding to lead a Conga line.

Antonio and Mike let out delighted cheers as they joined Alice's lead. Mia, Emily, Serena, Ric, Haley, and Tommy soon followed them as well. Eric could only roll his eyes at just how ridiculous his friends were when Connor pushed him forward so that he was forced into joining the line. A bad boy smirk formed on Connor's face as he had Eric join him in Conga.

Kevin might have improved of being a little more light-hearted, but even he had trouble falling for this routine. He bit down on his bottom lip when Alpha 8 had decided to join the Rangers in their celebrations. Kevin watched as the robot was welcomed in by Mia and Emily with delighted cheers as they went on about how cute he was.

"Chicks always do seem to love Alpha bots," Adam said, sneaking up beside Kevin. "You should really lighten up, Ranger. Your time has come and passed; now it's time for you to let a new generation of heroes fight the battles. That is possibly the hardest lesson for a Ranger to learn, to know when to put down their arms and let the next generation take over." The mentor of the Angel Force Rangers leaned towards the young samurai with a smile on his face. "Trust me though; life after Rangerhood is so much fun. Come, let's join the others."

Adam didn't allow Kevin to answer him as he took him to the line. He pushed Kevin between Antonio and Mike who made sure that their friend wouldn't escape from them. Once he was situated, Adam went at the back of the line to replace Eric at the line. He earned the right to party a little after everything he's done for the Power Rangers.

While they were busy celebrating, Landon and Jayden stayed out of the Conga line. The two Red Rangers watched to see their companions behaving oddly but it was pretty amusing to see.

"You did well today, Landon," said Jayden. "It's good to know that the Earth is in capable hands. I trust that you and your team will be able to defeat the evil that threatens our homes."

"This was only the beginning, Jayden," said Landon. "The Dark Lords will be the truth test of our skills, but I believe in what we can accomplish. I know Angel Force has the strength to overcome the Seven Dark Lords."

"No matter what happens, just know that we'll be there to help you whenever you need it," said Jayden. "Call us if things get too tough for you to handle on your own. We Power Rangers have to stick together."

"Agreed," said Landon. "I'm holding you to that promise."

The Red Rangers shook each other's hands before Alice managed to get a hold of them both. She commanded them both to join them in Conga, which the two leaders surrendered to the provoking of their friends. Jayden allowed Landon to be at the very front as he got between him and Alice.

The Conga line continued as the Rangers continued their celebrations, while the darkest of storms was brewing in space.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, its the beginning of the end of the world. At last, the Dark Lords arrive to Earth to reunite with Beelzebub and begin the awakening of their leader and the seventh Dark Lord. The Rangers undergo their biggest challenge yet as they must save the city from the ultimate evils. Find out what happens in **Dark Lord of Sloth!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:** I don't have much to say other than I really hope you guys put some efforts into reviewing. Come on guys, help me out! Reviews equals inspiration which equals to better chapters. That's all I have to say so read and review!

**Dark Lord of Sloth:**

The usual trouble for Angel Grove was dealt with swiftly.

Calling upon their new Zords, the Rangers went to battle in order to protect the city from harm. Their Sentinel Zords appeared from a spacial warp in the sky that allowed them to arrive from their hanger on Pluto to the Earth in an instant.

The Daimon, Swiftree, attacked the city with her storm of spores. She was attempting to contaminate the air by infusing it with mold spores that would lead to an immediate death. The Rangers had succeeded in stopping the Daimon before she could unleash her horror upon Angel Grove, which now led to the Daimon being revived by the powers of the Dark Lord, Beelzebub.

And that's where the Zords came in.

"Alright guys," said Red Ranger, "let's put an end to this before it gets too late."

"Not a problem!" said White Ranger.

"This chick is toast!" said Blue Ranger.

"Your nerdhood is showing," laughed Pink Ranger.

The Sentinel Zords came into the picture just in the nick of time. The Rangers leaped into the cockpits and prepared for battle against the Daimon. Activating their Megazord sequence, immediately, the Rangers prepared to unleash the big guns.

Burning Sentinel Zord combined with Maxter Sentinel Zord, Deathscythe Sentinel Zord, Dragon Sentinel Zord, and Sandrock Sentinel Zord in order to form Seraph Sentinel Megazord. Wing Zero Sentinel Zord, Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord, and Rising Sentinel Zord underwent a similar transformation sequence in order to become Cherub Sentinel Megazord. With both of the Megazords fully powered up, the Rangers were ready to square off against the Daimon.

Swiftree patted her white, silk robes with her leafy hands. Her face was hidden behind a wooden mask as she prepared to withstand any attacks that the Rangers would throw your way. "Do your worst, Rangers!" laughed the Daimon with an Irish accent. "I will not go down without a fight!"

"Then this will be your funeral!" said Yellow Ranger.

"Yeah crazy, you're going down!" said Violet Ranger.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord was the first to approach the Daimon. Swiftree tried to push away the Megazord only to find that the tons that the Megazord weighed proved to be a little more troublesome then she had originally expected. The Daimon struck the Megazord's torso with her sharp, leafy hands but not even that was enough to put a dent in that armor. The Megazord hit the Daimon with its right fist before sending Swiftree flying across the desert.

Cherub Sentinel Megazord went behind the Daimon, picking her up back to her feet. At first, the Daimon thanked the Rangers but she was cut off when another robotic fist was knocked into her chest. Swiftree went flying once more and this time managed not to land flat on her stomach.

Swiftree was tired of this humiliation as she held up her arms up to unleash a cyclone of leaves. The Rangers had seen this attack before so they pulled more power to their shields. The cyclone began its assault on the Rangers' Megazords, which led to the leaves exploding as they came into impact with the shields.

"No!" shouted Swiftree. "You cannot defeat me! I am unstoppable!"

"I say we put this Daimon out of her misery," said Orange Ranger.

"Then we can make it on time for the movies!" said Black Ranger.

Bringing out their ultimate weapon, the Rangers inside Cherub Sentinel Megazord called upon their beam rifle for their final attack. They poured the power of their Crystal Morphers into the weapon so to put an end to the Daimon. The wheel on the head of the Megazord began to spin, channeling the energy necessary to charge their ultimate attack.

The Rangers within Seraph Sentinel Megazord followed a similar process. The wings on the back of the Megazord gained a ring of burning energy as both palms began to glow with a radiant aura as the fangs sharpened. The Crystal Morphers channeled all power into their lethal attack so to rid the city of this menace.

"Cherub Wheel of Fire!" shouted White, Orange, and Violet Ranger.

"Seraph Heaven's Eruption!" shouted Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink Ranger.

Cherub Sentinel Megazord pulled down on the trigger to unleash the wheel of energy. The attack pierced through the mask of the Daimon, causing it to shatter with Swiftree attempting to cover her face. Seraph Sentinel Megazord raised its hands up, unleashing a fiery explosion of energy that burned away at the Daimon's flesh. Swiftree howled in wicked agony until her entire body erupted just as the burning ring on the wings of the Megazord vanished.

Once more, Angel Grove was saved and the Power Rangers were victorious.

* * *

><p>The day after the Rangers saved the city from the Daimon, it was a day that the people of Angel Grove were well familiar with. In honor of the generations of heroes that stood up to the forces of evil that threatened the world, Angel Grove memorialized June 6th as Power Rangers' Day. And this year was dedicated to the Angel Force Rangers for everything that they did to protect the city from the Daimons and the Fade Monsters.<p>

Rangers' Memorial Park was host to all of the festivities. There were dozens of booths, lots of food, and plenty of stuff to do as the people of Angel Grove celebrated this joyous day. Even the Power Rangers themselves were present with their various friends in order to enjoy the festivities for themselves.

Landon had his arm hooked around Alice's shoulders as the couple walked around the various booths. Ric was with them as well, looking a little flustered by all the fuss that was being put up for the heroes. They already passed various people dressed up as the Angel Force Rangers, some in fantastic and others in horrid costumes. The last couple of Blue Rangers that he saw made Ric's eyes bleed by how much shame they brought to the color blue.

Ric tried not to scratch his eyes out, but the offer was just too tempting as he tried to rid himself of those mental images.

The other Rangers were going through all of the chaos of the festival. Haley and Tommy were doubling up with Eric and Connor. The two couples passed by all of the booths and even took the time to participate in some of the events. As they were throwing some darts at balloons, Connor caught sight of a couple of little kids dressed up as the Black Ranger. Seeing them all dressed up made the young Ranger blush as he curled up against Eric.

Meanwhile, Serena was exploring on her own. She had never been to a Power Rangers' Day on Earth, but she had gone to numerous ones back on KO-35. She even went to one on Mirinoi and Aquitar, those were pretty fun times.

Now, the ones here seemed pretty interesting to the alien young woman. Serena sampled some of the special food for the celebration, which included some Violet Ranger Pops. They tasted delicious; they were basically just chocolate covered marshmallows that were dyed violet. As weird as it was, Serena found them to be positively addicting.

Earth food was so addicting, at least that's what the alien thought.

As the Rangers united in the middle of the festivities, the mayor of Angel Grove took to the stage where a massive banner of the Angel Force Rangers was hung up. The mayor wasn't alone on the stage; numerous members of the city council were present along with state representatives, which included the governor of California. Seeing all these important politicians made the Rangers present remember what happened during the Memorial Service for the Samurai Rangers.

It was the day that their lives changed forever. Now, it made the Rangers wonder just what might happen today as the mayor began to give his speech.

"Today is a day of remembrance," said the mayor of Angel Grove. "On June 5th, we celebrate and give thanks to the Power Rangers for always being there to save the day. We have learned in the last twenty years that we can always count on the Power Rangers to be there when we need them most. No matter what threat we face or how large the obstacle may be, the Power Rangers always stand up for what is right and protect everything good in this world. And that is why today is the day that we recognize their actions. Now, people of Angel Grove and visitors, let us take this moment to give thanks to the Power Rangers, especially our current team of protectors, the Angel Force Power Rangers!"

Thunderous applause filled the air as the people showed their appreciation for the Power Rangers. Hearing all of this cheer really did encourage the Rangers to continue to do their best for the city and the world.

The eight heroes stayed in the sidelines, wondering if they should make a special appearance. It did seem like the right thing to do since the people of Angel Grove had gone through all of this effort for them.

But before the Rangers could do so, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and brought with it a villainous chill.

The bolt of lightning that had flashed over the skies of Angel Grove hadn't originated from the atmospheric pressure. The light was visible from space as it had journeyed across the galaxy to this particular solar system for a reason.

* * *

><p>On Mars, Beelzebub felt the powerful energy that was contained within the lightning bolt. Even Zodiark and his warriors weren't oblivious to the drastic change that was taking place in, not only the solar system but, the entire universe. The obvious look of glee on the Dark Lord's face was more than enough to alert the warriors that something was about to happen.<p>

Beelzebub stepped away from the desk as he looked out to the window to see the bolt that was currently on route to the Earth's moon. No doubt, their journey was taking them to Castle Pandemonium since it was where Beelzebub had left the final piece of their grand puzzle.

"We're leaving this pathetic rock behind," said the Dark Lord, "and taking a journey back to the Moon."

This command came as a surprise to all of the warriors as they turned to their leader. Zodiark did not seem pleased by the orders that the Dark Lord was barking around at them. The Dark Prince would not bend over backwards to please this creature even though he was partly responsible for the new powers that was now in his possession.

Zodiark stepped a few inches closer to the Dark Lord with clear spite written in his eyes. Even after all of this time together, the Dark Prince was nowhere near a fan of the Dark Lord. "And what of our base, Beelzebub?" said Zodiark. "We cannot simply abandon the factory. And why must we return to the Moon?"

"Because I said so," said Beelzebub. The Dark Lord began to walk out of the office towards the hanger where the ship was located. Even though they didn't need a ship and could just teleport, it was always more fun to fly in style. Before he could leave though, the Dark Lord paused and turned his neck to the side to face Zodiark and the warriors. "Besides, I have no idea what you're talking about. There is no factory here."

Just as the words escaped from the lips of the Dark Lord, an explosion went off that rocked the ground they were standing on.

More explosions followed as Zodiark and the others realized that Beelzebub was responsible for the explosions. The Dark Lord had activated the self-destruct sequence of the factory, which meant they didn't have much time until the entire building went down.

Without any other choice, Zodiark and his warriors followed Beelzebub to the ship so that they may return to the Moon.

Everything was just about to begin.

* * *

><p>Thrax sat at his throne as he stared down to the Earth to see the people of Earth celebrating their precious Power Rangers' Day. It was downright revolting to the villain as he wanted nothing more than to end all of this merriment, but that was something he couldn't do. The mutant had no forces to mobilize against the Rangers or the people so there was very little he could do.<p>

"Everything has been taken from me," said Thrax. "My Nexus lies in ruins with no hopes of every being mended. Lightning, my beautiful Lightning has betrayed me. Zodiark has sold me out as well, and that traitorous Beelzebub…I should've never allowed him here to start with. The former home of my parents has been desecrated by all of this madness. There is no power for me to tap into in the palace since the last traces of the Zeo Crystal's power was drained by the Nexus. I have nothing left, nothing at all."

All that the mutant had was Dark Knight. The loyal knight would do anything to keep his loyalty, but the depths of Thrax's being warned him that they were all in danger. The mutant failed to realize just how much danger they were both in until he felt a strong power arriving from outer space.

In a single moment, the entire throne room began to quiver and shake from their arrival. Thrax was knocked from his seat with Dark Knight collapsing to one knee as he felt their overwhelming might. The Putties were not immune either as they flew about all over the palace, being knocked around like the pathetic ragdolls that they were. It was all because of their arrival that it disturbed the natural order of the Moon.

The entire rock was shaking and quivering until they were finally here. Five hooded figures appeared in the throne room of Thrax, standing at the balcony that they landed on.

With his entire body trembling from their very presence, Thrax attempted to pry himself up from the ground. He couldn't seem to find the will to do so, however, as their very presence was enough to throw off all balance. He had never felt such power before, each and every single one of the hooded figures could easily destroy him with a single blow if they so desired.

The very power of these mysterious creatures was something that Thrax could never even dream of acquiring.

"What…what are you?" spat Thrax. "Who are you?"

Another streak of light flashed into the palace, which startled both Thrax and Dark Knight. When they looked up, they saw the traitors with their own eyes. Beelzebub had returned with Zodiark and his warriors to unleash some unspeakable horror into the already desecrated home of the mutant.

Thrax wanted nothing more than to attack Beelzebub, but the power that was infecting the room was too much for him. The very gravity seemed to increase from the presence of all these unknown creatures. The only positive side to this was that even Zodiark and his warriors seemed to be affected by the hooded creatures and Beelzebub.

"Why are you here, Beelzebub?" growled Thrax. "Haven't you done enough harm to me?"

"Not even close, Thrax buddy," said Beelzebub. "I've brought friends because it is time to begin the end of the universe." The Dark Lord tore himself away from the side of Zodiark and his warriors. He approached the hooded figures and stood proud alongside the five of them. "Thrax, Zodiark, and all you warriors, behold us for we are the harbingers of annihilation. We are six of the Seven Dark Lords!"

"It is time," the six Dark Lords said, "the end of the world is now."

Slowly, the hoods began to fall as the Dark Lords revealed themselves to everyone within the castle.

As the ultimate evils stirred on the Moon, the very presence of the Dark Lords could be felt on the Earth.

* * *

><p>Long after the lightning bolt had passed, the after affects could still be felt. The people of Angel Grove looked up to the sky to see if anything suspicious was happening. All anyone could see though was a few storm clouds gathering on the once clear and sunny day.<p>

The Power Rangers looked up to the sky as well with the very hairs on the back of their necks standing on end. They could feel that something wicked was coming and it was going to attack with its full fury.

Deep down, the Rangers believed that this was the day that their powers would truly be tested. It felt like today was the beginning of their trials. And in proving that point, the very ground began to shake not roughly though but just enough to strike fear in the hearts of men.

* * *

><p>The six Dark Lords stood before the lesser beings with their powers continuing to radiate throughout the palace. The Moon was being bathed in their malevolent energy as it began to, slowly, spread throughout the solar system. Zodiark, Thrax, and their warriors couldn't do anything at all as they cowered before their demonic might.<p>

Beelzebub was at the heart of the gathering of the Dark Lords. He stood in his full leather outfit as the other Lords kept their cloaks on, but with the hoods down. "As you know, we are the Dark Lords," said Beelzebub. "We are Renegade Celestials who fell from Grace when we went to war against the Creator and the Faithful. And we desire nothing more than to have our revenge for our eternal damnation by tarring down everything that the Creator built."

"Each of us possess power over one of the Seven Deadly Sins," said Beelzebub. "I hold the sin of Gluttony within my being. I am the de facto leader of the Dark Lords until our King, the Dark Lord of Pride, is broken free from the prison that the Creator had crafted specifically for him."

One of the Dark Lords stepped forward, alongside Beelzebub. He appeared to be sleeping with his eyes closed and a slightly youthful face on this Dark Lord. "I am the Dark Lord of Sloth," said the Fallen, "I am Belphagor." The creature's lips barely even moved an inch. His voice was tired and weak, sounding as if he wasn't speaking at all.

The next of the Dark Lords was a wizen looking man with a red mask over his face. His hair was long and silver, growing all the way down his back. "I am the Dark Lord of Greed," said the Fallen, "I am Barbatos."

Next was a beautiful, young woman who draped an arm around the silent Belphagor. Her blonde hair fell over her petite shoulders and covered part of her pale face. "I am the Dark Lord of Lust," the Fallen said, seductively, "I am Lilith."

Stepping behind Lilith was what looked like a young man. His skin was reddish brown with cropped, black hair. However, this real face of this Dark Lord was masked as he didn't want to terrify these insignificant creatures more than necessary. "I am the Dark Lord of Envy," said the Fallen, "I am Leviathan."

"And I am the Dark Lord of Wrath," said the last of the Dark Lords. His voice was deep and heavy, spewing plenty of anger behind it as was his sin. He kept close to Beelzebub with arms drawn over his bestial sized chest with his pale flesh looking far more intimidating thanks to the brown eyes and black hair. "I am Daemon."

"The time of you significant mortals has come and passed," said Beelzebub. "It is time for the Dark Lords to deal with the mess that has been made. We shall eliminate the Power Rangers and our King shall be freed. He will bring forth the Apocalypse and drag the entire universe into Oblivion so that we may have our vengeance against the Creator."

"Now that the introductions are done," said Leviathan, "I believe it is time for us to make a decision. Which of us shall go first and deal with the Earthlings?"

"I should be the one who goes first," said Daemon. "I will eliminate them all within a heartbeat."

"Not a chance, Daemon, sweetheart," said Lilith. She went up to the Lord of Wrath with her arms soon wrapped around one of his. She taped him lightly on the nose with a small smile gracing her wicked lips. "If you go first then the rest of us won't have a chance to play around. I want to play with the Earthlings; I hear the men are quite sexy."

Daemon growled at Lilith, barking at her to release him. Lilith didn't seem to care though as she continued to hang onto him like a cat.

"Calm down, children," said Barbatos. "Your own lustful and wrathful greed will put an end to these miserable creatures. I should be the one to go first."

"I think it should be Belphagor," said Leviathan. "He will give the Rangers a run for their money."

"I am honored in your faith in me, Leviathan," said the silent Belphagor. "I will dispose of the Power Rangers immediately. Farewell, my friends."

The Dark Lord of Sloth encased himself in swirls of darkness before he had vanished from sight. Already, he was quickly making his way down to the Earth in order to unleash the power of a Dark Lord upon an unsuspecting planet.

The remainder of the Dark Lords turned to the cowering mortals, smiling as they knew how weak they were compared to the Fallen Celestials.

Beelzebub took Lilith and Barbatos with him in order to find the seals that kept their King trapped in the pits of Hell. Meanwhile, Leviathan stood with Daemon, his eyes looking towards Zodiark with a knowing smirk hidden behind those evil eyes.

* * *

><p>The festival continued in Angel Grove with the Rangers truly contemplating whether or not to jump on the stage. They weren't about to publically reveal that they were the Rangers, but it wouldn't hurt if the Power Rangers made a real guest appearance. Still, the ominous lightning that passed above the sky a while ago continued to ring in their thoughts. It made the young heroes worry as they tried to piece together what sign this could possibly mean.<p>

And while the heroes were busy being indecisive, the festivities went on strong.

Everyone enjoyed the festival in every way that they thought possible. The kids were having a blast with all the entertainment set up for them, while the adults took advantage of this day off and an excuse to get a little drunk. It was almost like Fourth of July for the people of Angel Grove and for any other city that was celebrating the Power Rangers.

This holiday really did include a great deal of people. Even Bulk had closed down the restaurant for the day so that he could enjoy the celebrations with his lazy nephew. Spike was laughing about and being the usual slob that he was as they went from booth to booth. Bulk found a couple of little trinkets that he could use for his shop, while Spike was just being a complete mess.

It was weird seeing Bulk so calm during this day. Back in the old days, Bulk would be trying to hunt the Power Rangers down alongside his former partner in crime and Spike's father, Skull. But those childish days were behind him now and Bulk had taken the time to stop to smell the roses.

As for Spike, well, he was being Spike. The young man was obnoxious, annoying, and a lazy bastard. Those were the best ways to sum up the tall and scrawny, young man.

With the festival growing, it was only a matter of time before a disaster happened. And it did once a bolt of lightning came down from the sky and struck an unoccupied spot of ground. The party people immediately flinched from shock as they stepped away from the spot only to discover that something had been transported in that lightning bolt.

Rising up to his feet was a hooded figure that soon pulled the hood down. Belphagor remained perfectly silent and still as his mind drifted off, mentally affecting everyone within his range. The people that were hit, both adult and child, began to cower in the wake of the Dark Lord as his overwhelming power forced them to buckle down to their hands and knees. Their painful cries were nothing physically, merely the punishment drawn from the psychic powers of this Dark Lord of Sloth.

One by one, people continued to drop on their hands and knees. All their painful cries did not go unnoticed by the Rangers as they attempted to discover the source responsible for this. Meanwhile, something was happening as someone was drawn to the presence of the Dark Lord. The psychic assault unleashed by Belphagor not only caused pain, but it was also summoning someone to the Dark Lord for some unknown purpose.

It was drawing upon the sin that the Dark Lord wielded. The greatest Sloth within the festival was summoned to the Dark Lord, which was all part of the Dark Lords' plan to distract the Rangers and add to their collective powers.

Belphagor found his victim too. The silent and still Dark Lord's hypnotic spell reached out to Spike, which completely blanketed the young man's mind. Once he was latched onto the youth's psyche, the Dark Lord began to call out to him through their telepathic link that they had now established.

Bulk could see that Spike was approaching this unknown creature, but he couldn't do a damn thing to stop his nephew. The psychic pain he felt was far too great to allow him to pull his nephew away from the harm he was about to be in. He could barely utter Spike's name before he completely fell apart under the mental pressure of the Dark Lord.

"Come to me, child," uttered the Dark Lord. "You shall give me sustenance and strength. Your sacrifice will bring me to full power."

His mind completely blinded by the spell, Spike was nothing more than a zombie. His eyes had glazed over and his jaw was half-hanging as he slowly approached the Dark Lord. "Yes," whispered Spike, "I give myself to you, Lord of Sloth. I am your unworthy servant."

Spike, unknowingly, held his hand out to the Dark Lord. A smile was soon drawn on the youthful face of Belphagor as he was about to take the hand of his soon to be meal. But all of that was stopped before he even had the chance to take a bite out of him. Belphagor was not pleased as he felt power rising in the air that defied his own demonic powers.

Five slashes of red, blue, black, yellow, and pink energy crossed across the park with their target being the Dark Lord. As they approached, Belphagor did not even have to move an inch as a barrier of dark energy soon began to surround and protect him from the impact of the Heaven Power Slash. The attack that had been sent after him soon melted into the ether with nothing being left of it.

When the Belphagor was about to drop his guard, the spike in energy soon travelled into the air again. This time, orbs of white, orange, and violet light attempted to shoot him down like he were some miserable Daimon or worthless monster. The attacks were admirable, but rather senseless since his power easily exceeded their minimal powers.

However, their impression had been made. These moments of distraction had broken the focus of the Dark Lord and caused the spell to end. The mental assault on the people and the psychic link on Spike were all released, allowing everyone to have their natural instincts to take over. And what their instincts were telling them to do was run because something evil was present which meant the Rangers would have to battle this creature.

As the people evacuated with Bulk helping Spike get out of there, the eight colorful heroes made it to the scene with their weapons drawn. The Angel Force Rangers stood strong and immune to the spell of the Dark Lord, thanks to the powers of their Crystal Morphers. At least that is what they believed and they were going to stick to that.

"Power Rangers," uttered the Dark Lord, "I was wondering when you'd show. It is so good to see you."

"If only we could say the same about you, whatever you are," said Red Ranger. "None of that matters though because we're going to take you down!"

Belphagor began to chuckle with his eyes remaining closed and his figure remaining still. His mind did all of the talking, while he did everything he could to constrain his body thus keep his true power. "Is that what you believe, Red Ranger?" said the Dark Lord. "Well, fortunately for you that I am only here to test your power this time around. I will not even try to use my full power against you so try and hit me."

"Then I got something for you!" shouted Blue Ranger.

Retrieving his Glory Hammer, Blue Ranger leaped after the Dark Lord, completely unaware of the creature's status. The Ranger took a swing at the Dark Lord, despite Red Ranger's orders to stand down. The others watched as their friend attempted to pummel the Dark Lord with his hammer only to have it being blocked by the same barrier that Belphagor had used earlier.

The wall of dark energy kept the might of the Glory Hammer from penetrating his defenses. Belphagor bore a smirk on his as he held up a single hand to the Ranger. Without uttering a single word or making any other movement besides that, Belphagor unleashed a powerful wave of energy that pushed Blue Ranger away from him.

The force of the attack was more than enough to defeat the Ranger. His hammer was stripped from his hands as the Ranger, himself, went flying towards a nearby booth. Luckily, it was nothing with anything sharp or flammable so the landing was only painful, not deadly.

Belphagor laughed within his thoughts as he turned towards the other Rangers. His hand now drawn down to his side, looking at the heroes with his mind's eyes to see that they were apparently frightened by his display of power. They had clearly failed to see someone as strong as he, which didn't come as a surprise to the Dark Lord.

Unaware of what he was, the Power Rangers were no doubt cowering before this mighty foe.

"If that is the best you have to offer me than this will be a short battle," said the Dark Lord. A loud yawn escaped the lips of the Dark Lord with his eyes remaining ever so closed. He covered his large mouth with a hand before returning it back to the side. "I am already bored and tired of you heroes. Since I didn't get to have my meal, I do not have the will to continue this fight any longer. Once I eat, I shall come back to destroy you. It should even give you enough time to power up a bit. How does that sound, Rangers?"

The Dark Lord did not even bother to give the Power Rangers time to respond to his insult. He simply vanished into nothing as he left to rest his weary head and to find the boy that was going to be his meal. Spike seemed like a delicious creature to devour so much that the Dark Lord couldn't wait to find him again.

All while the Rangers went over to help Blue Ranger get back up who was fuming with rage from being beaten like nothing.

* * *

><p>Now that the Dark Lord had retreated, the Rangers made their own escape to the Command Center. The entire festival at the park was pretty much ruined thanks to their mysterious new foe that attacked everyone with that mental assault. The Rangers turned to Alpha 8 and Adam in order to find out just what it was that they were up against and why he targeted Spike out of all those people to begin with.<p>

The Rangers hadn't even bothered to power down. They just removed their helmets since they knew that the creature would be back. Something that powerful didn't stay away for too long, which meant they'd be back fighting soon enough.

But that wasn't the only thing that was up, Adam and Alpha had more to report to the young heroes.

"Our galactic sensors having been going berserk all day," said Adam. "I was about to go to the festival when the first of the sensors began to screech. Alpha and I have been tracking down the source, but all we can tell that it originates from beyond our solar system."

"Whatever it was that you fought, Rangers, is not from an alien system," said Alpha 8. "They arrived on the Moon and they wield a tremendous amount of power. Their presence is currently disturbing the gravitational balance of the Moon and has left the Castle in complete disarray."

Tommy scratched his head as he looked at the reports that Adam and Alpha were pulling up. "Well, isn't that kind of a good thing?" asked the young clone. "Thrax and Zodiark might be out of the picture then."

"This is far from being a good thing," said Alice. "If they're gone then that means what we're up against is an even greater evil. Just think how strong Zodiark was during the invasion. That power boost he could make him almost invincible and that's because he got that power from the Dark Lords."

"It could be the Dark Lords that we're up against then," said Eric. "They might finally be here."

"And we'd be very much screwed if that's the case," added Haley.

"Considering how much power that we're picking up," said Adam, "that is a very real possibility. Rangers, this could very well be the fight of your lives. You cannot, and I repeat, cannot underestimate the Dark Lords' powers. We're already aware that they are Fallen Celestials thanks to the information we got from Yahweh."

"We have to stop them before they can release their King," said Connor. "Yahweh warned us that's their ultimate goal. If we can't prevent his return then we won't stand a chance at stopping them."

The Rangers were all in agreement with that just as the sensors began to ring at full wrath. Once more, the entity that the Rangers had fought against was back and ready to fight.

While everyone was busy with this conversation, Ric was spewing curses around, speaking in Spanish as he did so. He did not like being so easily defeated and having his strength proven to be absolutely worthless. Ric knew that with only a little more strength then he could've crushed the skull of the sleep walking freak.

As the others plotted, he kept on mumbling under his breath. Ric continued to fume and proved this by kicking a chair in the Command Center. "Next time, I won't be so easily outdone," he told himself. "I'll break that shield and I'll stop this freak from hurting anyone else. Dark Lord or not, I will prove myself to be strong."

Landon ended the monologue that Ric had going with himself. The leader called for the Latino's attention so that he could get involved with their mission since they were done planning.

Retrieving their helmets, the Rangers decided it was time to get back to action.

* * *

><p>As the Rangers tracked the Dark Lord down, Belphagor had already found exactly who he was looking for. He hid in the shadows of an alleyway and waited in silence for his meal to get closer to him.<p>

Spike was with his Uncle Bulk once more. After what happened at the festival, Bulk wanted nothing more than to get his nephew as far away from danger as he possibly could. The thought of that wicked creature coming back to attack his nephew was too much for his mind to bare. He needed to get them both to safety, which was the cause for such haste.

On the other hand, Spike thought nothing really of the attack. He could barley even remember the hypnotic spell that the Dark Lord had on him, which is what made him such a worthy meal to the Dark Lord.

"Come on, Uncle Bulky," said Spike, "let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

"We'll eat once we get home and we're safe," said Bulk. "Just eat the apple we got from the festival. It's good enough."

Spike grumbled about how he didn't want the damn apple, but took it out of the bag anyways. It was caramelized, but he didn't even like caramel to begin with. He sighed though since his stomach was getting the better of him so he took a bit of it anyways to achieve some sort of satisfaction from the treat.

With his mouth full and the both of them distracted, Belphagor decided to spring out on them now. Just because he was the Dark Lord of Sloth didn't mean he didn't enjoy having fun when he wasn't too tired to do so. And right now, he was craving something that would be truly satisfying to him. A delicious meal of human Sloth was exactly what he needed to bring him back to his full power.

Belphagor stepped out from the shadow with a soft grin forming on his face. Bulk and Spike immediately began to panic before the powerful voice of the Dark Lord rang out to them. "Silence," he uttered. Most of his voice was powered through his mind, which gave out a psychic wave of pain to the Earthlings. The large Bulk dropped to his knees, while Spike was locked into that hypnotic spell once more. "Come to me, boy. Your master needs his strength."

"Yes, Master Belphagor," Spike said, in his trance.

Spike held his hand out to the Dark Lord, which the demonic creature accepted. At once, Spike's vital life energy was being drained away from him as Belphagor feasted on his spirit. The link forged between the two from their locked hands created a channel of energy that left from Spike and went to Belphagor.

As the feast began, Belphagor felt a great deal of strength returning to him. Even after being released from the prison he'd been locked away for millennia, the Dark Lord had yet to fully recover. But with this one snack, this one insignificant creature brought so much of that strength back to him. So much so that Belphagor felt the urge to unleash his true form and destroy the entire city.

But that would have to wait a moment longer though because his senses were tingling. He felt the presence of the Power Rangers drawing near him so he had no choice but to relinquish his meal.

The Dark Lord pushed Spike aside just as two swordsmen came after him. He held up his barrier to withhold the attack from the Red Ranger and White Ranger. The psychic shield protected him from harm and even allowed him to push away the worthless Earthlings.

Meanwhile, Black Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger came into the scene by getting Bulk and Spike out of there. They helped the weakened men from the ground then trying to get them away from the battlefield as Blue Ranger, Pink Ranger, and Yellow Ranger stood guard.

"Why must you continue to disturb my meal?" said Belphagor. "I have done nothing to you…yet."

"You're evil, of course we're going to stop you!" shouted Red Ranger. "Daimon, monster, or whatever you are, we will defeat you!"

The Dark Lord had let out a soft chuckle as the force field around him continued to crackle. It was so amusing how the heroes' sense of justice led them to such a blind attempt to fight him. "Foolish Earthlings," said Belphagor. "You attempt to challenge me without even knowing who I am. Well, it is time that you learn a lesson in respect for I am Belphagor, the Dark Lord of Sloth!"

Merely uttering his true name was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the Rangers. Their suspicions were proven to be correct as they came face to face with a real Dark Lord. One of the very creatures that they were chosen to fight had finally decided to show himself.

"And so it begins," said White Ranger. "If you are a real Dark Lord then we'll have to kick it up a notch!"

"Let's do this, Rangers!" shouted Red Ranger.

Holding up their Crystal Morphers into the air, Belphagor watched curiously as the Rangers taped into their full powers. They tossed the crystals up into the air, activating their Job Class Forms in the process. The great surge of light left Belphagor temporarily blind for a moment as they changed into their new forms, ready to do battle against the malevolent entity.

With these new powers, the Rangers felt more confident in their chances to overwhelm the Dark Lord in combat. This change in appearance amused Belphagor as he stripped off the cloak that he wore, revealing ancient robes. The look of his clothes spoke of just how ancient this creature was as this full black robe went to his ankles, covering his pale, bare boned chest.

The Dark Lord did not seem to be frightening from just its appearance, but the Rangers already learned that his true powers lay within.

Red Warrior Ranger and White Paladin Ranger attempted to attack the Dark Lord first, yet again. With their swords drawn, they believed that they could pierce the defenses of the Dark Lord with a mixture of fire and holy light. As their blades met the Dark Lord, it came as no surprise that the force field proved to be trouble for them.

Belphagor barely move an inch as he held up his hand, flicking the Rangers aside with his psychic might. As his focus were on those two, three Rangers attempted to strike while his back was turned and from a range. Black Archer Ranger held up his bow, Yellow Machinist Ranger pulled her guns' triggers, and Violet Sage Ranger waved her wand forward. Their combined attacks flew across the road and managed to strike the Dark Lord in his back, at least that's what they thought.

However, their attacks proved to futile as Belphagor defended himself against that as well. The Dark Lord proved the point by striking the three Rangers down with shocking bolts of lightning. Pink Ninja Ranger and Orange Dragoon Ranger attempted to remedy the situation by using their speed attacks to their advantage. They figured by disorienting the Dark Lord enough then they'd be able to put a dent into that force field of his. Using her claws and his lance, the Rangers teamed up to strike the Dark Lord from every direction. Belphagor did appear to be straining his mind from the constant barrage of attacks, but his force field did not even appear to waver. Blue Gladiator Ranger took notice of this as he attempted to end this by smashing his hammer into the shield.

Belphagor gave out a mighty howl from his mouth that was like a shockwave that hurled the two speedsters and the muscleman away. With the last of them beaten, Belphagor could only laugh at just how easy it was to dispose of the Power Ranger. He couldn't see how their Daimons constantly failed to defeat the heroes, but none of that matter would soon matter.

"It all ends here, Rangers," said Belphagor. "Prepare to face Oblivion!"

As Belphagor held up an arm this triggered bolts of dark energy to take form in the palm of his hands. The charging energy was about to unleashed by the Dark Lord into a devastating attack that would bring certain doom to the heroes. So without further ado, Belphagor unleashed his attack and waited for the Power Rangers to finally be defeated.

However, a surprise came as Blue Gladiator Ranger sprang up to his feet. He charged forward even while all of his friends urged him not to and faced the Dark Lord's attack head on. He smashed his Glory Hammer against the attack of darkness, expecting a massive explosion that would easily blow him away.

But that never came so Blue Gladiator Ranger continued to withhold the Dark Lord's attack with nothing but the strength of his back and his trusty hammer. His feet dug into the ground though, showing signs of strain from the demonic creature's attack, but he made himself stay strong. "I won't…I won't let you win!" cried the Ranger. "I will protect my friends from. I will save everyone with my own strength! You won't defeat me!"

"You fool!" growled Belphagor.

"No! You're the fool!" shouted Blue Gladiator Ranger.

Pushing through the attack, the Ranger smashed it aside with his hammer. The darkness erupted into the sky, doing no harm to anybody at all as Blue Gladiator Ranger sprang into full action. He charged towards the Dark Lord and swung his hammer after him again only to be withheld by the force field.

Only this time, it wasn't going to end with him getting knocked away. Blue Gladiator Ranger pushed his strength, calling for the primal power that his Job Class entitled him. And his cries did not go unheard as he let out a mighty growl that called forth the wind to empower him.

The gale of wind slashed against the force field of Belphagor, putting extra strain onto the Dark Lord's mind. Giving himself a final push, Blue Gladiator Ranger pressed down on the force field with his hammer until it completely shattered from his might. Taking one last swing at him, the Ranger struck the Dark Lord's shoulder with the full might of his hammer, sending Belphagor sailing across the road.

The other Rangers gave out victorious cheers as they gathered around their friend in blue just as he landed back on his feet. He was heaving a little bit, but the applause of his friends did wonders for his health as he laughed at the Dark Lord.

"Now that's how we do things on Earth!" said Blue Gladiator Ranger. "How do you like them apples, Belphagor?"

"You haven't even begun to see me fight," laughed the Dark Lord. Slowly, he began to stand on his feet with his entire body beginning to tremble. There was no point in holding back his true form, the trap had been sprung and now he would strike. "Prepare to face the Rage of Sloth!"

Watching on in terror, the Rangers saw the Dark Lord beginning to change. The horrific process began slowly just as it had done with Zodiark, and it all started with the Dark Lord opening his blue eyes which soon became bloody red. Crazy amounts of black fur began to grow on the Dark Lord's body as his scrawny build changed into something far more muscular and beastly. His face changed as he gained a dog-like face but with arched horns growing on the top of his head as his hair fell to the wayside. Then two pairs of wings grew on each side of his back until there was a grand total of four, beastly, leathery wings now sprouted.

Slashing the air with his beastly claws, Belphagor gave out a mighty roar that shattered glass all along the road. His entire body was soon encased in dark energy as he zoomed across the sky until he stood in the middle of the desert now standing as taller than most buildings.

Knowing that this battle was only beginning, the Rangers called upon their Sentinel Zords to help them face this evil. The Zords heeded their call and upon entering the cockpits, the Rangers activated the Megazord sequence to form Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord. They were now ready to go to war against the Dark Lord of Sloth.

Belphagor's new demonic form left the beast unable to speak a single word. Fire ripped out from his mouth and was sent in every possible direction in the desert. His mind was completely blinded by his rage as he striked with remarkable speed for a creature of his mass and bulk. The vicious, demonic claws sank into the chest plates of both Megazords, leaving its mark on them.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord were crushed by this initial attack. The Rangers were rocking around inside of their Megazords, trying to reclaim balance of themselves and the Megazords.

"This really isn't going to be that easy," said Yellow Ranger. "Our shields already took a major hit."

"We can't give up though!" said Blue Ranger. "We keep on fighting until the bitter end!"

"Let's hope that the end isn't today though," added Pink Ranger.

The Rangers went at it against with their Megazords.

Cherub Sentinel Megazord used the heavy armaments of the Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord to attack the Dark Lord. The barrage of missiles and bullets left its impression on the Dark Lord, but Belphagor still wasn't about to bow down. He grabbed onto the leg of the Megazord and easily threw it up into the air before catching it and dropping it down to the ground.

White Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger barely managed to hang onto the controls without going flying around. The only thing that prevented all that mess was the fact that their seatbelts kept them restrained. Still though, it hurt like a bitch when they smacked their heads against the head rests.

The other Rangers in Seraph Sentinel Megazord attempted another trick as they called upon the massive fists of Maxter Sentinel Zord. Taking control of his Zord's combat gloves, Blue Ranger smashed the robotic fists against the Dark Lord. They succeeded in lay a direct hit on the Dark Lord, causing Belphagor to stumble back some even as his beastly rage attempted to spew fire from his mouth.

Responding quickly to this, Red Ranger switched the gears a little bit on them. They pushed the Dark Lord's face up into the air and attempted to keep it there as the fire spewed into the sky. Belphagor pushed the Megazord aside as this humiliation only served to infuriate the Dark Lord even more.

However, before Belphagor could even think about striking, he was completely caught off his guard. Cherub Sentinel Megazord managed to get back onto its feet and slashed it with the spear from Rising Sentinel Zord. Violet Ranger's weapon of choice left a mark on the back of the Dark Lord, causing him to howl in agony.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord kept the Dark Lord busy by using the twin blades from Sandrock Sentinel Zord. It left twin gashes on the chest of Belphagor, leaving the Dark Lord with even more pain that truly made him angry at the Rangers.

"We have to end this now, Rangers!" said Red Ranger. "We can't afford to drag this fight out any longer. We hit Belphagor with everything we got."

"Right!" shouted the others.

As Belphagor clung onto his violent wounds, the Megazords began to prepare to use their final attacks. Cherub Sentinel Megazord spun the wheel on its head, charging up a colossal amount of heat as it held up the twin beam rifles. Seraph Sentinel Megazord encased its hands with the gauntlets from Burning Sentinel Zord with the palms charging up with scorching heat as a ring of energy grew around the six wings.

Taking aim of their target, Cherub Sentinel Megazord used Cherub Wheel of Fate against the Dark Lord. The slashing blast of fiery energy ripped at the Dark Lord, leaving a nasty gash all around his back and torso. Belphagor began to spew fire wildly around the desert, burning everything that got in his way as his beastly rage got the best of him.

Choosing to end his misery, Seraph Sentinel Megazord charged forward despite the fiery plains that were growing strong. As Seraph Sentinel Megazord went after its target, Cherub Sentinel Megazord attempted to clear out the flames to give the others a clearer path and prevent too much damage to the ecosystem.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord latched one hand onto the mouth of the Dark Lord with the other grabbing him by the neck. Unleashing their Seraph Heaven's Eruption, the ring of energy around the wings exploded at once. The powerful heat burned the flesh of the Dark Lord, forcing Belphagor to submit before the might of the Power Rangers.

As the Megazord stepped aside, Belphagor gave out one last burs to fire from his mouth that tended up scorching himself. The flames completely consumed his being until he exploded into a burst of intense light that ascended up into the sky before completely vanishing.

Claiming this as their first victory against the Dark Lords, the Rangers celebrated this as the first of many wins against the ultimate evils.

* * *

><p>Blissfully unaware that this was not a true victory, the Rangers thought that they had truly conquered a Dark Lord. However, that was false as Belphagor survived the final attack and returned to the Moon in his contained state.<p>

Belphagor reached the throne room with minor injuries covering his body. His robes were slightly torn up from the battle, but there was nothing serious except for a cut on his right shoulder from the Blue Ranger's Glory Hammer. The metal of the hammer cut into his flesh, which completely left his shirt with only one shoulder and a gash of dried blood.

The other Dark Lords turned to their companion in the empty throne room. They saw how ragged their companion looked now that his battle with the Power Rangers was over. Barbatos and Lilith were letting out light laughter, while the other Lords seemed a little concerned not so much for Belphagor's health but for the Rangers.

"I must rest now," said the Dark Lord of Sloth. "The Rangers made me expend too much of my power. I need a nap."

"Should we be concerned, Belphagor?" asked Beelzebub. "Are the Rangers too strong for their own good?"

"They are close, Beelzebub," said Belphagor, "but they are still of no concern to us. If we use a full power then they will crumble beneath us." A heavy yawn escaped the crazed Dark Lord as he began to wander off on his own down a hall to find a room for him to stay in. "Now, excuse me, I really need that nap."

Beelzebub stepped aside to let his companion pass, while the other Dark Lords stood there and watched. The others then decided that there was no point in continuing their plots for the remainder of the day. Their powers still weren't at their full strength so they might as well just rest until they were fully energized. Although, Beelzebub didn't appreciate this lazy bug spreading around, he went along with it as he went to find a place to rest as well.

However, Leviathan remained behind with Daemon at his side. The two pretended that they would leave, but chose to stay there in the throne room for a moment longer before disappearing into another corridor. Leviathan led them towards another room that appeared to be nothing more than a storage room.

The Dark Lord opened the door to find that Zodiark was inside with his back against the wall and his head looking down to the ground. The Dark Lords withheld the worst of their powers so that their auras wouldn't crush the mortal.

Leviathan began to approach Zodiark with a small smirk on his face now. "You have adjusted well to the powers I have given you," said the Dark Lord. "It is good to see this. It will make you far more useful to us in the long run."

"What is it that you want with me, Leviathan?" asked Zodiark.

"Your purpose is simple," said Leviathan, "you are needed to help us betray Beelzebub. I need you to retrieve something for me and in exchange I will tell you the location of a greater weapon then that Sun Crusher of yours."

"A weapon?" said Zodiark. "What kind of a weapon?"

"A Sentinel," said the Dark Lord of Envy, "the Sentinel that was once piloted by a Celestial. It will give you power beyond your wildest dreams. Now, will you do this little favor for me? After all, I was the one who gave you that power you now wield. It is only fitting that you do as I ask, don't you think, Zodiark?"

The Dark Prince nodded his head, agreeing to serve yet another Dark Lord with the agenda to dispose of Beelzebub.

* * *

><p>Piloting the damaged Megazords back into town, the Rangers arrived to the Rangers' Memorial Park. They found that people were slowly beginning to return as the city was saved from the Dark Lord of Sloth. Even though things were only just starting, the heroes knew that they all deserved this moment for celebration.<p>

The people looked up to the Megazords with marvel in their eyes as they realized that the real Power Rangers were here. Their applause began to fill the air so loud that even the Rangers could hear even from high up in their Zords.

Leaping out, the heroes went out of the Megazords until they landed perfectly on the stage. The arrival of the eight heroes caused the crowd to grow even louder, rowdier, and larger by every single moment that passed.

The Angel Force Rangers could smile behind their helmets as they tried to bring a little order from the crowd. Soon enough, there were pictures being taken and autographs being signed.

A few of the fans of the Rangers even got a little more than they bargained for. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Orange Ranger got their biceps squeezed a lot of times by some of the rowdier ladies and men.

Violet Ranger got a few of the kids to float up in the air using her psychic powers. The kids were laughing like crazy as they enjoyed what was happening.

Black Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Pink Ranger were ambushed mainly by autographs. A few of the fans wanted pictures taken with them, but it was mainly White Ranger who was getting all the pictures taken. Since the White Mighty Morphin Ranger, the White Ranger has been very popular to the people of Angel Grove. The clone had his original persona, Tommy Oliver, to thank for that.

The Rangers and all of the fans enjoyed what time they had together because tomorrow meant another battle with another Dark Lord.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

In the next chapter, Barbatos decides to have fun with the Rangers as he finds a greedy target to absorb his vital life energy. This target also happens to employ Connor as a butler who helps take care of him and his daughter. Connor must save this family from the Dark Lord or else innocent lives will be lost. Find out what happens in **Dark Lord of Greed!**


	28. Chapter 27

**Author's Note:** Woo! I'm exhausted. So here's the new chapter. I won't update next week since I'm finishing off my Hero fic. After that then I'll start update probably twice a week. Hope you guys like this chapter. You'd better leave some reviews or else I'm gonna get you! OH! And warning of a lemon.

**Dark Lord of Greed:**

Wandering around the desert in search of this ancient power made Zodiark feel like a blind man as he had no idea what he was searching for. Leviathan failed to give him any proper direction in locating the relic that the Dark Lord so desperately sought. It pissed the Dark Prince off as he thought about how the Dark Lord was either toying with him or purposely attempting to make him die in the extreme heat.

Luckily for Zodiark that his powers were able to keep him cool. He cast an enchantment over himself that allowed him to remain cool and hydrated despite this less than spectacular situation that he was in.

It was somewhat fortunate that nobody had taken this journey with him. Had anyone been present then they would've possibly been shredded to pieces by his blade. Zodiark wasn't in exactly the best of moods to deal with people right now. He was too busy thinking about how he'd get back at the Dark Lord that had sold him out to the Egyptian desert.

"Only a sick sadist would seal a mystical relic in this place," mumbled Zodiark. The intense heat of the sun was beating down above him. Despite the enchantment, the ultraviolet rays and burn managed to penetrate his defenses as he journeyed across the sand. At least he was wise enough to have abandoned his armor once he was informed that his journey would take him to the desert.

Zodiark wore only the barest of essentials as he dressed more like an Earthling than he ever did before. The short he wore was loose and breathable, allowing his creamy skin to get some air that he wore along with a pair of cargo shorts. His silver hair was tied into a loose ponytail to allow the cooling of the spell and the occasional breeze to pass through. The Dark Prince had a hat on as well that really tied the outfit together.

Well, not really, but it helped to keep him cooler.

"I really hate the Dark Lords," grumbled Zodiark. "Power truly does come at a great price. Maybe I should've heeded Connor's warnings after all."

The Dark Prince gave out a heavy sigh as he held up the canteen of water to his dried lips. It was remarkable how pathetic his enchantment was against Mother Nature, it made him wonder why he was wasting his concentration by keeping it in place. At least, he used to think that until the cool water touched his parched throat and ran down to his stomach. This allowed a cool wave of relief to wash over him as Zodiark continued his journey across the desert.

Blind to what exactly what he was searching for, Zodiark had no idea if he was even going in the right direction. He only had a flicker of light that guided him, which Leviathan had been so kind to give him in order to assist with the journey.

This was beginning to feel like a lot of trouble to go through just to be rid of Beelzebub's influence. Zodiark couldn't see why he was being punished for all of this, but all those thoughts were silenced hewn he crossed a sand dune.

Over the mountain and into the inferno, Zodiark found himself facing an ancient ruin in the middle of Egypt. The flicker of light raced across the mountains of sand and vanished in the middle of these ruins to parts unknown to him. But it was beginning to feel very much worth it to Zodiark as he knew that he found the first step to acquiring this ancient power.

With renewed determination, the Dark Prince took off towards the ruins to find the secrets that laid at rest within them.

* * *

><p>For the first time in weeks, Connor had been free from those wacky dreams. The dreams of Celestials had finally been put to rest and allowed Connor to get a more peaceful night's rest. Well, it would've been peaceful had he chosen not to spend the night with Eric in the Astro Megaship.<p>

Feeling that this was night and now rid from all other concerns, even the Dark Lord, Connor knew that tonight was the night. The boy knew that he was so in love with Eric that he wanted to give the most private part of himself to the elder. He wanted nothing more than for Eric to make love to him on this night, which is why he snuck out from his home.

Eric appeared more than glad to have Connor crawling into bed, until he heard about the reason why he was here. It caused a moment of reflection for Eric as he tried to evaluate himself, to see if he was ready to be with Connor. Being experienced wasn't an issue for him since Eric wasn't exactly a virgin either. But the consequences of sleeping with Connor seemed to be the problem for him.

Love wasn't the issue, Eric was certain of his feelings for Connor. Eric was also aware of just how genuine Connor's feelings were for him as well. But it's just that Eric didn't want things to end badly after they took their relationship to a sexual level. Seeing how badly Connor had fallen apart because of Ric was enough to keep Eric from jumping head first…in this case, dick first into Connor.

Reaching out in the lightless bedroom, Connor placed his hand onto Eric's thigh to catch his attention. The older youth turned to the boy where he saw a concerned sorrow written in his eyes. "Babe?" Connor whispered, crawling closer to Eric. "Is something wrong? Do you not want to be with me?" Now feeling conflicted with himself, Connor began to pry himself away. He touched the front of his t-shirt as he dragged himself from the bed. "I can go home if I'm making you uncomfortable."

"No," Eric said, darting out into the darkness. He lightly grabbed onto Connor's wrist and pulled the boy back onto the bed. "It's just I don't want to hurt you. I don't want us to go all the way and just break your heart later on."

"You wouldn't hurt me that way," Connor said to Eric. "You're secure with yourself. If things go sour…I can survive it this time." He crawled up onto the bed and sat down on his legs as he wrapped his arms around Eric's shoulders. The boy tilted his heart closer to Eric until their lips were barely apart from each other. "I'm not afraid. I love you, Eric."

"I love you too, Connor," Eric whispered, closing the divide between them.

A simple kiss was all that it took to melt away the insecurities. It was pure and light, which brought gentle smiles on their faces before the passion began to overwhelm them.

Eric rolled Connor's shirt off of the boy, stripping the boy until he was bare chested. Running his hand along the skinny chest, Eric felt like he was seeing Connor for the first time. His hands did all the watching as he felt the beginnings of Connor's potentially muscular form. Then his hands reached the pants line, which made Eric's loins burn as his hand ran down the boy's backside. Biting down on his bottom lip, Eric looked into Connor's eyes to see a breath of desire escaping his lips.

The pants were pulled off along with the underwear, both pooled into the ground. Eric climbed on top of Connor where he had the boy pinned onto his back on the mattress. Connor wrapped arms and legs around Eric, pulling his boyfriend closer to him as their lips and tongues danced against each other. Eric grinded his crotch against Connor's hardened privates until the boy was spilling out a soft curse, clawing at Eric's clothes.

Soon enough, Eric was being stripped of his clothing. It all started with the shirt, which Eric tore off with gusto and Connor began to gaze onto the body of his boyfriend. Eric certainly had a different physique compared to Ric. Eric wasn't as physically massive as Ric, but his muscle were more prominently define as every group of muscle was more obvious to the sight and touch. Connor could feel and see everything as his hands touched and his eyes gazed onto the manly specimen before him. He touched every inch of the smooth, hairless man as the warmth of the muscles burned against his young and lithe body.

Connor kissed Eric's bottom lip before working his hands on the zipper. He pulled Eric's pants down a bit with his hands being used to feel the firm buns of the other Oriental. Eric placed a gentle bite on Connor's neck, which was always a weak spot for him thus making the boy's toes curl up.

The last of the clothing was quickly torn off as hot desire began to strike at them both. Connor climbed onto Eric's lap with their erections both rubbing against each other. This was another difference that Connor could feel and see. Ric's penis was longer and thicker then Eric's penis, but the difference in size wasn't so drastic, plus Ric had a lot more pubic hair and Eric only had his over the penis not anywhere else. Eric was a little above average, which was fine with Connor since he wasn't exactly a size whore.

Besides, Eric was about to surprise Connor by just how better equipped he was.

They took their time in preparing for the show. There was lots of kissing, groping, and teasing until both boys were groaning in complete heat for one another, desperately need to stay close. It was then that Eric began to wiggle a finger inside of Connor, causing the boy to briefly tense up before relaxing at this new contact.

Connor was quick to relax himself, so that sped things up quite a bit. So once he was properly lubed up, Eric found that he was able to slip all the way inside of Connor without too much difficult. The boy was still almost virgin tight, but at least he wasn't fighting every inch that was trying to slip inside his most private of places.

Eric buried himself completely inside of Connor with a deep groan escaping both of their mouths. Connor's groan was surprisingly deep that it actually caught Eric a little by surprise, but it quickly turned him on. Once his thrusts got quicker, Connor's voice became a little more high pitched and whinny as he clung onto Eric's body and melted into the bed. Eric soon had Connor under his complete control as he leaned over the boy, making love to him in the darkness of the bedroom.

Without even touching himself, Connor reached a shattering orgasm by having his prostate hit repeatedly by the tip of Eric's penis. The pleasure brought onto the constant stimulation onto the nerves had completely blinded the boy with mental fireworks. He covered his entire chest with his own seed as his nails dug into Eric's back, which was one of his own weaknesses.

Making love and having his partner dig into his bag was a serious turn on for Eric. It almost always, without fail, was what sent him to climax. This time was no exception, but it also dealt with just who he was in bed with. Being with someone as special, beautiful, and loving as Connor made the experience all the better for him was exactly what Eric though as he reached climax and filled the condom with his seed.

Eric cleaned himself off then took the time to gently wipe down Connor's cum and lube covered body. Once they both felt decent enough, Eric crawled back into the bed where Connor pressed the front of his body against Eric. A smile graced both of their faces as they gazed into each other's eyes. Neither one said anything, but it was obvious exactly what would have been said if they so desired to speak.

It was "I love you", pure and simple.

Which is what made sleep easy for them both to reach for as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>In that following morning, Connor was bouncing around the city with an ice cream cone in hand. This felt like the perfect beginning for his summer vacation as the creamy vanilla went down his throat and into his belly. He had just finished an exhausting year of school, he had sex with his amazing boyfriend, and he had no more Celestial dreams. It finally seemed like his life was finally achieving some sense of normalcy.<p>

Eh, about as much normalcy that a Power Ranger could possibly have.

While he was skipping around, he took notice of a jewelry store that he passed by. The boy backtracked a little bit to see a gorgeous diamond necklace that made his gay boy brain go completely bonkers. It was so pretty that he wanted nothing more than to touch it, but of course, he was too poor to even walk into the store.

So Connor was forced to gaze from afar, wishing he had the money to afford such nice things. "This fucking bites," mumbled Connor. "I wish I could be rich." The boy took a lick from his ice cream cone as he fantasized about being born into money or at least being adopted into a family with money. Not that the Scotts were poor, they were just stable, not wealthy.

As Connor tried to picture himself with more money than Donald Trump, someone who had money that could rival him just happened to stroll on by. This young lady appeared to be about Connor's age if not a little older. She was dressed in some very expensive, designer clothing that had names that the boy had no hopes of pronouncing. But in her hand was a purse with a name that Connor could actually pronounce.

Her skin was obviously tanned from a tanning bed, since the orange glow made it clearly unnatural. She had her hair bleached blond that actually complimented her super petite frame. But the odd thing was that in her perfectly manicured hand was a slightly old and damaged stuffed rabbit that seemed completely out of place for this fashionista.

But that was all ignored as she stormed inside of the store with her voice booming from even the outside of the building. It was so strong that it made Connor's ears ring a bit as he turned away from the way she purposely heightened her voice to show how annoyed and possibly violent she would become.

"I want that necklace in the window," demanded the young lady. "Here is my father's credit card; price is not an option for me. Just swipe it and bag it, got it?"

"Yes, Ms. Heston," said the jeweler.

The suited man looked scared out of his skin as he ran away from the counter to the window with a pair of gloves on. He retrieved the necklace that she wanted, which was the same one that Connor had been staring at for the past five minutes. Connor sighed as he watched the super pretty necklace be taken away from his sight then boxed away into its case.

Connor waved the necklace goodbye, taking another lick away from his ice cream cone.

Inside of the shop, the jeweler charged the necklace to the card. Connor caught sight of its shine, which even looked rich as the invisible credit limit blinded him for a moment.

Ms. Heston was charged for a ridiculous amount of money that made Connor's eyes light up when he heard the price. She had paid over eight thousand dollars for that necklace, which seemed like a completely outrageous price. Did she even know how many starving kids in foster care she could feed with that kind of money for a month? That sick disregard for money made Connor feel nauseous though he continued to eat his ice cream.

The young lady stormed out of the store with the necklace now hanging around her neck. The way that the sun reflected against the diamonds was simply stunning, but her bad energy was knocking down its beauty considerably. She even bumped into Connor, knowing exactly where he was standing, then had the audacity to insult him.

Once she was almost completely out of sight, Connor lost control of his patience for this girl as he spilt a thousand curses in Korean. That last one though he saved to say in English since he felt that it was the most important. "She is such a spoiled bitch," said Connor. He took another lick from his ice cream before turning away in the opposite direction, wishing nothing more than to erase her from his head.

* * *

><p>On the Moon, the Dark Lords assembled in the throne room once again to make a decision on who to attack the Earth next. The Dark Lords bickered their cases, but this time around Belphagor was left out of the equation. He had already had his chance to attack the Earthlings, so it was up to somebody else to rain down Hell upon them.<p>

Which is exactly why the Dark Lord of Sloth was made the judge of this particular demonic contest, he had his fun now it was someone else's turn.

"I will obliterate them all!" growled the destructive Daemon.

"Then the rest of us won't have any fun!" countered Lilith. "I should go next so I can deflower all the virgin men and kill all the whores."

"Like you're exactly pure," said Leviathan. "You give whores a run for their money, Lust." The cruel words of Envy was rewarded by a dagger being thrown at his head. Leviathan avoided the sharp tool hitting him and even managed to catch it, flicking it back towards Lilith in response to this.

Barbatos caught the knife with ease as he called attention onto him. He walked along the throne with his staff providing some support to his wizen body. "I should go next," said Greed. "It is not kind to keep an old man, such as myself, waiting for too long. I could just drop dead at any moment before I got the chance to play with those whippersnappers!"

"You've been watching too much Earthling television," said Lilith.

"And an invalid point," said Daemon. "Leviathan and I are twice your age, Barbatos."

"That's beside the point!" argued Barbatos.

"I thought that was exactly your point?" said Leviathan.

As the Dark Lords argued amongst themselves, Thrax and all of the warriors watched from the sidelines. The mutant wasn't exactly happy to have his home taken over by these Fallen Celestials, but couldn't exactly do much about it. Even the weakest one amongst them, whom he had no idea who that was, could easily crush him with the flick of the hand if they so desired.

The warriors, however, spent more time trying to understand these Fallen creatures. Their vendetta against the Creator was understandable, but what was it that made the Dark Lords had all life? That was enough to spring even more questions from their head, some of which led down to the path of just who their King of Pride was.

Not amongst any of them, besides Zodiark, was Dark Knight. The armored man was nowhere to be seen, which didn't go unnoticed by Beelzebub. However, the Dark Lord didn't say a word since he knew that Dark Knight was still on the Moon, unable to escape because of an enchantment that the Dark Lords placed on him. After all, they did have big things planned for Dark Knight that would blossom in due time.

Beelzebub stepped away from the throne as he took control of the situation. He silenced his fellow Dark Lord, using his authority as their temporary leader to his advantage. "Enough of all this infighting," said the Lord of Gluttony. "Our efforts should be focused on toying with the Power Rangers and freeing the King. Now, Belphagor, who do you think should be sent to attack the Power Rangers next?"

A yawn escaped the mouth of the defeated the Dark Lord. In his calmer, "human" form, Belphagor covered his open maw as he took a seat on a sofa that he just summoned. "Honestly, I do not care," said Belphagor, "but I suppose I must choose. I vote for Barbatos, let him go after the Earthlings." The Dark Lord, once again, went to sleep on his comrades, not bothering to say anything more about his verdict.

Letting out a victorious cheer for himself, Barbatos bid his fellow Dark Lords farewell as he got to work on his own plans. And they were all fairly greedy that involved playing with those guilty of a great deal of greed.

* * *

><p>It was strange how much of a coincidence it was for Connor to run into Ms. Heston once again. He had just finished the last of his ice cream when he turned the corner to find the spoiled girl wandering towards a parking lot. His curiosity was peaked when he saw a group of thuggish looking men approaching from the stairs that led to the city fountain. All of his senses were going off as he realized that this was a sign of trouble for the young lady.<p>

Connor kept to the shadows and just watched to see if his suspicions were about to be confirmed. By the looks of things, it really seemed like something very bad was about to happen. He checked to make sure his Morpher was strapped to his wrist before crouching away from the cement stairway. His eyes locked onto the thugs as their vile laughter hit the air as they started to circle around the wealthy girl like moths to a flame.

"Give us your pretty necklace, doll," said one of the men. "We won't hurt you if you play nice."

"Yeah, but if you want to be bad then we're gonna have to hurt ya," laughed one of the others.

At least four men circled around the young lady like hungry sharks. Their criminal minds ran amuck as they wanted to get that necklace from her one way or the other. They were horrible creatures that just needed to be taught a lesson.

Ms. Heston didn't seem afraid though as she stood her ground. Her hand reached for a bottle of mace in the pocket of her coat as she stared down her would-be attackers. "I think you idiots better get the fuck away from me," said the rich girl. "I'll fuck up your world if you come any closer to me."

"Let's see you try, dollface," said their ring leader.

One of the men grabbed the mace from her hands without so much as blinking their eyes. Ms. Heston was surprised by their speed and honestly looked frightened by this as she turned to back away.

"Oh, now she's afraid!" laughed the last of them.

Grabbing onto the one hanging onto the mace, Connor had sped towards the scene with his superhuman ability. He turned the attention away from the spoiled victim to this teenage boy. "You're the ones who should be afraid," said the Oriental boy. "I'm about to rock your world."

As the men were about to laugh, the one hold the mace got his throat struck by the elbow of the boy. Connor retrieved the mace from the guy's hands then turned towards one of the other thugs who charged right after him. He pushed the injured man aside then dropped to the ground and swung his leg around to trip the thug.

The ring leader and the other thug attempted to charge Connor, but the boy turned the mace onto them. He pressed the nozzle to spray them in the eyes with the painful concoction causing the two of them to be blinded as they fell to the ground. For good measure, Connor stomped his foot down on their chests to make sure that they were in more pain and would stay down.

Spinning the mace around in his hand, a smile formed on Connor's face. He turned around to the victim and handed the item back to her. "You know, I really got to get me a bottle of this," he said, whimsically. "It actually can come in hand. Oh, and you're welcome." The mace fell into Ms. Heston's hands then Connor guided the girl away from the bodies just as an older, balding man dressed up in a rather expensive suit appeared standing not too far away from them.

Connor almost went onto the offensive again when the young lady rushed towards him. When she shouted "daddy" it became very clear to Connor who this man was.

The man wrapped his arms around his daughter, uttering something about being relieved to see that he wasn't hurt. Connor just crossed his arms over his chest just when one of the men decided to groan and move about on the ground. Making sure to keep him down, the boy kicked the guy in the gut again for added goodness.

"You saved my daughter," Mr. Heston said, walking towards the boy. "You are a skilled fighter, young man. What is your name?"

"Connor Song," said the boy. "It would be a good idea to stress the importance to your daughter about not wearing such expensive jewelry in public. You never know what kind of freaks could be wandering about."

"Noted," said Mr. Heston. The man held his hand out to Connor, shaking it out of due respect. Connor thought nothing of it until he felt the firm grip that made the boy return the gesture. A smile formed on Mr. Heston's face, while his daughter watched on in annoyance. "Might you be interested in a summer job, working for me as my daughter's bodyguard? I'm sure your skills will be greatly valued in preventing something like this from happening again."

"You're joking right?" said Connor.

Mr. Heston shook his head as he took out his checkbook then began to right down something. He then handed it over to Connor so the boy could see a check written out in his name for two thousand dollars. Those brown eyes lit up with wonder as he looked back at Mr. Heston who said that would be just for accepting the offer.

Connor felt like this had to be a joke, but considering how much his dollar paid for that necklace made him second guess himself.

* * *

><p>While he was off on his own whirlwind of an adventure, the other Rangers were all in the Command Center to work on this Dark Lord mess. Their major objective was to keep an eye out for any activity that looked like it could lead to the involvement of their powerful, new enemies. The last battle was a pain in the ass; they couldn't afford to be caught off guard like that again so it was gravely important that they were ready for the worst that was to come.<p>

Alpha 8 found himself busy doing his usual search on the city as Adam was scanning the unusual activity that was going on the Moon. They were going through any bit of information that might help them, while the Rangers discussed the finer points of their new strategy.

"That Dark Lord went after Spike," said Tommy. "Why are they going after random people? It doesn't make any sense at all."

"What doesn't make sense is what we're facing," said Ric. "I barely managed to beat Belphagor so who knows how much stronger the rest of them are."

"It would help if we knew who they were," said Alice. "Yahweh said that they're Fallen Celestials, and the Celestials seem to be connected to Christianity so maybe the answer to this mystery lies within religion. Damn, it would help if we had some more names or a place or something more concrete to go through."

"Then it sounds like we're going to be in heavy research mode," said Serena. "I'll see what I can find from the files I brought from KO-35. Aquitar, Triforia, and Mirinoi have some data that we can use too. Plus, the Command Center does have all that data from Eltar."

"Well, then we better get to work, Rangers," said Landon. "If you're not researching then you'd better be training so let's get moving!"

Landon's commands got everyone moving to separate points. Tommy and Ric went for the training room to strengthen their assets to the team. Alice joined Alpha and Adam at the computers, while Landon teleported with Serena to the Astro Megaship to recover all of this data.

Meanwhile, Haley's phone was buzzing as she got a call from Connor. She answered her phone with Eric standing beside her, listening on just in case he was somehow in trouble. "What's up, boy?" said his adopted sister.

"You won't believe what just happened to me," said Connor. "I saved this snotty, rich girl from some thugs and her father hired me as her bodyguard. He paid me over two grand up front just for taking the job."

"Please tell me that you're not serious," Eric said, taking the phone from her. "You took a job as someone's bodyguard?"

"Well, hello boyfriend," Connor said, sarcastically. "I thought I was talking to my sister, not you, sweetheart. And yes, yes I did take that job offer. It was two thousand dollars just to say yes, only an idiot wouldn't refuse that offer."

Haley snatched her phone back from Eric, holding it back to her head. "Alight, so you took this job just when we're going up against the Dark Lords?" she told him. "Do you have any idea how dumb that sounds? The Dark Lords are the bigger threats here. If we don't stop them then that two grand isn't going to be spent."

"I'm already on the job, Haley," said Connor. "This is easy money working for Bryan Heston. I can easily keep this girl safe since I'm a Power Rangers. Besides, if the Dark Lords start attacking then I can still take off and help you guys. Landon, Ric, and Eric still work, although part-time. Adam and Alice have all of their side jobs which pay for all of their needs."

"Just be careful, Connor," said Haley. "This could be just a convenient trap set up by Thrax, Zodiark, and the Dark Lords."

"I'll be safe," said Connor. "Just keep me posted on any updates."

The phone went dead as Connor hung up on her. Haley rolled her eyes at her idiotic brother, but kept most of it to herself as she went into the training room.

Eric couldn't help but to feel concerned, which led to his mind beating with doing research on this Brian Heston.

* * *

><p>It was time to get to work as Connor found himself getting dressed. He was in the spare bedroom in this cliffside, mansion in the upper class part of Angel Grove. It was further away from the main town, but this uppity community was still a force to be reckoned with.<p>

But the part that was bothering him really was the ridiculous outfit that he was being made. Connor held up the black, butler's uniform, amazed that Mr. Heston even had this in his size like he had been expecting him for days. It was a little creepy when he thought about it, but it could be much worse. The guy could be having him dress up as a French maid, which would've set off a lot more alarms in his head.

The suit was simple enough, luckily. It felt like a cross between a proper butler uniform to something out of an anime. The suit was layered with the vest, tie, and coat combo. It was fitted almost perfectly with it only being a little big around the waist.

Once he was done with that, Connor strolled on out of the bedroom to see that Mr. Heston was standing by the door to give him the grand tour. Connor went along for the ride as Brian showed him this five bedroom, six bathroom, and massive everything home. The kitchen was a dream, made to clearly feed a small army.

What caught his eye though was the near Olympic size pool that was like a dream for the boy. He was pulled away though as Mr. Heston had a lot more to show off to the boy before his duties could begin.

It seems that Connor's job wasn't just protecting his daughter from muggers. He was also in charge of keeping the house orderly and neat, despite the two maids that they already had in service.

The wealth was flashed around like it was nothing. Connor looked at the overly expensive décor, the highest of high tech, and just the overly obnoxious clothing and jewelry. Now, it all began to make sense to Connor why the man's daughter spent all that money on the diamond necklace without even batting an eyelash.

But then Mr. Heston showed off his crown jewel to Connor, which was locked away in this panic room type vault.

"This is the space gold that I discovered during the meteor shower," said Brian. "It is my lucky gem; it changed my life for the better. It is the greatest treasure in the whole universe, at least to me. Now, my daughter can get everything and anything that her heart could possibly desire without being a burden. Money is not a problem for us; we finally have everything that we could ever want."

Connor looked around at the defense system that was set up. It seemed a little overdone for just a bit of space rock, but he could see how some people could consider it to be valuable. But still, ten thousand dollars spent just to set up a security system for this thing seemed a little much. And the way that Mr. Heston acted to this bit of space rock seemed to bother the boy a little bit, especially since he valued something so materialistic so highly.

"But is money really that important?" asked Connor. "Not that I'm complaining about my pay! It's just that…shouldn't you be more concerned about your daughter? Alicia isn't supposed to be a financial burden, Mr. Heston, she's supposed to be the most precious thing in your life. She is your daughter, your flesh and blood."

"Of course Alicia is important," Mr. Heston said, defending himself. "But without money, I can't do anything for her. So I need the money to take care of us both. When you get older, young man, you'll understand that being wealthy equals true happiness."

As Mr. Heston dismissed Connor and sealed up the vault, the boy couldn't help but to walk away thinking about how wrong he was. Money wasn't the key to true happiness, love was what brought happiness to life.

Connor could only hope that Mr. Heston could see that before it was too late.

* * *

><p>Staring in front of the computer screen, Eric had done his research on Connor's new employer just for good measure. In front of him was about a dozen news reports on this recently made millionaire who won his fortune through the lottery. The once down in the dirts, poor man was now swimming in an insane amount of wealth that led to an outrageous amount of spending that included a mini-mansion in one of the more expensive parts of Angel Grove.<p>

The reports scrolled through the page as Eric got slammed with pretty much all of the same stories on Mr. Heston. He did this all while the others were busy doing their Dark Lord related research on the computers.

Haley came out of the training room, covered in sweat from kicking Ric and Tommy's asses. She was partly exhausted as the reports on the screen caught her attention. She leaned over Eric's shoulder to get all caught up on just what was going on with him.

"I remember hearing about this guy," said Haley. "He won like all these millions from the lottery. He used to be poorer than poor. He wasn't able to qualify for unemployment or welfare checks since he had been unemployed for so long."

"And now he has more money than Angelina Jolie," said Eric. "Maybe I should start playing the lottery again. I might get lucky and win a couple thousand."

"Luck like that happens only once in a million years," said Haley. "So is there any other important info on Connor's new boss? Is he like a pedophile or a psychopath?"

"He's pretty damn clean," said Eric. "He has no history with the cops and he has a daughter, Alicia, which is who Connor is busy protecting. So that means he is clearly concerned about his family that can't be so bad, can it?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders as she agreed with him on that one. At least, she did until she caught sight of another report that really caught her attention. Eric saw this and began to read it, which caused some concern to grow with him.

The report started that Brian Heston won the lottery after acquiring this "lucky charm" during a meteor shower about four months ago. What he uncovered was supposedly a piece of gold the size of a small phone that he claimed had fallen from the sky. It's value wasn't millions, but it could easily catch a couple of thousands without too much difficulty.

However, Mr. Heston had spent a great deal on security for this space gold.

"So he is a little greedy," said Haley, "or a lot greedy."

"I guess we could say he is guilty of greed," mumbled Eric.

Somehow those words felt a little more profound now that he thought about it. Eric could've sworn that he heard something like that before, but he just couldn't figure out just in what context what this was involved in.

Haley didn't seem to pay much thought about it as she turned to the next report, found it boring, and went to join the others on Dark Lord research. But Eric continued to go through the reports, while contemplating on contacting Connor to make sure that his boyfriend was safe.

* * *

><p>Taking a step out from a dark vortex, Barbatos found his way to the home of Brian Heston. The Dark Lord bore a smile on his face as he gazed upon the home and sensed the presence of one who bore a strong spirit of greed.<p>

Already he could taste the sin on the tip of his tongue.

"So the fun begins," laughed Barbatos, "but just how do I peak their interest enough to lure them out? Oh well. I have plenty of time before making my move."

Vanishing back into the darkness, the Dark Lord plotted from the shadows. It was so much funnier that way when one acted in stealth instead of attacking in the open.

Unlike the other Dark Lords, Barbatos was one of the craftier ones. He attacked when people would least expect it, while his companions just attacked whenever they felt like. They would lay siege to a castle, but he would poison the water supply and spoil the food in order to really make his enemies suffer.

And that is why he was Greed; he spoiled everything because of the selfishness that was humanity.

* * *

><p>Dusk had already hit Angel Grove, meaning that it was the end of Connor's first day at work. The boy sighed as he changed out of that ridiculous uniform and back into his normal clothes. He was so much more comfortable in his t-shirt and skinny jeans, which helped to calm down the awkwardness of the day.<p>

After his little tour with Mr. Heston, Connor spent the day doing pretty much nothing. The house was so orderly that all he really did was walk around and pretend like he was doing something productive. The staff had already been employed before he showed up and they kept things pretty orderly so there wasn't anything for him to really get his hands dirty with.

Connor was about halfway to the front door when he happened to pass by Alicia's room. She had her door open, which revealed this obnoxiously decorated room that was fill with all of these lavish items. But amongst all of this rich chaos, Alicia sat on her bed with a stuffed rabbit in her hands that looked old and even a little dirty.

However, it was amongst all of this lavishness that Alicia seemed most happiest with. The rabbit in her hands was what truly made her face light up in a way that spoke of purest innocence, which concerned Connor as he tried to picture how this worked. Alicia was a spoiled brat, at least from what he saw, but this filthy rabbit was what made her happier than anything else.

"I could have the maid clean that rabbit if you want," Connor said, from the doorway. "He looks like he has seen better days."

Alicia actually shot a soft smile his way as she held her rabbit up to the light. "He has, but I still love the dirty rabbit," said Alicia. "He reminds me of better times. He's my precious Carrot."

"Better times?" Connor said, walking into the room. "How is he from better times when you have as much money as Oprah?

"I was happier when we were poor," she said, simply. She held up Carrot, while scooting over on her queen-sized mattress to give Connor some room to sit. He accepted the gesture as she handed her bunny over to him so she could explain the story behind him. "We used to be so poor. My dad was always working seasonal or part-time work that barely paid to keep a roof over our head, but last year he got hurt in one of his jobs so he couldn't work anymore. Then when all the unemployment checks and welfare ran out, we were almost thrown out onto the streets. Anyways, when I was eight though, my dad bought me Carrot for my birthday. I told him not to get me anything, I told him to get me a cupcake with a candle, but I always wanted my own bunny. He got me this though; he went without lunch for a week to pay for Carrot. I was so happy to have him because Carrot is more than just a stuffed animal. He represents a father's love for his daughter. My father wanted nothing more than to make me smile; he always took real good care of me."

"And now?" asked Connor.

"Now, he says that it's all done just to take care of me," said Alicia, "but it's not. All of this money has corrupted my father. That's why I'm always spending everything like crazy; I want to get rid of this money so that we can get back to how we were. I was happier poor with my father then I am rich without my real father being around."

Connor could see what she meant by that. He was happy to know that Mr. Heston wasn't always a greedy man, but it seemed like it would be difficult to get him back to the way he was. The boy made no other comment as he said his farewell to Alicia. She wished him a good night as well as she returned her attention to Carrot.

Without anything else to do, Connor left the mansion to get his butt home.

Alicia got out from her room as she tried to talk to her father about something. She knew he'd probably be outside, messing around with one of his new, expensive cars. She'd buy a hundred cars just to get rid of all this money, but she had to be somewhat smart with her spending or else her father might get too suspicious of her and restrict her spending.

As Alicia made it towards the garage, she caught sight of her father taking off for the mailbox. She wondered why he didn't have one of the maids or their new butler do it, but she remained mostly silent until a wave of heat hit her from the back. She let out a loud scream as she was flung forward by an unseen force, which knocked her towards their friends.

The scream didn't go completely unnoticed as Connor heard it from down the hill he was walking down. The boy turned his head back and could see the smoke. He entered panic mode as he raced back uphill to see what had happened.

Meanwhile, Brian Heston was alarmed as he looked up to see that his daughter was on the ground while their house had caught on fire behind her. An unseen explosion had caused this chaos to happen, which is what set off such a great deal of alarm for Brian. The man let out a terrified yell as he ran towards her daughter, pulling her away from the flames before turning his attention back to the house.

"My space gold!" said Brian. "I have to get it before its destroyed."

Before Brian could get anywhere near the house though, a bolt of lightning crashed right in front of him. The man was thrown back by the shockwave created by the lightning, while his daughter continued to remain on the ground in her poor state.

Laughter filled the air as Barbatos arrived in a puff of smoke. The Dark Lord stepped forward in his bulky robes that were decorated by the imprints of skulls and hellhounds. In his hand was a staff that he used like a walking stick with a bone on the end and a gem on top of that.

"Greed is a sin, Brian Heston," said Barbatos. "It is one of Seven Deadly Sins. But I do enjoy a good sinner because it guarantees me an excellent meal!"

"What!" Brian said, cowering before the Dark Lord as his house went up in smoke.

Barbatos said nothing else as he held his hands forward, casting a spell over the man. The greed within the heart of this man took possession of Brian and caused him to mindlessly hand himself over to the Dark Lord. The moment their hands touched, a parasitic link was forged with Barbatos draining the life out from the man.

Alicia screamed for help as she witnessed this creature, slowly, killing her father.

Her cries didn't go unanswered as Connor took notice of this. He grabbed onto his bracelet, calling forth his Crystal Morpher and took charge. "Angel Force, Power Up!" he shouted, loudly. Barbatos and Brian didn't hear him, but Alicia could hear. When she looked towards the hills, she could only see a storm of black feathers exploding to reveal the Black Ranger.

The Ranger leaped towards the burning home and took great notice of what was happening. Alicia was getting back on her feet, which was a lot more than he could say about Mr. Heston who was still having his life-force drained by the Dark Lord. It was plenty obvious to the Ranger that this was one of the Dark Lords since the same thing that had happened between Spike and Belphagor was repeating itself.

Knowing it wouldn't be so easy to break the link, Black Ranger turned to the house as a thought hit him. He raced into the burning home, which came to a surprise as Alicia told him to come back and save her father. But Brian was somewhat conscious enough as he silently begged for Black Ranger to save his precious rock.

In less than a minute, Black Ranger returned with something in his hands. Oddly enough, the stuffed rabbit was untouched by the flames. He called out to Brian, holding the stuffed animal up into the air.

"Remember this, Mr. Heston?" shouted the Ranger. "Think about how important this stuffed animal is to your daughter! Remember why you got this for her? Think of the little girl that you only wanted to see smile!"

Alicia's eyes widened as she realized just who the Black Ranger was. Nobody else knew about her story so it could only mean one thing. But she kept her mouth closed about it as she forced to get herself standing onto her feet as she walked towards the Ranger.

"Please, dad!" shouted Alicia. "You got me Carrot even though I told you not to! Think of what you sacrificed to get this for me. I don't need all of these expensive things and money to know how much you love me, I just need my father!"

Brian slowly began to turn his head away from the parasitic link between him and the Dark Lord of Greed. It was difficult, but Brian looked at his daughter and began to smile as he remembered everything about Carrot.

This caused the link between him and the Dark Lord to severe, which also reversed the chain. Barbatos growled in agony as Brian pulled away and ran towards the side of his daughter. The power and life that he almost claimed from the human was gone now, taken for him before it could be fully assimilated into him.

"Get out of here now," Black Ranger said, handing Carrot over. "This is about to get really messy, trust me." Father and daughter thanked the Ranger before taking off towards the hill. Once he saw that they were going downhill, Black Ranger turned his sight towards the Dark Lord as he took out his Crystal Morpher. "And as for you, I promise that I'm going to take you down. Dark Lord or no, I won't allow you to hurt anyone else!"

"Don't make me laugh, boy," said the Dark Lord. "I will easily finish you!"

Black Ranger had to disagree though as he activated his Job Class Form. He transformed into Black Archer Ranger as he knew that the extra power was absolutely necessary to fight this powerful entity.

Hoping that he could last on his own, Black Archer Ranger charged towards the Dark Lord without any hesitation.

Barbatos stood completely still as he held up his staff, hurling multiple bolts of lightning after the incoming Ranger. Black Archer Ranger held his Heaven Bow up as he charged through the exploding, lightning bolts with fearsome determination. He yelled at the top of his lungs as he pulled down on the bowstring to fire a few arrows out at once.

The shadow arrows flew after the Dark Lord, but were soon deflected by an invisible shield. Barbatos continued to laugh as he fired a chain of lightning out from the palm of his hand which struck Black Archer Ranger with full force. The young Ranger howled with pain as he was thrown back towards the burning house, landing only a few feet away from the flames.

The Dark Lord didn't want to kill his prey just yet. He wanted to have a little fun with the kid before burning him to a crisp.

But Black Archer Ranger wasn't about to submit, he wouldn't allow himself to go out like this. So by picking up his bow, the Ranger's determination returned as he took charge after the Dark Lord of Greed.

* * *

><p>As the battle was boiling and the house was burning, Brian was holding onto Alicia by her wrist as they ran down the hill that led to their burning home. Brian told his daughter to not stop running as they tried to get away from where Black Ranger was fighting the Dark Lord. Despite feeling utterly exhausted from having his life force drained then restored to him, the man fought with all his might to bring his daughter to someplace safe.<p>

Alicia warned him to be careful just when they saw seven colorful people landing in front of them. It took her only a second to recognize them, while her father was beginning to feel a little misty eyed from his exhaustion. "The Power Rangers!" shouted Alicia. "You're here."

"Of course we are," said Red Ranger. "We're always there when people are in trouble."

"Black Ranger is fighting a monster by our home," said the half-conscious Brian. "He really needs your help. That…that monster's powers are so strong."

"He must be fighting a Dark Lord then," said White Ranger.

"We have to hurry!" said Blue Ranger.

All of the Rangers pretty much charged up the hill, but Pink Ranger remained briefly behind. She helped adjusted the father and daughter around a bit so that Alicia was able to support the weight of her exhausted father. "You two get as far away from here as you can," she warned them both. "We'll take care of things here, but it'll get messy real fast."

"Right," said Alicia. "Thank you, Rangers."

Alicia worked on getting her father away from here, while Pink Ranger joined her friends in combat.

The Rangers made it up to the top of the hill to see where the house was burning to the ground. Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger joined their powers together so to sooth the ravaging flames, while the other Rangers took sight of Black Archer Ranger facing off against a wizen looking man.

Black Archer Ranger seemed to be doing well, but he didn't have the upper hand in the fight. He was barely managing to avoid getting hit by the Dark Lord's bolts. He was rarely even able to shoot a single arrow from his bow at this point as his exhaustion was slowly beginning to wane him down.

Luckily, the others changed into their Job Class Forms to join in the battle.

As Barbatos swung his staff at the Ranger, a set of claws and a lance interfered with this blow. Barbatos found himself looking at Pink Ninja Ranger and Orange Dragoon Ranger. They pushed the Dark Lord away from their friend as Red Warrior Ranger and White Paladin Ranger jumped into so slash their swords after him to create another distraction.

Blue Gladiator Ranger came up from behind and knocked Barbatos around a bit with his hammer. With his guard down, Yellow Machinist Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger hurled their attacks after the Dark Lord. Explosions began to go off all around Barbatos, pushing the Dark Lord towards the once burning home.

The Dark Lord gave out an angry growl as his wizen face began to wrinkle up. He picked his staff up from the ground and pulled himself up to his feet. "Why must you, Rangers, interfere?" growled Barbatos. "Do you really think that you have the power to stop me? I am the Dark Lord of Greed, now face my power!"

Barbatos waved his staff forward, hurtling bolts of black lightning after the Rangers. The shocking attack crashed into all of them and knocked the heroes down to the ground without so much as the Dark Lord even straining himself. He barely even had to bat an eyelash to do all of that damage to the Rangers, which helped to make the situation all the more comical for him.

But Black Archer Ranger didn't find it so amusing as he forced himself to get back on his feet. He retrieved his fallen Heaven Bow as he faced the Dark Lord with his breast hammering against his chest. "I…I won't let you stop us," said the young Ranger. "Your greed still blinds you to the truth. Greed might be powerful, but when fought against compassion then your power is nothing!"

Calling on all his power, Black Archer Ranger pulled his bowstring back to charge an arrow made from the shadows. Barbatos couldn't even see the boy as a threat, which would soon become his undoing as the boy used his full power. The Dark Lord saw the boy as nothing as he pulled up a psychic shield around himself. Black Archer Ranger released his arrow, causing it to fly across the road until it crashed into the chest of the Dark Lord.

Barbatos let out a gulp as he saw that the speed and power of the arrow was to break through the shield he had erected around himself. His chest was soon covered in his own blood as he let out a breath of sharp pain that caused him to buckle down to one knee.

Seeing this sight was enough to motivate the other Rangers to stand. They all retrieved their weapons and joined Black Archer Ranger in a near victorious cheer. But they needed to make sure that this was truly over as they crossed their weapons together to call forth on their combined powers.

"Angel Force Mega Flare!" shouted the eight Rangers.

Bringing all of their weapons together with Black Archer Ranger at the lead, the Rangers unleashed their ultimate attack. The fully charged blast of divine light ripped through their weapons and raced until it crashed into the body of the Dark Lord.

Barbatos gave out a horrid growl before he released his power as well. His former didn't change much like Belphagor's did, but he did fade from the road and towards the cliffs as he grew into a monstrous size. The Dark Lord was about to really bring the fight to the Rangers as his new, larger size helped him to release more of his power at once.

Knowing that this wasn't going to end well, the Rangers raised their hands to the sky and summoned their Sentinel Zords. Their trusty Zords heeded their call and came forth from the sky with each Ranger jumping into the cockpits. They inserted their Crystal Morphers into the designated slots so to activate the Megazord sequence so they could really stand up to the might of the Dark Lord of Greed.

Once Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord were complete, the battle was on!

Barbatos could only laugh as he slowly stomped across the ground. His demonic staff still in hand as the wizen man stared at the Megazords. "Do you really think those toys will save you?" laughed the Dark Lord. "I am so high above you that you are nothing compared to me!"

Fading away for a moment, the Rangers lost all sight of the Dark Lord. They immediately began to panic as they raised up the shields. They knew that this could only end badly, which they were soon about to find out as a larger version of Barbatos's head suddenly appeared in front of them.

This ghostly head began to fire lightning from his mouth that horribly shocked the Megazords. It could've easily broken down the Megazords had they not pulled so much power to the shields to strengthen their protection.

Barbatos returned to his normal, monster size as he charged after the stumbling Megazords. He swung his sharpened staff around to slash after the Rangers in this vulnerable state. They were all rattled around from the actions of the Dark Lord who chose to finish his assault by calling forth a few more blasts of lightning by crackling his red wings.

The Rangers were all shaken up by the Dark Lord's power. It seemed that this fight would be just as hard as the one with Belphagor, if not harder.

"We can't give up, guys!" shouted Black Ranger. "We have to keep fighting." Pressing down on a few keys, Black Ranger tried to give them a fighting chance again. He was able to transfer some power around as he called the scythe from his Deathscythe Sentinel Zord.

Barbatos saw this and began to laugh at the Rangers as he stormed after them. But as the Dark Lord was charging, Black Ranger had the Megazord swing the scythe forward to slash the Dark Lord across the chest upon him coming into range. A grotesque cry was spilled from the mouth of the Dark Lord as he stumbled around a bit, holding onto his wounded chest with his free arm.

"You won't get away with that!" shouted Barbatos. The Dark Lord spun his body around and was about to strike, only to be countered.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord swung the scythe once more to release a wave of shadow energy. The cackling energy crashed into body of the Dark Lord, which forced Barbatos to drop to his knees once more.

Realizing that this was their moment, the Rangers fully charged their weapons in order to put an end to this fight.

Cherub Sentinel Megazord spun the wheel on its head while summoning the beam rifles. "Cherub Wheel of Fate!" shouted White, Orange, and Violet Ranger. Holding up the rifles, the burning wheel shrunk down some and ignited itself at the nose of the rifle. They pulled down on the trigger to release their attack which exploded upon coming into contact with the Dark Lord.

Not wanting to be left out of the fight, Seraph Sentinel Megazord covered its hands with its thick gauntlets. The six wings charged up a ring of fire as its hands began to ignite in a fiery aura as well. "Seraph Heaven's Eruption!" shouted Red, Blue, Black, Yellow, and Pink Ranger. The Megazord flew across the divide as it pushed out the fiery inferno from the palm of its hands. The wave of fire crashed into the body of the Dark Lord, forcing Barbatos to suffer even more pain before the ring erupted in a display of light.

Barbatos could barley even speak a single word as he suffered a great amount of pain from the Power Rangers, but swore that this wasn't his last fight. He fell apart in an explosion of grand light that was soon followed by a dark beam of light shooting up to the sky as the Dark Lord made his retreat.

Still though, the Rangers had, once again, triumphed over a Dark Lord.

* * *

><p>In the aftermath of the battle, Connor powered down so that he could track down his employer and daughter. Well, Brian Heston was probably his former employer now since the mansion was burned down along with possibly all of his fortune. It sucked now that Connor thought about it as he figured he'd probably have to return the two grand he cashed in so to help them out.<p>

But at least it wasn't too hard to find them. Connor spotted them standing not too far from their charred home, which had all gone up in smoke during the fight. The only thing that remained of their former home was the clothes on their back and Carrot that was preciously being held in Alicia's arms.

The air was thick with sadness, so Connor treaded carefully.

"Mr. Heston," Connor said, softly, "are you alright?"

Brian tore his head away from the ruined home with a soft smile gracing the face of the older man. He forced his shaky legs to stand, which were still weak despite having all of his strength returned to him. Still, Barbatos's spell was a rough one that would leave him a little shaky for a few days. It took even Spike a little while to recover from his energy absorption.

The older man greeted Connor warmly as he took hold of the boy's hands. "We're fine, Connor," said Brian. "I am happy to see that the monster didn't attack you. I was so worried that something might have happened to you."

"Yeah, I managed to just miss him," Connor said, lying to keep his secret safe. "I only realized what was happening when I saw the smoke then the Rangers' Megazords showed up."

"Well, at least we're all safe," said Alicia. "We should be grateful that the monster didn't hurt us anymore then he already did."

She was certainly right about that, thought Connor. Barbatos could've done a lot more damage if he so chose to, the Dark Lords had the power to do nearly anything that they wanted.

Connor pushed those thoughts aside though as he focused in on the stuffed bunny in Alicia's arms. He shot her a knowing smile as he pointed over to Carrot. "I see that he survived the fire too," the boy said, happily. "It's good to see that not everything was lost."

"Yes," Alicia said, excitedly. She had a knowing smile on her face as she turned to the young Ranger. "It's all thanks to the Black Ranger. He saved our lives today and Carrot."

"And he taught me what I should truly value," said Brian. He wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulder with a smile now on his face. Alicia couldn't help but to smile as well as she rubbed her head against her father's chest. "My family is what truly matters. I must do everything I can to keep them safe and happy; money isn't a substitute for a father's love."

"Good to hear," said Connor, "but what do you two plan on doing now? Didn't you say that you stored all your money in your house? Are you going to live back on the streets now?"

"No," said Brian. "I had enough money invested away to take care of us for a couple of years. It should be more than enough to help support us until Alicia and I finish college. This way we can start over and do things the right way."

Connor couldn't help but to feel happy for the family that he helped save today. He offered to return the money that Mr. Heston gave him, but the former wealthy man refused to take a penny of it back. Connor had earned his money so the man was more than willing to part with it.

The boy waved them both off as he wished them the best of luck with their new lives.

* * *

><p>Once again, the Dark Lords had failed in defeating the Power Rangers.<p>

Thrax found this enormously hilarious that these all-powerful creatures were unable to do anything against a group of teenagers with attitude. Sure there were eight Rangers, but these Dark Lords were supposed to be beings of great power. It amused him to no end as the mutant returned to his throne room, smelling the taint of the Dark Lords.

The mutant looked around to see that his home was now fully under the control of the Fallen Celestials. Even his own scent was blocked by their demonic presence, which was what made him sick to his stomach.

"I hate these bastards," said Thrax. "They have ruined my home."

"And they're pretty useless if you asked me." The mutant almost shot a bolt of fire from his Z-Staff when he discovered that it was only Umbra. With his helmet removed, Umbra looked mildly peaceful as he took a seat on the corrupted throne of the mutant. Umbra played with his gloved hands, while staring up to the ceiling. "I don't see what makes the Dark Lords so powerful. If you ask me, they're hardly any better than the Power Rangers. If we pool our resources together then we can easily obliterate them."

Thrax found the idea amusing, but it hardly seemed practical. He was no fool; he knew just how much power the Dark Lords' wielded. Just conspiring against them could lead to the both of them being easily vaporized by the six Fallen Celestials. Even with Belphagor and Barbatos being weakened from their battles against the Rangers, the odds still were not in their favor.

Umbra seemed very serious as he smiled from his spot on the throne.

"You cannot be foolish enough to even think about attacking them," said Thrax. "They will kill us before we even have the chance."

"And death will be our salvation," said Umbra. "We are both wicked men so we'd both go down to the Underworld. From there, we will find the seat of power of the Dark Lords. Once they are all weakened enough then we could claim their power for ourselves and comeback as gods. Nothing can stop us then, especially not even the Power Rangers."

Something far more solid in mind, Thrax could see just how truly tempting the plan was. It could work, but it was so drastic that it seemed virtually impossible. However, Thrax had fallen for Umbra's manipulations and agreed to find a way to make this work for them.

And so Umbra hid his laughter behind a false smile as his eyes flashed into a shade of demonic red. It would all come true in due time. Destruction would spread everywhere and it would be utterly glorious.

But this was only the beginning to a war far grander than anyone could possibly imagine. And it was only Umbra who held all of the pieces to this puzzle within that beautifully, mentally unstable mind of his.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, the crossovers continue as the three Overlords return from the dead and attempt to summon the greatest of all beasts, a power greater than even Dai Shi. But in order to accomplish this task, the Overlords kidnap the Jungle Fury Rangers. Former villains, Jarrod and Camille turn to the Angel Force Rangers in order to save their friends and save the world from the Ultimate Beast! Find out what happens in **Jungle Disturbance!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: This is by far the longest chapter I ever wrote, when I originally intended it to be one of the shortest. 40 pages on Word, yeah...that's a lot. Anyways, this chapter will explain why the Dark Lords have been kind of punks in terms of power, since a lot of you been sending me concerns about that. We'll also be going into a bit of the overall major origins of the Rangers. I think that's about all I have to say. Sorry it took so long to update. I lost my best friend two weeks ago to cancer and it just took a lot to deal with. So that's all that needs to be said. Read and review!  
><strong>

**Jungle Disturbance: **

It was summer and they did happen to live in California so they might as well put good use to the Pacific Ocean.

While Angel Grove wasn't in any immediate danger from the forces of evil, the Power Rangers chose to celebrate this by spending the day at the beach. It was a welcome change from fighting evil monsters that were hell-bent on destroying the universe or taking over the planet. Even the heroes deserved to have some downtime and relax before heading back to the grind.

Considering their last victory against Barbatos, this was probably their last chance to rest for a while. Who knew when the next Dark Lord might decide to strike so instead of being vigilant, the Rangers felt it best to relax a bit. Besides, a day at the beach was very therapeutic, especially since they decided to go all out.

Plus, it was just a beautiful, sunny day. Who wouldn't want to enjoy it out on the beach? Days like today were made for hanging out on the beach with your best friends.

The cold Pacific waters were splashed all over the place as the water fight began. Landon led the charge into the ocean with his fellow Rangers attempting to attack him with some squirt guns. Ric and Tommy were supposed to be protecting him, but those traitors had gone all Benedict Arnold on him. They defected by joining up with Eric, Connor, and Haley in this nasty ambush of chilly water.

Landon tried to spare himself from the worst of their assault as he managed to catch the topless Connor. He grabbed the boy and pulled him against his soak, bare chest with the boy's back rubbing against him. Using him as a human shield, Landon protected himself at the expense of Connor screaming at the top of his lungs and kicking his feet into the salt water. Connor cried for freedom as the others sprayed him with the squirt guns, soaking his face, his naked torso, and his thigh shorts.

Despite this, none of them relented on the assault. Connor was forced to suffer even as the victim in this situation by being covered in cold water. He tried to fire back since, clearly, he might as well join Team Landon for some kind of protection. But this also helped him devise another plan as he managed to break free from Landon's grip and fired at his friends.

"If you keep shooting at me, Eric, then you're not getting any!" shouted Connor. "I would think twice if I were you."

First, there was the initial shock of embarrassment from having that secret come out in the open. The others stopped shooting at each other to turn to Eric, who looked a little red. He didn't exactly like his sex life publicized out in the open like that, even Alice and Serena heard that from their tanning zone.

Knowing that this would end badly, besides a sexual withdrawal, Eric crept away from his friends to join Landon and Connor. He tried to play it cool as if it were no big deal, but the others still laughed at him anyways as he made it to the other side. Just in time too as the water-gun wars resumed with renewed ferocity as the Rangers sprayed at each other.

Over on the sand, Alice and Serena were lounging comfortably on their beach towels. They had an umbrella nearby with an iPod blaring out music as their bodies glistened against the sunlight. Their efforts were to bronze up their bikini clad bodies a little bit by getting a tan, well, Serena's efforts was to get a tan, Alice already had the natural mocha going for her.

"Boys and their toy guns," said Serena. "They're just not happy unless they have something to squirt somebody with in their hands."

"Completely true," laughed Alice.

The two bumped fists together before letting out deep sighs. They adjusted their sunglasses before returning to their relaxing fit as the sun worked its mojo on them.

And speaking of beach bunnies, Haley was escaping from the war and was absolutely soaked in water. Most of it was from the actual ocean, but the guys did a pretty good job about hitting him, which is why she was wetter than usual. Ringing out her hair and fixing her shorts, the young woman fell to a towel that was between the two of them. Some of the water that was still on her skin was flicked off her body and landed on her fellow ladies.

Alice and Serena groaned about the water messing with their tan just as the boys were coming up with a devious plan of their own.

Haley wished no part of that as she grabbed her own sunglasses, pretending that she wasn't even there. Connor, Eric, and Tommy knew that this wouldn't end well, especially since this was something that Landon and Ric had come up with together. They were sitting this one out too since they didn't have an immediate death wish.

So without further interruption, Landon dropped his water gun then swooped Alice up from the towel and carried her to the water. Upon being hefted up like some pathetic damsel, Alice began to scream a storm as she tried to pull away from Landon's tight grip. She got out of it, but not before it was too late for her. Landon brought her to the water and tossed her in with a massive splash that would get him in trouble later for that.

The Native young man laughed his head off as the mocha-skinned girl came up from the surface, spewing water from her mouth to his chest.

Ric was about to do the same with Serena, but she was already two steps ahead of him. The KO-35 alien held one hand up that pushed Ric into the air and threw him into the water. Her mental willpower was more than enough to handle him, which proved a point as Ric landed with a big splash that caught the other beachgoers attention.

"Don't fuck with a girl's tan," Serena shouted at Ric. "Next time, it's your genitals that pay."

Ric resurfaced, shaking the water off his bronzed flesh as he laughed from the rush that he got.

* * *

><p>Far away from Angel Grove, the elements converged in the most violent of ways. Earth, Sea, and Wind united at a place where the elements intersected together. The distant shore was forced to succumb to a horrific storm that brought with it malevolent forces.<p>

The sea began to ripple, the wind brew with terrible gusts, and the sandy earth shook from small quakes.

An ancient power was stirring the elements using what power left that it could summon. The entity was attempting to resurrect the only ones who could possibly break the seals that kept it locked away. It knew well that they would have no choice but to follow its commands since they too desired something that only it could promise them.

Life was not its only gift, it was also bringing them revenge for the ones who defeated them so long ago. The Power Rangers would learn to fear their power now that the ancient power was calling out to them from beyond the dimensions.

Shattering the order between life and death, once again, the Overlords were brought back to the Mortal World. Carnisoar, Jellica, and Grizzaka had defied the odds yet again by coming back for a third time.

Carnisoar, Overlord of the Wind, gave out a loud squawk as he spread his gray, feathery, and muscular arms. His eagle-like face let out this mighty call as he shook the rest of his body. Feathers began to drift away, briefly touching his green loincloth before touching the ground.

Jellica, Overlord of the Sea, ran her blue fingers against her screened face and tentacle hair. As one hand admired her features and felt the white gown that she wore, the other hand held onto her scepter of power. She gave out a breath of relief to know that all of her features had remained intact, including the golden sea crown she wore on her head.

Grizzaka, Overlord of the Earth, smashed his colossal fists against his thick chest. The gloved fists smashed against his reddened flesh, which felt simply marvelous for this mighty beast as he gave out a ferocious growl into the ether. His yellow eyes began to glow wickedly as he stepped forward amongst the Overlords.

"It is time, my companions," said Grizzaka. "The Great Wyrm is calling out to us to break the seals that Dai Shi put into place."

"Dai Shi has failed us so it is time we unleash the Ultimate Beast," said Jellica.

"Dai Shi's power is nothing compared to the might of the King of the Heavens," said Carnisoar. "We must free, Bahamut."

Grizzaka let out a deep laugh from his chest as he turned to the other Overlords. "We will need to find worthy sacrifices," said the Earth Overlord. "I suggest the ones who defeated us. The Jungle Fury Rangers will be used to free Bahamut!"

"A fitting end for those meddlesome humans," said Carnisoar. "No doubt, they are at that pathetic temple."

While Grizzaka and Carnisoar were both gung ho about this, Jellica urged some caution. Not so much that she didn't want to go up against the Jungle Fury Rangers, it was just that something was telling her to tread carefully. To prove her point, she struck the ground with her staff so that they could see the images of eight, young heroes.

"It seems that there are more Rangers now," said Jellica. "We will need to fly under the radar so that they do not learn of us."

"So be it," said Grizzaka. "Let us be off! We must capture the Jungle Fury Rangers before Bahamut grows angry."

"The Great Wyrm is not known for his patience," said Carnisoar.

The newly revived Overlords vanished into the ether, seeking out the very heroes that had defeated them years ago. All of it was done out of the urging of an ancient power.

The Ultimate Beast, Bahamut, had been trapped for over a thousand years, his hunger for freedom had grown to its limits. The time for freedom was now, he would not wait a day longer, and he would see to it that the Overlords didn't fail him.

* * *

><p>The Moon was full of dark energy as the Dark Lords assembled within Castle Pandemonium. All six of the sinful lords stood at the throne room as Thrax and the warriors lurked within the shadows to carefully watch the Fallen Celestials. Oddly enough, that included the Dark Knight for a change who had since been freed from his chambers. The Dark Knight was beginning to learn that there was no escaping the Dark Lords, which caused him to slowly succumb to his ultimate fate.<p>

Beelzebub was at the heart of the group with his associates standing all around him. Belphagor and Barbatos stood further off to the side as this meeting was to discuss who should go after the Power Rangers next. It had already been established that Beelzebub would be the last of them to go since he had already faced the Rangers once before. Lilith, Leviathan, and Daemon were the only ones left who would have the privilege to challenge the heroes.

But there were also the matters of discussing the approaching alignment. They still had a few more seals that were necessary to be broken, but at least they already had the means of shattering the required final seal. All in good time though, they still had time before they would have to piece the last of the puzzle together to free their King from his cage.

Leviathan stepped forward with his arms crossed over his cloaked chest as he locked eyes with Beelzebub. The mere stench of Gluttony made Envy nauseous, but he played nice for now even though he had something in store for the sharpshooter. "It is time for a decision to be made," said the Dark Lord of Envy. "Which of us will get to attack the Earth and the Rangers next? Who amongst us will have that honor?"

"I believe that the decision is up to Barbatos then," said Beelzebub. "Since he was defeated by Black Ranger, he will get to choose who will be next to fight."

A smirk formed on the wizen man's face as he stood away from the wall. He continued to carry his staff with him as his attention began to turn to Leviathan, Lilith, and Daemon. It would be one of those three who got to play with the heroes in spandex, but just which one would it be?

The Dark Lord of Greed gazed upon them all, trying to come up with a solution. Despite his own selfish desires, he was bright enough to know that he couldn't afford to send the worst of them just yet. Daemon was far too prone to allow his anger to consume him, which meant Leviathan and Lilith would have to go to Earth first if their plans were to succeed. The Dark Lords couldn't afford there to be any screw ups now that they were so close to vengeance.

However, as the decision was being made, a foreboding sense crept into the castle. Each of the Dark Lords felt something coming from the Earth, which made their attentions turn away from their own affairs to this brewing dilemma. As the Dark Lords had their gazes fall down to the Blue Planet, the picture became clearer as they saw the newly revived Overlords followed by the foreign power that revived them.

It was very humorous to see that these insignificant creatures truly thought they'd be able to start another Beast War after their last two attempts failed so miserably.

Still though, it was a bit entertaining for them.

"Well," said Lilith, "if those fools want to play then who are we to stop them? Let them run around a bit. I'm sure the Power Rangers will stop them soon enough."

"And with any luck, it will allow the balance between the Grids to slip," said Daemon. "Our powers are limited so long as there is balance."

The details that the Dark Lords were letting slip seemed absolutely foreign to Thrax and the warriors. Talk of these Grids didn't make any sense to any of them as they tried to piece together just what was going on here.

Sensing this confusion, the Dark Lords felt some pity was in order. It was amazing to them just how little that these so-called villains understood about the order that held their universe together. Then again, why would they? The Creator and the Celestials were responsible for the reality that these insignificant mortal creatures lived in. The invisible threads that held it all together was a fact that none of them knew of, except for maybe the oldest and most wise of the mortals.

"You should know what we are talking about, Thrax," Barbatos said to the mutant. The Dark Lord spun around, along with the others, to the area of the castle that the villains were hiding out at. Thrax and the others appeared initially frightened, with the exception of Umbra who was just the poster boy of insanity. "Once upon a time, you severed the Power Rangers from it. The Grids we speak of is the Universal Morphing Grid and its negative opposite, the Dark Nexus."

Thrax and the others found their curiosities peaked as they stepped out from the shadows. Stabbing the ground with his Z-Staff, Thrax stood out from their assembling to face the Fallen Celestials. "You lie," said Thrax. "There is only the Universal Morphing Grid. That is the source of power for all Power Rangers."

"And you're right there," said the sleepy Belphagor, "but do you not know of your own power source?" The Dark Lord of Sloth let out a loud yawn as he stepped forward. He held his tired head in his hand as he gazed out at the mutant. "The Dark Nexus is the opposite of the Universal Morphing Grid, it gives those on the side of evil their power. All of you, even as we speak, are taking in the power from the Dark Nexus."

"It is the Dark Nexus and the Universal Morphing Grid that maintains balance in the universe," said Beelzebub. "The mere existence of the grids is what causes this constant fighting between good and evil. Balance could only be achieved when the strongest forces of both sides constantly battle against one another. However, when one side gains the upper hand then that causes a rift in the balance of power."

"Whoever causes the imbalance is at a disadvantage when the fighting resumes," said Lilith. "If good claims victory then they allow an even greater evil to rise up, the same goes for evil if they defeat good."

"Right now, the Grids are in balance," said Leviathan. "This trouble on Earth can create a potential rift that we can exploit. If the Rangers overcome this threat then it will allow us to gain even more power."

A light snort escaped Lightning's lips as she placed her hands on her waist. Her light hair falling off to the side with her head craning a bit to show just how unamused she was by these claims. "Like that would make much of a difference," said Lightning. "You claim to be god-like, but the Rangers have been whipping the floor with you. I think you all talk, but no bite."

Daemon growled, protesting the loudest out of the insulted Dark Lords. It took Leviathan to restrain Wrath back before he could take her head from her shoulders for daring to speak to them like that.

Reclaiming control of the situation, Beelzebub approached his former companion. Lightning tensed up a bit as she reached out behind her to grab onto the hilt of her Gunblade, but Beelzebub held his hands up in surrender. "That is where you are wrong, Lightning," said the Dark Lord of Gluttony. He stood in front of her now, amongst the crowd of warriors. "We have far more power than we've displayed in the last couple of battles. We have been allowing the Rangers to defeat us in order to disrupt the Grids' balance."

"All of it is done to make way for our King," said Daemon. "We must diminish our powers so that we will be equal in strength to the Rangers. By them defeating us then we are weakening the seals that keeps our King trapped in the deepest depths of the Underworld."

"And once the final seal is broken," said Barbatos, "then the real fun begins. No longer will we have to hold our powers back. There will be nothing that can stop us."

The Dark Lords turned away from Thrax and the warriors with Beelzebub rejoining the others as well. They gazed out from the balcony, staring out into the Earth to see just what the Overlords were about to do next. With any luck, it would damage the balance of power enough to allow the Dark Lords free reign.

Meanwhile, Thrax and the warriors cowered away from the throne room. The warriors, with the exception of Umbra again, seemed utterly frightened by the threat that Lightning was given. She was still hanging onto the handle of her Gunblade as her eyes were widened in horror. But Thrax still seemed less than impressed with the Dark Lords. He saw them as nothing, they were nothing compared to him.

But he wasn't foolish enough to vocalize that theory as he ventured to his room.

* * *

><p>Hidden in the mountains and a forest, far away from civilization, the Order of the Claw trained the next generation of protectors from any evil that wished to do the world harm. The Pai Zhua Academy gathered students to train and learn to master their animal spirits so to serve as the protectors of the world. The original purpose of the Order had been lost for years now since the Chosen Guardians defeated Dai Shi, the evil beast that sought to overrun this world in evil. His defeat was not the end of the Order though as the Order would continue to protect the world, but now in a different way.<p>

The trainings remained virtually untouched though, something that the mentors had kept into place once they had been placed in charge of the Academy.

Casey Rhodes, Lily Chilman, and Theo Martin were the proud Masters of the Pai Zhua Academy. They had defeated Dai Shi years ago as the Jungle Fury Power Rangers, and now they were busy raising the next generation of protectors. Since it was obvious that the Earth would continue needed warriors to protect it, the Order would remain present to train future heroes for the never-ending struggle.

But that was too depressing of a note for today. It was a day for celebration since one of their own was finally returning from his long absence from the group.

And it wasn't their former Master, Robert James aka RJ. The proud owner of Jungle Karma Pizza arrived to the academy with an awful grin on his face as he checked out the feel of the slightly modernized academy. RJ was a little disturbed by the computer additions and the security system, but he was a modern guy so he couldn't complain.

Besides, the place really did need to have some indoor plumbing.

The four Masters gathered in the courtyard for their reunion. It had been so long since they had all came together like this that it felt good in a sense that it brought back memories of their battles against Dai Shi. They had been so close back then, but fighting the forces of darkness did have a way of bringing people together.

Still young and naïve, Casey joined in on the mini-discussion that was going on. He scratched his blond head with his red kung-fu shirt riding up to expose his lean physique. "Why do you guys always pick on me?" he asked. "So what if I couldn't figure out how to drive the Strike Rider at first, I mastered it pretty quick if I do say so."

"Yes, you do say so," laughed the smaller, Oriental man.

Theo, all dressed in blue robes, had his arms locked with his future bride. Lily was beaming with a warm glow that went with her curly, blonde hair and the yellow garments that she wore. "Try and be a little nicer, Theo," said Lily. "Remember when you were trying to master the Jungle Fans? How many times did you fall from the sky before getting it right?"

Feeling a little embarrassed now, Theo just kept his mouth shut.

RJ though couldn't help but to laugh and neither could Casey. Their former Master kept up with the exaggerated hand gestures as he pointed up to the sunny sky with his brown locks shinning remarkably along with his purple vest. "We could all stand a lesson in humility every once in a while," said RJ. "Never forget where you come from, Rangers. It was a long and hard journey for us to reach where we are today."

"Sound advice as always, RJ," said Lily. "Now…isn't Dominic supposed to be here by now?"

As if that was all that needed to be said, there was a loud howl that hit the air. The nearby fountain was trickling water as a tanned skin man jumped on top of it with the water splashing against his white clothes. "Did somebody say my name!" said Dominic Hargan. The guest of honor had finally arrived with a thunderous applause filling the air.

Dominic briefly bowed for his adoring "fans" before leaping off the fountain to join them. He dropped his heavy backpack on the ground as he held his arms up to be slammed with four sets of hugs.

While the Jungle Fury Rangers reunited, two pairs of eyes watched them from the sides.

Even though it had been years, Jarrod still felt a little uncomfortable to be around all of the Rangers at once. He tried to enjoy the group, choosing only to linger around Casey if he had to. The Red Ranger had earned the respect of the Black Lion, but it was still painful as the memories of Dai Shi using him returned to Jarrod's mind.

Jarrod had been such a fool back then too, an arrogant fool who was too obsessed with himself.

It was fortunate that he had somebody as loyal to him as Camille. Even after all these years, Camille stayed at Jarrod's side. She might have been his servant when he was possessed by Dai Shi, but she had come to love and respect the man within the beast. It was why, after all, that she became human and a student at the Academy.

Curly black hair, highly masculine facial features, and a solid build; Jarrod was a very intimidating man. The Rangers were all lither with Dominic being the only one who came close to him on physical size alone. That was probably partly why Jarrod had been such a difficult warrior for them to defeat back in those days.

But that was in the past, as the raven haired Camille liked to remind Jarrod.

But the past would always come back to haunt them until it was faced head on.

Today was no different.

Storm clouds gathered in the sky, which did seem a little out of the ordinary. The Pai Zhua Masters didn't pay it much mind until they felt something wicked in the air. This sensation didn't go unnoticed by Jarrod and Camille either as they sensed it as well. Seven bodies gazed out to the front gates of the Academy as they each wondered what laid beyond.

The wind began to howl as rain began to fall from the sky with even the ground trembling from the elements. This unnatural occurrence was reason enough to draw concern, but the sudden eruption of the front gates was the cherry on top.

Dark tendrils stormed into the Pai Zhua Academy, which reached out to grab the Master. The five of them chose to face the attack head on but were quickly overpowered by this foreign force. It had easily ensnared each one of them as a small chorus of villainous laughter filled that air, a sound that was all too familiar to each and every single one of them.

Carnisoar, Jellica, and Grizzaka stormed through the front gates with the dark tendrils escaping from their very bodies. The Overlords had the Jungle Fury Rangers exactly where they wanted them, which was at their mercy.

Eyes gazed out to the Overlords, the terror that struck the Pai Zhua Masters and the hidden former villains spoke no bounds. It felt as if the entire world stopped spinning for a moment as they came face to face with one of the greatest evils that they had fought against in the past.

Nothing was said at all though as the Overlords had the Masters in their grasp. The Overlords transported all of them from the Academy, far away to a place unknown and forgotten for over a millennia.

All of this was done while Jarrod and Camille watched on horror.

"How is…how was that possible?" whispered Camille. "The Rangers killed the Overlords years ago!"

"I don't care how it happened," Jarrod said, standing up, "we must rescue them. We can't allow the Overlords to get away with this. Whatever it is that they are planning, they must be stopped before they can get away with hurting the Rangers."

Camille couldn't argue with that fact. If they really were the Overlords then whatever it was that they were planning was not good at all. With their bad luck, it would likely involve a resurrection of Dai Shi, which would be really bad.

The problem though was where should they go? They had no means of tracking the Overlords down or the captured Rangers. They also had no idea how the Overlords were brought back, for what purpose, and what they intended to do to the captured Rangers.

The numerous holes in all of this would've left anybody crippled with confusion, but not Jarrod.

"We only have one other choice," said Jarrod. "We have to go to Angel Grove, California."

Camille raised an eyebrow, wondering just how he reached that conclusion. She held up a finger to question Jarrod as she stepped a couple of inches closer to him. "Do you care to share what is in Angel Grove?" she asked, sternly. "What could possibly be there that will be of any use to us?"

"The Power Rangers," said Jarrod. "I heard from Casey that a new team of Rangers were active there. They are our only chance at rescuing our friends, Camille. So will you come with me or not?"

Once before, Camille had went to the end of the world just to save Jarrod. This little side mission was practically nothing at all to here as she extended her hand out to him.

Jarrod smiled as he took it and soon enough the two ran off so to rescue the Jungle Fury Rangers from their mysterious fate.

* * *

><p>The day was setting towards dusk as the Rangers' beach day was slowly wrapping up.<p>

A small campfire was flickering on the sandy earth as the cool Pacific breeze wafted onto shore and left behind its chill. The Rangers had since changed from their soaked clothing to something that would provide a little more warmth for them. The fire brought plenty of warmth though, but the main purpose was for them to make some highly desired smores.

Serena gazed upon the smore with much curiosity. This particular treat hadn't migrated over to KO-35 yet. With her curiosity, she held up the graham cracker with the melted marshmallow and chocolate with a great deal of glee. The moment her taste buds soaked up the flavor, she felt as if she had died and went to Heaven. And here she thought that French fries and milkshakes were a remarkable treat.

The other Rangers laughed at her reaction as they sank their teeth into their own smores.

Connor's made a bit of a mess which led to his face being smeared with chocolate. He felt its sticky warmth on his cheek as he laughed about it while sitting on Eric's lap. He was practically drowning in a t-shirt that he stole from his boyfriend, which he was currently contemplating using as a sleeve until Eric had licked the chocolate from his face.

"You're a total weirdo," laughed Connor.

"And that's why you love me," Eric said, smiling.

The two briefly shared a kiss before resuming their attention to the others.

Ric was trying to teach Serena how to prepare a smore. He had prepared the first one for her since she nearly set her own arm on fire. "It's not that difficult," said Ric. "Just hold the stick towards the fire, but don't let the stick touch the flames. We don't want to set that pretty head of yours on fire."

"Quit patronizing me!" Serena said, while holding her marshmallow on a stick.

Once again, her stick got too close to the fire and caught on fire. Ric had to take it from her before the flames grew too wide, quickly blowing them out as the poor marshmallow paid the price. The blackened, charcoal squishy was no good now, which led to Ric raising an eyebrow at the, currently, bashful Serena.

Landon and Alice couldn't help but to laugh as they attacked each other's smore. Alice would feed Landon her smore, while Landon did the same with her. The cuteness that was going on between the two was just downright sickening for some of them.

While those two were being uber cutesy, Haley and Tommy remained fairly normal despite their romantic relationship. Haley rested her head against Tommy's shoulder, while taking small bites from her smores. Tommy, on the other hand, was working on his fifth smore, which was currently the record for the group.

The peaceful moment came to a rapid close as their Communicators began to ring. Immediately, the Rangers jumped to their feet with their mini bonfire coming to a drastic finish. Ric and Tommy went over to put out the fire as everyone else pretty much cleared camp, while Landon answered the Communicator.

"What's up, Alpha?" asked their leader.

"Report to the Command Center quickly, Rangers," said Alpha 8. "There is a disturbance on our global sensors."

"On our way," said Landon.

Ending the transmission, Landon quickly got to work on helping everyone clear out the camp. They packed everything up into the cars that they had parked on the sand. Since they were in one of the more report beaches, they didn't have to worry about parking and could feel free to leave the cars there until they were done without whatever was brewing in the planet.

As the last of the stuff was put away, the Rangers checked to make certain that nobody was near them. The spot was remote enough that nobody could really see what they were doing, which made their exit all the more easier for them.

The Rangers teleported through the use of their Communicators, which transported them all the way back into town where the underground Command Center. The eight flashes of light passed over the sky, going unnoticed to the people of Angel Grove, as the Rangers made their way to their destination.

Upon entering the Command Center, the Rangers found themselves quickly taken in by the sounds of sirens ringing. The noise wasn't as extreme as when the Dark Lords first arrived so they were almost certain that it had nothing to do with those Fallen Celestials. However, the Rangers were still alarmed as the sirens continued to ring, even after Alpha and Adam silenced them.

Adam saw the young heroes gathering toward them and almost let out a sigh of relief when he saw them. He turned away from the computers, leaving Alpha to that task, as he got ready to explain the situation to them. "The global sensors went off today with a bloody vengeance," said their mentor. "Alpha and I were working on tracking down the source when we received a call from the Pai Zhua Academy. Luckily, the two are related which is where you come in, Rangers."

"Care to explain that to us first, Adam?" asked Alice.

"Yeah," said Tommy, "we'd kinda like to know why you're making us into Charlie's Angels."

"What's a Pai Zhua Academy?" Serena asked, while raising her hand up.

An adequate explanation was necessary considering just what was happening in the world. Adam turned to back to the computers just as Alpha pulled up some images to the screen of what looked like a team of Power Rangers.

Adam took in a deep breath as he set up the stage for a brief history lesson. "Almost a thousand years ago, the Order of the Claw fought in the Beast War against Dai Shi and his minions," said Adam. "The Order came out victorious, they sealed away Dai Shi and defeated his warriors, while starting the Pai Zhua Academy to train future guardians. A few years ago, Dai Shi was freed which caused the Order to creating a team of Rangers called the Jungle Fury Power Rangers. The Jungle Fury Rangers vanquished Dai Shi and stopped a second Beast War from coming to full bloom."

"But it seems that the Jungle Fury Rangers have been kidnapped," Alpha 8 said, alarming the Rangers by this. The eight heroes were now very much concerned as they tried to understand who would do such a thing. "The distress call came from eye witnesses of the kidnapping. We are currently working on trying to track down the Jungle Fury Rangers, so while we do that you are to go meet the ones who sent out the distress signal."

"Hurry, Rangers," said Adam. "Time is of the essence. We don't know who kidnapped the Jungle Fury Rangers, but I can guarantee you that it isn't for good reasons."

The Angel Force Rangers agreed as they immediately were transported by Alpha to the location of their future accomplices.

* * *

><p>Slowly, the world began to return to them. Eyes fluttered open as consciousness was restored to the captives with tired groans escaping their lips. The initial reaction to move their stiff limbs was met with a great deal of resistances as the Jungle Fury Rangers remembered exactly what had happened to them.<p>

As reality resumed, the Jungle Fury Rangers felt the chains that kept them bound to the wall. They struggled against the chains with the cold metal digging into their chaffing flesh as they found themselves in completely foreign surroundings. They found themselves in what appeared to be a dungeon of some sorts due to the cold, stone walls that encased them along with the general dampness and dark. Also, that just seemed like the cliché place for villains to bring the captured heroes in order to unveil their master plan.

One thing they were sure of, this wasn't Dai Shi's palace. That place had gone down during the last of their battles against the draconic, beastly tyrant. So wherever they were, it was someplace that was likely to be further away and far more mysterious then what they were generally use to.

RJ wasn't exactly helpful in piecing that puzzle together since he had no idea where they were. It was the lack of scenic distinction that left him completely at a loss. There was nothing even remotely originally about this dungeon that would help him pin point where they were being held captive.

Luckily, the Rangers didn't have to wait much longer as what sounded like a cell door opening up came from the distances. The five of them picked their heads up, waiting until the sight of the Overlords was clear to them.

Carnisoar, Jellica, and Grizzaka each carried something in hand that looked like shards of a crystal. The clear image of the mysterious item kept them from piecing it all together until the Overlords were within full range of the dim torchlight.

It was Jellica who first approached the Rangers upon surrendering her crystal shard to Carnisoar. She struck the ground with her staff as she now stood proudly at the front and center. "And here we are again," said the Overlord of the Sea. "You defeated us years ago, Rangers, only for us to be revived once more."

"And who in their right mind would do such a thing?" Dominic said, venomously. "Dai Shi is gone for, not a trace remains of his ugly mug. How is it that you three freaks haven't just stayed dead?"

Grizzaka hissed as he jumped in front of the chained up Ranger. His hand latched onto the throat of the adventurer until Jellica pried him away. "You should learn to hold your tongue, Ranger," spat Grizzaka. "It is through the provenance of the Great Wyrm that we are with you today. Bahamut seeks his vengeance against Dai Shi, but he can only achieve that once we set him free from the seals that keep him bound in his volcanic prison."

"Please tell me you're joking!" said RJ. "You can't seriously believe that it was Bahamut that resurrected you…again." He added that last bit with his typical, dramatic emphasis. It was part of his charm that made him so, well, charming.

"Bah-who?" said Casey. "Who is that supposed to be?"

"That's a legend," said Theo. "You're telling us that Bahamut is real?"

"Who is this dude?" repeated Casey.

"Just let us go already, you psychotic freaks!" hissed Lily.

The Overlords laughed as the Jungle Fury Rangers were either trying to disproof fact or left completely oblivious to the truth. It was rather endearing, but not enough for the Overlords to wish mercy upon the heroes that they had brought to the temple.

Carnisoar held up his two crystal fragments, which were soon connected to the one held by Grizzaka. The shards fused together to form a solid crystal that the Overload of the Wind now cradled carefully in his hands. "Bahamut is very much real, Rangers," said Carnisoar. "He is the great rival of Dai Shi. The Great Wyrm nearly overthrew Dai Shi, but was defeated and sealed away until now." He placed the completed crystal on the top of Jellica's staff. She pointed it forward at the Rangers with the crystal beginning to softly glow. "By destroying Dai Shi, you only weakened the seals that hold Bahamut at bay. Now, the Great Wyrm gathered enough power to revive us so that we may shatter the remaining seals."

"In order to do so," said the Overlord of the Earth, "we now need to gather powerful Animal Spirits to sacrifice to him."

"And that is where you come in, Rangers," said Jellica. "Your Animal Spirits will be the sacrifices to the Great Wyrm. You shall be the ones who will be responsible for unleashing the greatest terror that has befallen the Earth since Dai Shi, himself!"

The Overlords unleashed victorious laughter as violent light began to escape from the crystal. It's violent shine struck each of the Rangers, inflicting an unspeakable amount of pain upon each of them. The cries of the Jungle Fury Rangers filled the palace along with the anguishing cries of their Animal Spirits as they were being forcefully extracted from them.

Tiger, Cheetah, Jaguar, Wolf, and Rhino spirits were being stripped from their beings, all while Bahamut grew stronger.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Jarrod and Camille finally arrived to Angel Grove after their long journey from the Pai Zhua Academy. They had managed to shorten the length of time necessary to get to the city by a special teleportation system recently developed by RJ. His brilliant mind got them quickly to the city, now it was up to them to find the Rangers that they had so desperately called out to for help.<p>

Camille had made the arrangements for them to meet at the town lake. It was the safest place for them to meet since it wasn't as popular as the beach was at the moment. Plus, it was late enough in the day that they didn't have to worry about any unwanted attention from civilians.

It would've been easier to allude their gaze if only the two had changed from their Pai Zhua uniforms. But they kept on the gray uniforms as they waited for any sign of the Rangers that protected this city from evil.

Jarrod was slowly growing impatient as he tore himself away from a nearby tree. He was about to growl about going off on their own to save the Jungle Fury Rangers when Camille pointed to a group of lights in the sky. His attention was turned to the eight beams of light, which were rapidly approaching them that were no doubt a sign that the Rangers were finally here.

And just as he suspected, the Angel Force Rangers arrived to the lake just as they were instructed. They all remained in their civilian forms to meet, which would help to make this pressing situation a little less awkward for them.

Stepping away from his team, Landon was the first to approach Jarrod and Camille. His full gaze was on them as he tried to sum them up and make sure that they weren't a threat. "You're the ones who sent the alarm?" asked the young man. "I'm Landon, Red Angel Force Ranger." He held his hand out to the both of them, waiting for them to return the gesture.

Jarrod went first as he accepted the hand of the Red Ranger. "My name is Jarrod," he said, introducing himself. "I'm the Black Lion Warrior."

"And I am Camille, the Green Chameleon Warrior."

Introductions were quickly taken care of with the other Rangers introducing themselves as well. Once all of that was taken care of, it was finally time to get to work on this rescue operation to save the Jungle Fury Rangers.

The Angel Force Rangers were caught up on just who had captured their predecessors. They learned more about this Dai Shi that they vanquished along with these Overlords that were responsible for the kidnapping. Jarrod and Camille had no idea why their friends were taken, but it was painfully obvious that it wasn't for a playdate. They all understood that if one team of Rangers was in such grave danger then it could potentially mean that they were all unsafe.

It came without any hesitation that the Angel Force Rangers agreed to help Jarrod and Camille. It was of great importance that they saved the Jungle Fury Rangers before it was too late. The Earth couldn't afford to lose any of its protectors during times of turmoil.

Haley made contact with Alpha 8, trying to get him to pin point a location for them. The Angel Force Rangers had left Alpha and Adam to track down the Jungle Fury Rangers, which had finally yielded some results for them.

"Our sensors are picking up negative energy on a small, uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean," said Alpha 8. "There are ruins located there as well as a semi-active volcano. I urge you to be cautious, Power Rangers. Who knows what kind of trap that these Overlords have set up for you!"

"We know the risks, Alpha," said Eric, "but we have to rescue our fellow Rangers."

"Nobody gets left behind in this team!" said Tommy.

Adam and Alpha 8 got to work on setting up a teleportation grid that would transport them all to this uninhabited island. They were all transported in the blink of the eye to where all of the real excitement would begin.

* * *

><p>The ten streaks of light flashed across and halfway across an ocean before they finally touched ground to a remote island. The Rangers and their new companions landed on the beach with a massive volcano in the distance with a chain of ruins all around it. Most of the ruins were so decrepit that they'd be completely useless, but the central temple was still in a sturdy enough condition to be of use to anyone.<p>

Jarrod pointed that as the spot where the Overlords would be at. The others seemed to think of that as a reasonable conclusion, while taking the appropriate steps in order to deal with what lurked inside of the temple.

Holding up their Crystal Morphers, the Angel Force Rangers raised the feathers up into the air to call forth their powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight heroes. Feathers and light swirled around their bodies until they finally finished transforming.

Not wanting to get left out, Jarrod and Camille powered themselves up as well.

Jarrod held his fist up into the air as he summoned his Black Lion Armor. The manifestation of his Animal Spirit crackled energy around him as black and yellow armor covered his body with a lion's face as a chest plate and his helmet bore lion's fur.

As for Camille, she held her hands gracefully in front of her chest as she summoned her Green Chameleon Armor. Her armor was lighter than Jarrod's armor, but the green and violet armor was enough to protect her. For her helmet, she had a chameleon like design with a tail poking out from her lower back.

They all slowly began to approach the temple, cautious of any unexpected traps that might spring up in the process. Luckily, they weren't hit by anything serious so either the Overlords were really not expecting the company or they wanted the Rangers to get to them. Either way, it wasn't exactly a pretty image for them.

Red Ranger was at the lead with his Angel Sword at hand. He was followed by Black Lion Warrior who looked equally tense in that armor. "We need a plan," said Red Ranger. "You said that there were three Overlords, right?"

"Yes," said Black Lion Warrior. "Are you proposing that we split up?"

"Exactly," said Red Ranger. "Take Connor, Serena, and Camille with you to find your friends. The rest of us will distract the Overlords until you get back. Hopefully, we'll be able to defeat them before they can achieve whatever it is that they're planning."

Black Lion Warrior seemed to agree with the plan as he felled back to keep his identity secret in case the Overlords were present. He stayed at the back of the charge with Green Chameleon Warrior, Black Ranger, and Violet Ranger.

The rest of them took the center charge as they neared the temple.

Their feet took them inside the torch lit building, which was decorated by ancient hieroglyphs of what appeared to be a dragon. It was a massive dragon that was on the wall and it was battling against a multi-headed dragon as well. There was an army of various beasts all around them, which made the Rangers think that this was the Dai Shi guy fighting against a rival enemy.

Yellow Ranger was the one who brought up the frightening thought that the Overlords might be up to something very bad. She could see that they were intending to resurrect somebody, either Dai Shi or something else.

Now, this was beginning to make sense as to why they had kidnapped the Jungle Fury Rangers. They intended to use them as some form of sacrifice, which made their mission all the more pressing for the Rangers.

In a few moments, the Angel Force Rangers made it to what seemed like a throne room or at least the central chamber. The designs were far more elaborately designed as well as it appeared that the entire room had been taken somewhat care of.

This seemed like the part where things went very wrong, very fast. The Angel Force Rangers drew their weapon just as a burst of energy hit the air.

Carnisoar, Jellica, and Grizzaka stood at the center of the chamber, appearing rather displeased to see the Rangers here. The three Overlords knew exactly what the young heroes were seeking and they weren't about to let them get their hands on the captives without a fight.

"You cannot stop us, Rangers," said Carnisoar.

"Their power is already being devoured by the mighty Bahamut," said Jellica.

"And soon, we Beasts shall overrun this world as our new king rises up," said Grizzaka.

Just as the Overlords prepared to defend their mission, Black Lion Warrior found themselves in the temple with the others following behind him. They had all heard the Overlords' speech on their purpose for kidnapping the Jungle Fury Rangers. But none of them understood just who Bahamut was, especially Black Lion Warrior who had been possessed by Dai Shi years ago.

Red Ranger took hold of both his Aurora Sword and Angel Sword as he drew his arms against their foes. He prepared himself for the worst as did his fellow Rangers. "Then I suppose that we better get this dance started," said Red Ranger. "You won't get much further in your plans. We will stop you!"

The Overlords charged after the Angel Force Rangers as they met in combat.

As the attack began, Black Lion Warrior was ready to storm the place when Black Ranger stomped him from going any further. The youngest Ranger pointed out something that the elder had failed to see. "We got over four different entrances," said Black Ranger, "and we have no idea which one has your friends. I'll scout out ahead and see if any of them lead to someplace suspicious."

"You'd better hurry then," said Green Chameleon Warrior. "Time is not on our side."

"Speed's his middle name," laughed Violet Ranger. "Get it done, Connor!"

Black Ranger nodded his head as he blurred out of the way as he ran with his superhuman speed. The two warriors were surprised to see just how fast he moved, while a fight was going on all around him. He disappeared into one passageway and was completely out of sight for a few moments.

Violet Ranger lifted her hand up, pretending to be checking out her nails as a minute finally passed. There was a blur that flashed in front of them which soon became Black Ranger who was taking in a few short breaths. "Well?" asked Violet Ranger. "Did you find them?"

"Yeah," said Black Ranger. He pointed over to a door at the furthest corner of the chamber. They all saw just how difficult it would be to get there as the fight grew a little larger. "I found a dungeon down that way. The rest were dead ends, so I have no doubt that your friends are down there."

"Let's get moving then!" said Black Lion Warrior.

The four of them stuck to the shadows to avoid getting hit or seen by the fight that was going on. The Overlords actually didn't see them since the Rangers already did and tried their best to keep the Beasts from looking in their direction.

And it actually worked too, the distraction was long enough for them to cross to the dungeon to find the Jungle Fury Rangers.

Black Lion Warrior ran down the staircase with the others following right behind him. They raised down the stony steps until they finally made it down to a brightly lit room. But instead of seeing torches or sunlight, what they saw was the light that came from Jellica's scepter that was bursting with light as five groans of agony could be heard.

Shock hit them as they saw the Jungle Fury Rangers chained to the wall with their Animal Spirits silently withering in pain. The spirits were being forced out from their bodies and being sucked into the crystal for the purpose of unleashing Bahamut upon the world.

Violet Ranger summoned her Divine Wand as she fought through the surge of energy. "Get ready to break them free!" she shouted at the others. She touched the crystal with the tip of her wand as she unleashed a surge of starry energy. The vicious cyclone of stars assaulted the scepter and the crystal until it all finally shattered.

A burst of light flashed into the air as the Tiger, Jaguar, Cheetah, Wolf, and Rhino spirits erupted out from there and returned to the bodies of their respective warriors. Five great gasps of breath could be heard as the Jungle Fury Rangers felt their powers being restored to them after being so brutally violated by the Overlords.

The others ran towards the chains and quickly made short work of them. Black Lion Warrior grabbed onto the chains that held Casey to the wall then easily broke the chains with his armored hands. Green Chameleon Warrior shattered the chains around Theo and Lily by slashing after them with her twin sais. Black Ranger pulled the bowstring to his Heaven bow, firing arrows that broke RJ and Dominic free from their captivity.

It took a great deal of effort for the Jungle Fury Rangers not to fall face first to the ground. Black Ranger had the greatest difficulty keeping them up since RJ and Dominic were the heaviest ones, which is where Violet Ranger came in handy as she took RJ from him. Green Chameleon Warrior easily took care of Theo and Lily, while Black Lion Warrior caught Casey with the utmost of care.

"What?" Casey said, greatly confused. "Jarrod, Camille…what are you doing here?" He turned his head slightly to the side to spot two other Rangers there. His fellow Jungle Fury Rangers looked equally as lost by the two newcomers. "Who are they?"

"The Angel Force Rangers," Violet Ranger said, cheerfully. "And you're welcome, by the way."

"Let's save the introductions for later," said Black Ranger. "The others won't be able to hold off the Overlords forever. We need to get you guys out of here. Can you walk?"

Dominic was the first to bounce onto his feet as he stretched his stiff limbs a bit. He cracked a smile at Black Ranger before lightly bumping him in the shoulder with his fist. "I know I can do more than walk," said the older Ranger. "I can fight too."

"I'll join you," RJ said, while Violet Ranger helped him up.

"So we will," said Theo and Lily.

Casey only nodded his head as he was helped by Black Lion Warrior.

With their Animal Spirits returned to them, the Jungle Fury Rangers already felt their energy rushing back to them. They still needed a few more minutes before they'd be in full fighting shape, but that basically would be done during the climb up the staircase.

So without wasting any more time, the group of Rangers made their way up the staircase so to join the others who were battling the Overlords.

* * *

><p>Pink Ranger and Yellow Ranger took off to face Jellica. The Overlord of the Sea easily dodged the worst of their attacks by using her Jellyfish spirit to squeeze through the cracks. Even as their sharp blades touched every spot that Jellica stood, the Overlord was able to avoid everything that was thrown at her. She locked her blue fingers around their wrists, holding the two Rangers back with her might.<p>

Not wanting to be out done, Yellow Ranger sprang her little trick on Jellica. Since she was so distracted by holding them, Yellow Ranger stomped her heel on the foot of the Overlord. This caused Jellica to hiss in pain, which also gave Pink Ranger the opportunity to strike her. Pink Ranger slashed her Angel Sword down on Jellica's breastplate and caused the Overlord to go sailing across the chamber.

White Ranger and Orange Ranger were busy dancing around Carnisoar who used his Hawk Spirit to grant him flight to give him an edge. The Overlord ascended to the air with his feathery arms, using that advantage to dodge their blades. Orange Ranger growled with frustration though as he jumped up into the air as well with his Celestial Lance. He threw the weapon further up into the air, which did in fact manage to clip the Overlord in the shoulder.

As Carnisoar came crashing down, White Ranger took this opportunity to strike. He switched his Twilight Ray to its blaster form and took the liberty to fire a couple of laser blasts at the Overlord. The white, laser fire crashed all over the Overlord, sending him crashing not too far from where Jellica was.

Red Ranger and Blue Ranger went through a little more difficult trial with Grizzaka who used his Grizzly Bear Spirit to empower him. The Overlord flexed his mighty muscles as he latched onto both Rangers and slammed them against the stone wall. Painful groans could be heard from the two Rangers as their back got viciously assaulted by the Overlord.

Grizzaka was doubling over with laughter, at least until the Rangers sprang back. Using their superhuman strength, Red Ranger and Blue Ranger grabbed onto the Overlord's arms as they called for their might. They pushed themselves free from the wall, while keeping hold of the Overlord and slammed him against another wall. They pulled him off the wall then smashed him face first to the ground in order to make sure that he'd stay down.

The Angel Force Ranger reassembled together just as the Overlords began to stir. The Overlords were not far from each other, which meant another fight was about to begin when they heard Black Ranger and Violet Ranger. The last of them joined their fellow Rangers just as they all spotted Black Lion Warrior and Green Chameleon Warrior leading the Jungle Fury Rangers out of there.

"The traitors!" hissed Jellica. "They're escaping with our sacrifices!"

"And now you're about to get taken down!" shouted Red Rangers. "Let's end this, Rangers!"

Drawing arms, the Angel Force Rangers were ready to unleash their final attacks. Red Ranger assembled the Heaven Power Cannon with Blue Ranger, Black Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Pink Ranger. As their weapons connected to fire, they fired the beams of energy from the cannon, which struck the three Overlords at once.

White Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger brought their weapons together to created the Celestial Twilight Flash. As the saber was fully formed, White Ranger held the weapon with the other two hanging onto his shoulders. They poured their energy together as they released a powerful slash that struck the already weakened Overlords.

Just as the boom went off, the Angel Force Ranger quickly disassembled their weapons and fled from the temple. The Overlords erupted in a massive explosion that threatened the stability of the temple, which meant they needed to get out of there before it collapsed on top of them.

The Rangers made it outside of the temple too just as the walls were caving in on them.

* * *

><p>With the ruins crumbling apart, the Jungle Fury Rangers stood in the forest clearing and awaited the fate of their rescuers. It was with a great sigh of relief that the former captives caught sight of the Angel Force Rangers emerging from the smoke at last. They were all covered in dust and derby as they joined the Jungle Fury Rangers.<p>

All they had to report was a stiff backs and a bad cough. Other than that though, the Angel Force Rangers were perfectly fine. As for the Jungle Fury Rangers, they were feeling back at the top of their game now that their spirits had been restored to them. They felt strong enough to stand on their own without any assistance.

Casey was about to be the first to thank their saviors when an explosion went off around them. The wind tore at the ground as the earth began to shake and water erupted from the cracks. The scene was somewhat horrifying for the Rangers as they tried to understand what was happening as the sudden attack forced them all down to their knees.

Then it became perfectly obvious what had happened as the Overlords emerged from the smoky ruins. The three of them did appear to be injured, but they were far from being defeated as they finally reached the clearing to exact their revenge on all of the Rangers.

"It ends here," said Carnisoar. "You will fall at our feet!"

"You will not escape from us," said Jellica. "Bahamut shall be freed and he will devour you all!"

"Nothing can stop us now that we Beasts are so close," said Grizzaka. "This island shall be your grave! Come forth, Rinshi!"

The shadows rose up from the ground as the Overlord of the Earth summoned the grunts. An army of mindless, humanoid creatures appeared before them in cloth robes. They had black pants with orange tops that bore ancient symbols at the front of their chests. Their pale, white faces had their eyes covered by black blindfolds that bore another symbol on the front.

The Rinshi stayed behind the Overlords where they awaited further commands.

Seeing where this was going, the Angel Force Rangers and the Warriors prepared for battle. But before they could spring off to action, the Jungle Fury Rangers stopped them from taking a step forward as they joined up with them.

Casey pulled out a pair of sunglasses from the front of his coat. He began to smirk as he turned to his fellow Masters. "We're not getting left out of this fight," he said, cheerfully. "We will defeat the Overlords and stop Bahamut's resurrection, together!"

The Angel Force Rangers couldn't disagree with the assistance as they waited for them to get morphing.

Theo and Lily pulled out a similar pair of sunglasses as well, while RJ and Dominic held up their wrist mounted Morphers. RJ's took the shape of a wolf's head, while Dominic initially had a plain, wooden bracelet that transformed into this massive fist-like claw.

All together, the Jungle Fury Rangers assembled together as they prepared to transform. They called forth on their powers by concentrating on the spirits that lurked within them. "Jungle Beasts," said the five Rangers, "Spirit Unleashed!" They unleashed the powers of their Animals Spirits, at once, causing them to morph into their Rangers forms.

The uniforms worn by Casey, Theo, and Lily were very similar. They were a full body suit that had black spots all along the sides that represented the patterns from their Animal Spirits. Their helmets bore a somewhat similar design as well.

RJ's uniform was a dark shade of purple that was also a bodysuit that bore some black accents, thick gauntlets, and leg bracings. The four of them bore the symbol for the Order of the Claw at the front of their chests.

Dominic's uniform had the symbol on his left breast with a horn in front of it, his Morpher was still attached to his right arm as a weapon, and a black sash with orange accents was wrapped around his waist.

"With the strength of a tiger," shouted Casey, "Jungle Fury Red Ranger!"

"With the stealth of a jaguar," shouted Theo, "Jungle Fury Blue Ranger!"

"With the speed of a cheetah," shouted Lily, "Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger!"

"With the courage of a wolf," shouted RJ, "Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger!"

"With the power of a rhino," shouted Dominic," Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger!"

But they were still not ready to start a fight just yet; they had a few more numbers and powers to add to their side. Jungle Fury Red, Blue, and Yellow Rangers stepped forward with a burst of energy escaping from their chests. The energy became an intense light that was followed by the birth of three more Rangers.

The Spirit Rangers, who had originally been used by Dai Shi to fight the Jungle Fury Rangers, once drew power from fellow Pai Zhua Masters, but now were an extension of themselves. The Elephant Spirit Ranger's costume was green with an elephant helmet design, thick shoulder pads and the Jungle Mace, a ball and chain, in hand. The Bat Spirit Ranger's costume was black with a bat helmet design, wing-like shoulder pads, and the Jungle Fan, a war fan, in hand. And the Shark Spirit Ranger's costume was light blue with a shark helmet design, small shoulder pads, fins sticking up from its forearms, and the Shark Sabers in hand. They each bore the symbol for the Order of the Claw at the front of their chests.

Last, but not least, the trio summoned their Claw Boosters for the final touch. Each one was painted over with their individual colors and was held in their right hands. So using their final powers, the three Rangers called out "Jungle Master Mode" at the top of their lungs for the final transformation. Most of their uniforms had been painted over white with the addition of propulsion jets on the front and back of their torsos. The Claw Boosters also extended with the full claws out as they really prepared for battle.

Not wanting to be left out of the cool upgrade, the Angel Force Rangers held their Crystal Morphers up into the air. They called out to the powers for an upgrade, leading to them to each transform into their Job Class Forms. As the last of them transformed, the battle could finally begin.

The Rangers and the Overlords collided in battle.

* * *

><p>An army of Rinshi to fight against wasn't exactly the most fun thing in the world, but it was a job none the less. Wolf Ranger and Rhino Ranger led the Spirit Rangers, the Warriors, Violet Sage Ranger, Pink Ninja Ranger, Orange Dragoon Ranger, White Paladin Ranger, and Black Archer Ranger into combat. The others were all facing the Overlords with all of them fighting in order to prevent the summoning of Bahamut.<p>

Black Archer Ranger pulled his bowstring back to fire a few arrows after the Rinshi. He avoided a couple of staves being thrown at his head, which is where Bat Spirit Ranger's Jungle Fan came in handy. The Spirit Ranger blew away the attacks with small gusts of wind, protecting Black Archer Ranger from the worst of them.

Bat Spirit Ranger then swooped into the fray with its fan as it took to the air. The Spirit Ranger blew out a few more gusts from the Jungle Fan, taking out a couple of the Rinshi from the equation.

Just as Black Archer Ranger was being swarmed by Rinshi, Black Lion Warrior joined his side for the battle. The proud warrior easily decimated the numbers with powerful punches and kicks that honestly impressed the boy by the speed in those attacks. Black Archer Ranger jumped back to his feet and joined the Warrior in combat to back him up with some arrows.

"Give me a boost!" Black Archer Ranger shouted at his companion.

The boy jumped above Black Lion Warrior at the second, catching him by surprise in the process. But the boy's plot finally dawned on him, which made the Warrior smirk as he flipped back with his legs up in the air. "Don't blow this one, kid!" shouted Black Lion Warrior. He used all of the muscles in his legs to catapult Black Archer Ranger higher into the air just as he was coming down to the ground.

Gravity became nothing to him as Black Archer Ranger pulled his Heaven Bow back to fire out seven charged arrows that struck the ground. The Rinshi weren't affected by the attack, at least until the Ranger landed on the ground. He snapped his fingers, triggering an explosion of shadow energy that easily finished off most of the Rinshi.

The rest were demolished when Black Lion Warrior unleashed his Lion Spirit out to take down those who remained.

* * *

><p>Pink Ninja Ranger flipped around on the field as she avoided the incoming staves that were flung after her. When she finally decided to stop running away, she slashed away every incoming weapon with her Sacred Claws. Her reflexes were at the top of her game so she easily fended the attack off before charging back into the frying pan.<p>

Shark Spirit Ranger soon followed her charge with Green Chameleon Warrior joining them as well. Each one was armed with their twin weapons, which would make this into an interesting showdown.

"Can this spirit fight?" asked Pink Ninja Ranger.

"Trust me," said Green Chameleon Warrior, "you'll see what it's made of soon enough."

And that time came when Shark Spirit Ranger was the first to dive into the battle. It swung its Shark Sabers around, holding onto the blue fins as the jagged blades sunk into the Rinshi. The mindless grunts were easily beaten down by. Then it chose to combine the sabers together to form a single blade that it used to create a tide of water that empowered its single saber.

Releasing the fully charged water, Shark Spirit Ranger tore apart even more Rinshi in the process.

Green Chameleon Warrior chose that to be her moment to strike as she and Pink Ninja Ranger went to slashing the Rinshi to bits. With her Sais and the Ranger's claws, they hacked their way into the depths of the swarm without much trouble.

The Warrior leaped into the air just as a Rinshi swarm attempted to jump onto her. She spun around in a circle before landing gracefully to her feet. She brought her Sais together and let out a mighty yell as she unleashed her Chameleon Spirit to swipe away the Rinshi with its curled tail.

The remainder of the Rinshi was up to Pink Ninja Ranger to dispose of. The Ranger kicked back two Rinshi with a single blow before turning to slash two more with her claws. She stepped into the middle of the safe zone she created just as the Rinshi charged in after her. Breaking the soft ground with her claws, she channeled a surge of water that rose up from the ground to pummel the remaining Rinshi with.

Pink Ninja Ranger couldn't help but to laugh as the rest of her group joined her side.

* * *

><p>Elephant Spirit Ranger swung the Jungle Mace around in the air before tossing the chain and ball at a group of Rinshi. The ball would smash into chests with the chain being used to guide the attack to its next target. All while Rhino Ranger and White Paladin Ranger faced off a crowd of Rinshi behind it.<p>

The Spirit Ranger focused on the Rinshi in front of it, finishing the rest off by slamming its foot to the ground to create a powerful quake that brought them down.

White Paladin Ranger briefly turned his head back to see the damage done by the Spirit Ranger. He whistled when he surveyed the Spirit Ranger's handiwork before cutting down a single Rinshi. "Those guys are pretty useful!" he shouted at the Jungle Fury Ranger.

Rhino Ranger held his Rhino Blade up to guard against an incoming punch from a Rinshi. "Yeah, they're a lot tougher then you'd think," said Rhino Ranger. He used his might to push the Rinshi back before slashing it twice in the chest with the blade. As the Rinshi fell to the ground, another chose to sneak up behind him which he easily knocked down by smashing the back of his fist into its face.

Knowing that there was no time to waste, Rhino Ranger chose that now was the time to unleash his Animal Spirit. He called for the Rhino Spirit which he commanded to stomp the Rinshi down to bits. His Spirit was more than powerful enough to do so and even use its horn to mow even more Rinshi out of the way.

The few that remained behind in its wake were left up to the White Paladin Ranger. Not wanting to be shown up, he used his powers over light to prove himself useful. He channeled his power into his Solar Blade which caused the blade to shine magnificently. When he felt that it was enough, he swung the blade forward to unleash a band of light that vaporized the last of the Rinshi in a single blast.

Impressed by this, Rhino Ranger applauded White Paladin Ranger for his efforts.

* * *

><p>Wolf Ranger held his fists up with Violet Sage Ranger floating at his side and Orange Dragoon Ranger on the opposite side. The last of the Rinshi were up to them to dispose of before they can reunite with the others to finish off the Overlords.<p>

"Don't put yourself in any unnecessary danger, you two," said Wolf Ranger. "Go for the fatal blow and move on to the next target."

"Just pay attention to what you're doing, old man," Orange Dragoon Ranger said with a full on laugh.

The lance wielding Ranger charged after the Rinshi without any hesitation. Wolf Ranger tried to stop him, but Violet Sage Ranger told him to let her teammate be. She was more than confident in her shipmate's ability in handling the Rinshi.

And he didn't disappoint.

Orange Dragoon Ranger struck the ground with his Celestial Lance, calling forth a pillar of sunlight that came down from the sky. The Rinshi that got caught up in his attack ended up being burned by intense sunlight, while the others merely got badly sunburned. He hefted his lance above his armored shoulder with a grin underneath his helmet as he took off towards the rest of them to stab away.

Violet Sage Ranger couldn't help but to chuckle as she held up her Divine Wand. "Well, we can't let him have all the fun," she told Wolf Ranger. She floated towards the crowd of Rinshi and wasted no time in taking down a dozen of them at once. Pointing her wand forward, a surge of stars emerged from her wand and slashed against their bodies.

The stars were quick and effective at handling Rinshi, which did make Wolf Ranger nod his head in appreciation. So these cocky kids were pretty good at what they did after all.

Wolf Ranger showed the kids how a pro did things as he ran over towards the last of the Rinshi. He charged up his fists and legs as he unleashed bands of purple energy with every punch and kick that he made. They triggered wide explosions that threw the Rinshi all over the place, but left only a very small number behind.

So to finish them off, Wolf Ranger called forth his Wolf Spirit to handle the rest. The courageous wolf howled into the sunset before taking charge after the last of the Rinshi. His fangs sank into the flesh of a couple before tossing them up into the air and crushing the rest by rolling into a ball of purple energy.

The Rinshi were done for so the last of them ran off to reunite with the other Rangers for the final battle.

* * *

><p>Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger and Yellow Machinist Ranger jumped into the air just as Jellica called forth a pillar of water from the ground. Without her staff, Jellica was a little hindered, but she still was more than dangerous enough on her own. Her mastery over water and her Beast Spirit is what made things all the more difficult for the pair.<p>

Using her jets to give her an edge, Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger tried to slash away at Jellica with her Claw Booster once she got in range. Her claw narrowly missed as Jellica used her jelly body to avoid the bite of the Ranger's attack. This caused the Jungle Fury Ranger to growl with frustration as she finally landed on the ground, spreading her legs apart with one hand on the ground.

Yellow Machinist Ranger flew above Jellica's head with her Holy Pistols blazing. She pulled the trigger numerous times to fire out her bullets, but none of them seemed to manage to hit Jellica no matter how perfect her aim was. When she landed beside Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger, it was obvious that she was plenty annoyed to by Jellica.

"Who do we stomp this bitch to the ground?" asked Yellow Machinist Ranger.

"No idea," said Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger. "Last time, we weren't the ones who killed her. It was the Phantom Beasts."

That was a little reassuring, bad guys killing bad guys.

Jellica hurled a blast of energy after the two, while they were in the middle of a conversation. The Yellow Rangers broke away from each other just in time as the explosion that was generated would've easily kicked their butts.

Furious, Yellow Machinist Ranger pointed her pistols to the ground to call forth the earth to handle this mess. Her element responded with pillars of earth rising up to pin Jellica in a crushing situation.

"What is this?" shouted Jellica. "Release me at once!"

"Not a chance!" shouted Yellow Machinist Ranger. She held her pistols up and went trigger happy with this situation. Her bullets struck Jellica rather well this time around until the pillars that held her broke apart with Jellica collapsing to the ground.

"And now to finish you!" shouted Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger.

Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger flew across the clearing to slash Jellica around with her Claw Booster, landing a hit every time. The Overlord was hurled into the air by the Ranger as she lifted the Overlord up before tossing her aside.

And to make sure she was done for, Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger unleashed her Cheetah Spirit. The Spirit took off with a remarkable amount of speed and pummeled the Overlord around with her quick claws.

* * *

><p>Carnisoar flew up into the air with Jungle Fury Blue Ranger and Blue Gladiator Range right on his tail. The two Rangers were able to stay in the air to make an interesting chase after the Overlord. Carnisoar tried to shake them off by firing blasts of dark energy from his beaked mouth, but the Rangers flew around the attacks or blew them aside with their weapons.<p>

Blue Jungle Fury Ranger pushed his jets onto overdrive as he finally caught up to the Overlord. He quickly slashed the Overlord with his Claw Booster and managed to leave his mark with a single blow. "We have to trap him on the ground to finish him!" shouted Blue Jungle Fury Ranger.

"I'm on it!" shouted Blue Gladiator Ranger. He used his mastery of wind to help him latch onto the Overlord. He grabbed Carnisoar by his feathery arm and pulled the Overlord closer to the ground with only one hand. "Time to go down, bird brain!" Lifting up his Glory Hammer, the Ranger began to smack the Overlord around a bit before using his last hit to send the Overlord packing.

Carnisoar yelled with all his might as he crashed to the ground. He was flat on his back as he rolled over to his side to force himself to get up just as the Rangers landed in front of him. The two Rangers moved in for a quick kill by slashing and beating the Overlord with their weapons.

The Overlord was thrown around until he landed on his back once more. A painful groan escaped his beak as he pushed back. "You will not defeat me so easily!" he cawed. He hurled a dark blast of explosive energy managed to hit Blue Gladiator Ranger, but not Jungle Fury Blue Ranger.

The Jungle Fury Ranger charged forward at full speed with his Animal Spirit appearing around him. The Jaguar moved with greater stealth and grace as he reached the Overlord before the Ranger did. With a few swipes of his claws, the Jaguar Spirit had the Overlord on the ropes just as the Ranger made it to finish this with a charged blast from Claw Booster.

Carnisoar went up once more and when he landed, this time around he stayed down.

* * *

><p>It was up to the Red Rangers to handle Grizzaka, the last and strongest of the Overlords. Speed was going to be their friend in this fight as it allowed the Rangers to avoid the heavier of the Overlord's powerful attacks.<p>

Jungle Fury Red Ranger used his jets to give him the speed necessary to strike from behind and to avoid getting knocked around. He easily got in a few blows with his Claw Booster, but the thick hide of the Overlord was hard to break through. When Jungle Fury Red Ranger was about to really sink his claw into that hide, Grizzaka exploited an opening by punching the Ranger full on in the chest.

As one Ranger went down, Red Warrior Ranger took to the frontline with his Aurora Sword. He slashed away at the Overlord with a band of fiery energy wrapped to leave behind some painful burns. Red Warrior Ranger saw his sword being caught though by the Overlord when he went for a fatal attack to the head. "So you're quick for a grizzly bear," the Ranger said, sarcastically. "I guess I'll have to kick it up a notch."

"Or I can kick you up a notch!" shouted Grizzaka. He pushed Red Warrior Ranger back before kicking him with a mighty blow. The Ranger went sailing back as the earthly force of the Overlord was too much from him to withstand.

As Grizzaka turned around to finish off Jungle Fury Red Ranger, the Overlord was surprised to see that he wasn't there. The Overlord of the Earth looked around him to see that there was no sign of the Ranger, so he felt that something was very off.

"I gotcha now, punk!" laughed Jungle Fury Red Ranger.

The Overlord's suspicions were proven true as Jungle Fury Red Ranger came down from above his head to strike the Overlord while his back was turned. Grizzaka gave out a beastly yell as he stumbled forward just as Red Warrior Ranger was getting back on his feet. A burst of fire escaped from the sword of the Ranger, which struck the Overlord with its full might.

Jungle Fury Red Ranger went in for the final blow as he summoned his Tiger Spirit. The Tiger came to him and the two stuck their legs out as they flew after the Overlord. Grizzaka didn't even know what hit him when he was kicked around with explosive burst of power from a Ranger and his Animal Spirit.

Grizzaka crashed to the ground just as Jellica and Carnisoar were thrown his way as well. The three Overlords found themselves to be on the ropes as the Power Rangers and the Warriors assembled together to finish them off.

"We call forth our Animal Spirits!" shouted the Jungle Fury Rangers and the Warriors. The Spirit Rangers as well joined them in the final attack.

Energy swirled around them as the Animal Spirits responded by letting out mighty yells of fury. Tiger, Jaguar, Cheetah, Wolf, Rhino, Elephant, Bat, Shark, Chameleon, and Lion appeared above the heads of the heroes. The Overlords wouldn't know what hit them as the Animal Spirits took charge to strike with their full Jungle Fury.

A mighty explosion went off as the Animal Spirits crashed into the Overlords, their collision proved to be powerful, but not fatal. Once the smoke was cleared, the Overlords were still there, but they were incredibly weak now from the power used against them.

Red Warrior Ranger saw this and came up with something on his own. He touched his heart to hear the spirit of his people and that of the Angel Force Zords. Nodding his head, he released his spiritual and Ranger powers to the air to summon up his own Animal Spirit, the Red Eagle. The Spirit of the Red Angel Zord joined the Animal as well, pouring its own power into the Eagle. His proud Animal Spirit spread his wings into the air with Eagle letting out a mighty call.

"We can help too!" said Red Warrior Ranger. "Call forth on the spirits of your Angel Force Zords. They might not be able to help us directly, but they're spirits will give us power!"

The others agreed as they concentrated and summoned their spirits. Like Red Warrior Ranger before them, the rest of the Angel Force Rangers were able to summon the spirits of their Angel Force Zords, which were also their Animal Spirits as well. The Jungle Fury Rangers watched the sight before them, greatly impressed to see that the Angel Force Rangers were able to conjure up Animal Spirits without any proper training.

Blue Bear Spirit, Black Unicorn Spirit, Yellow Wolf Spirit, Pink Dolphin Spirit, White Tiger Spirit, Orange Rhino Spirit, and Violet Condor Spirit joined Red Eagle Spirit. The Animal Spirits of the Angel Force Rangers united as one to become a great burst of energy. The inferno of energy leapt away from the Rangers and erupted upon coming into contact with the Overlords.

The fate of the Overlords was sealed as the Animal Spirits of the Rangers proved to be too much for them to bear. A second explosion went off with the Overlords collapsing to the ground, defeated by the power of the Power Rangers.

However, there was still one more trick up their sleeves.

The Overlords had enough life in them for one more move. Grizzaka was the only one with enough strength to speak so he gave his grim warning to the Rangers. "You might have…defeated us," said the Overlord the Earth, "but…but Bahamut shall rise! Since we cannot use…you as sacrifices, we shall give up our power to…release Bahamut. Then…then he'll have you all as his first meal!"

The Rangers attempted to stop this, but the Overlords already released their power. Their Beast Spirits took form as their physical bodies vanished with their spirits ascending towards the volcano in the background. The worst was about to come as the Rangers realized that there was nothing that they could do to stop this resurrection.

As the Beast Spirits of the Overlords entered the volcano, the Rangers feared for the very worst as Bahamut was about to be unleashed upon the world. They did not know what to expect, but they could picture some very big and very powerful to emerge from the volcano at any moment. The wait alone made everything agonizing as they tried to figure out what they should do next during this hopeless situation.

Magma began to burst forth from the volcano, but not enough to trigger a full blown eruption that would devastate everything. Instead, the magma only fell in small chunks with a small burst of light ascending from the molten depths. The light grew though until it was about the size of a Megazord, which seemed like a good idea to summon.

The Jungle Fury Rangers were about to make their move when the Angel Force Rangers stopped them from moving.

Red Angel Force Ranger tried to push Jungle Fury Red Ranger back, while the others held each other back. "Let us take care of this one," said the newer Red Ranger. "Our Sentinel Zords have a better chance at fighting off Bahamut then your Animal Spirits. Besides, I don't think you have enough strength back to risk taking off something as powerful as this."

"He might be right," said Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger. "I don't think we'd be strong enough to maintain the Megazord for long."

"But don't do anything reckless," said Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger. "We're here if you need us."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Blue Angel Force Ranger. "Just try not to get squashed by us."

"Be careful," said Jungle Fury Red Ranger.

As the Jungle Fury Rangers and their warrior companions cleared the way, the light only grew stronger as something began to take form within it. The time to summon the Zords and battle Bahamut was now, which meant the Angel Force Rangers couldn't afford to waste another moment.

Throwing their fists up into the air, the Sentinel Zords were successfully summoned to the island. A great burst of light appeared in the sky as the Sentinel Zords emerged from their dimensional hiding place to join the Rangers in battle. Each of the Rangers jumped into their individual cockpits just as Bahamut appeared before them.

The light that contained the Great Wyrm unleashed a torrent of energy as the Beast took a solid form. Bahamut truly was a colossal dragon that rivaled Dai Shi in size, but where Dai Shi was more earthly bound, Bahamut was a true dragon. He ascended into the air as his colossal black wings flapped about with the purple veins coursing with fresh blood. His entire body was a scaly black that appeared to be navy blue when the sun reflected against it. The draconic head of the Great Wyrm was frightening as well just like the rest of the dragon as he stretched his clawed fingers and toes.

Bahamut unleashed a mighty roar that shook the very island with his mighty breath. Violet energy began to surge into the air as Bahamut took notice to the Sentinel Zords that were circled all around him. A deep laugh escaped the Ultimate Beast as he stayed his place in the high sky as nightfall rapidly approached them.

"Power Rangers," spoke Bahamut, "surrender now and I will show you mercy." The Rangers, all of them, were surprised to hear words come from the Ultimate Beast. They expected something more beastly, not…diplomatic? "I will destroy you all quickly without any pain. Continue to stand in my way, however, and I shall devour each of you slowly!"

Awaiting their response, Bahamut was less than surprise as Red Burning Sentinel Zord fired a round of bullets from its head. The bullets scrapped against his scaled body, leaving behind hardly a scratch. Bahamut flapped his wings for a moment before charging after the Rangers' Zords with a remarkable amount of speed.

Spreading out, the Rangers evaded Bahamut's initial attack which involved him swiping at them with his sharp, metal-cutting claws. As the Great Wyrm's back was turned, Yellow Ranger and Black Ranger piloted their Zords so to slash at his back. Lance and scythe slashing into the scaly flesh, Bahamut briefly howled as the Rangers took off as a massive tail nearly knocked into their Zords.

Orange Ranger unleashed his heavy firepower to keep Bahamut busy. The constant barrage of missiles and bullets from the Zord's body was enough to keep anybody distracted for a moment. The added fire from the highly explosive arrow shot by Violet Ranger's Zord also played its part in stalling Bahamut.

Pink Ranger shot her Zord's machine gun, while White Ranger used his Zord's beam riffles to damage Bahamut. Their combined attacks were an attention grabber, but it failed to yield the painful results that they were hoping from. Even when Blue Ranger piloted his Zord for a direct attack with his armored fists hitting the neck of Bahamut, it hardly did a thing.

This is where it became painfully obvious that the Megazord would be needed for them in order to fight.

Bahamut gave out another of his mighty roars, causing the Rangers to go deaf for the moment before he sprang out with an attack. He crossed his draconic arms and legs together as four spheres of dark energy began to appear all around his body, which he unleashed without mercy. The spheres were highly explosive and did a significant amount of damage to the Sentinel Zords upon impact.

Powerful enough to rattle the Rangers around and cause them to nearly call it quits, Bahamut proved that he wouldn't be defeated so easily. This was the push that the Rangers needed to quickly form their Megazords, while Bahamut took a moment to pause, either to watch or to recharge. The Rangers weren't certain of which it was just yet.

The Sentinel Zords combined to form their separate sets of Megazords: Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord. With both pairs of Megazords ready for battle, the Rangers wasted no time in attempt to strike Bahamut down for the count. They swung their beam sabers forward, slashing at Bahamut with a mighty blow that was negated as Bahamut snatched their sabers with the greatest of ease.

Bahamut chuckled with his draconic laugh as his deep green eyes gazed into the Megazords that the Angel Force Rangers hid behind. He easily held the sabers back, no matter how much pressure the Rangers put into the attack. "I will not be so easily vanquished," said Bahamut. "I had allowed myself to be defeated once by a worthy rival, Dai Shi, but I refuse to submit to humans! I will destroy you all."

Keeping that promise, Bahamut disarmed the Megazords of their sabers. Once they were without a weapon, Bahamut smashed the Megazords with his heavy wings. The impact of the attack was enough to do a solid amount of damage to their shields, but it also caused the two Megazords to crash against each other.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord went crashing into the ocean as a result of Bahamut's attack. But before they landed into the salt water, the Rangers were able to stabilize their control with their rockets keeping the Megazords in the air just above the ocean.

But Bahamut wasn't about to show them mercy as he prepared for another attack. He inhaled a great breath as fiery energy gathered at the front of his mouth with a new attack being brewed up for the Rangers. They only had a moment for evasive action before Bahamut unleashed a great surge of fire from his mouth that could've set the entire ocean on fire if he truly desired so.

This still wasn't exactly helpful for the Rangers though. Their battle would do more damage to the environment if they didn't do something about stopping Bahamut, and quickly.

"I guess they weren't joking when the Overlords called him the Ultimate Beast," said White Angel Force Ranger.

"Does anyone have any suggestions on how we squash this monster?" asked Black Angel Force Ranger. "I'm all ears."

With his prayers being answered, there was a message coming in from their communications link. As Bahamut seemed to be recharging from that last attack, the Rangers took the liberty of answering the call with hopes that it would be useful to them.

The transmission was coming from the Jungle Fury Rangers who were hiding near the ruins that once held them captive. The Angel Force Rangers could spot them out easily enough, and were relieved to see that they were safe from all the fighting. At least none of the whiplashes from their attacks had done them any harm, but it was still early so who knew what the end results would be.

"So do you guys have a plan?" asked Violet Angel Force Ranger.

"We do," said Jungle Fury Red Ranger. "You have to call upon your Animal Spirits to empower your Megazord."

"Bahamut is a Beast, an Animal Spirit of Dragons," said Jungle Fury Blue Ranger. "Only another Animal Spirit has hopes of vanquishing him."

"You already proved that you each have an Animal Spirit," said Jungle Fury Yellow Ranger. "You must summon them again in order to find the strength that you need to overcome Bahamut!"

"It's worth a shot," said Orange Angel Force Ranger.

"We have to do something before Bahamut squashes us all like bugs!" said Pink Angel Force Ranger.

The Angel Force Rangers were all in agreement as they tried to summon their Animal Spirits again. The spirits that they invoked were that of their Angel Force Zords, they had done it once so it seemed entirely possible that they could do it again. They had no other choice since nothing else that they could do would be enough to conquer Bahamut.

But their prayers weren't to destroy Bahamut; they called out to the spirits to help them protect this world from evil.

Once more, the Angel Force Zords heard their plea. The air was filled with the calls of the Animal Spirits that the Rangers invoked as they stormed the sky.

Bahamut heard their cries and was alarmed to see a rush of Animal Spirits around him. He was more surprised to see these spirits strike the Megazords that he was attempting to rip apart. And in light of this, the two Megazords were repaired of all the damage that Bahamut had done to them along with a greater power awakening.

The Rangers were completely alarmed as the power level of the Megazords skyrocketed until a sequence of code appeared on screen. The spirits of their Angel Force Zords took full control as they activated their final weapon, the greatest power that the Angel Force Rangers in their possession.

What they did was unleash the power of the Ultrazord.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord remained perfectly still as Cherub Sentinel Megazord began to disassemble itself. The three Sentinel Zords went flying into the air as they circled around Seraph Sentinel Megazord. The firepower of Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord fastened itself onto the legs of the Megazord with the heavy armor of Rising Sentinel Zord combining with the arms of the Megazord. The wings and chest plate of Wing Zero Sentinel Zord fastened itself onto the torso and back of the Megazord.

As the burning ring of the six wings exploded and the mechanical feathers of the twin wings began to flutter, new life was breathed into the Angel Force Rangers. Inside the cockpit, another change was taking place. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Yellow Ranger welcomed Orange Ranger as he joined them on the lower levels. Violet Ranger and White Ranger joined Pink Ranger and Black Ranger on the upper level of the cockpit.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord were no more. Now, they were the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord, the ultimate weapon of the Angel Force Rangers. Infused with not only the powers of the Sentinel Zords, but of the Angel Force Zords, the Ultrazord had the power necessary to combat against Bahamut in what would be the final showdown.

Bahamut was less than impressed by this major upgrade though. He still didn't see the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord as a true threat to him as he prepared to unleash his final attack. He gathered all of his newly restored power into an attack that would obliterate not only the Rangers, but half of the planet as well.

"This ends here, Bahamut," said Red Angel Force Ranger. "Let's stop this Beast, Rangers!"

"Right!" shouted the other seven Rangers. "Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord, powered up!"

As Bahamut prepared to fire another attack from his mouth, the Angel Force Rangers piloted the Ultrazord towards the Beast. And before a single blast could be fired, the Ultrazord smashed its heavy fist into the face of Bahamut. All of the wind was knocked out from the Beast when a second fist was aimed for his chest, sending the Wyrm high into the air.

Igniting the full power of the jets, the Ultrazord flew after Bahamut as he flew higher into the air without even the slightest bit of control.

Breaking through the wind, the Rangers knew that this was their chance to end the battle. So they pushed down on a few keys in order to summon the full power of their Ultrazord, which caused them to summoning a great sword.

The Centennial Ultra Sword was similar to the Angel Power Sword in that it bore gems along the blade that represented the first five Rangers. However, the hilt of the sword also contained gems that bore the colors of the other three Rangers. As the Ultrazord called on all of their power, it was only fitting that all eight of the Rangers were represented.

Bahamut reclaimed control over himself and gave out another roar before catching sight of the incoming Ultrazord. The Wyrm used all of his might to charge after the Rangers, ready for one final attack just as the Rangers were bracing themselves for the same thing.

Charging up the Centennial Ultra Sword to its full power, the Angel Force Rangers were ready to end this. "Cosmic Final Arcanum!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers. So by raising their left hands up into the air, they made a slashing motion, which the Ultrazord followed.

The Centennial Ultra Sword ignited as Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord stayed its ground. With Bahamut right above the Ultrazord, the Rangers hurled their full power after them. The Ultrazord forged a celestial ring of energy in front of it before grabbing the sword with both hands and unleashed a powerful slash that coursed through the air where it striked the incoming Bahamut.

Facing the full force of a celestial power, Bahamut didn't stand a chance. His newly resurrected body was too fragile to withstand the full power of the Ultrazord, leaving him completely underhanded. As the celestial power ripped through his being, the Great Wyrm was forced into full submission. A mighty roar escaped from the crumbling Bahamut as he flew past the Ultrazord, heading towards the ocean.

Before Bahamut could crash into the Pacific Ocean, his entire being began to shrink before finally erupting in a flash of light. The last of the wicked Beasts had been vanquished, bringing an end to the threat that they wrought.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord remained in the air, while the Rangers bathed themselves in the glory of victory.

* * *

><p>In the aftermath of the battle, the Angel Force Rangers leaped out from the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord to land on the beach. They powered down just as they were rushed by the Jungle Fury Rangers who were letting out victorious cheers for them conquering Bahamut.<p>

The two generations of Rangers met up halfway to marvel at one another's prowess in battle. It had been a difficult challenge, but together they had all came out victorious. Bahamut was defeated and the Overlords were gone, permanently this time around. The Earth would no longer have to worry about the Beasts springing up back into the picture to attain their revenge and start another Beast War.

Ric and Theo were complimenting one another's fighting style during their rumble against Carnisoar. It was safe to say that Ric was very impressed by the older Blue Ranger, even if he was a total shrimp.

Haley and Alice were locked in a conversation with Lily, discussing how she was able to outmaneuver Jellica. Lily mostly went on about how experienced she was, but it also dealt with the fact that the Overlords never stayed dead for long.

Tommy, Eric, Dominic, and RJ were off in their own little world as they went over a few things as well.

Connor tried to get some pointers out of Jarrod so that the younger boy could develop into a better fighter, which the former villain agreed to help with. Jarrod started to show Connor a few simple steps that would surely help him in a fight. Connor's first victim turned out to be Ric who got a little too dangerously close to the boy's kick.

Now, Serena was trying to figure out how Camille tied her hair up into that tight bun of hers. Serena could never get her hair to stay so perfectly in place for long, which is why she was turning to the far more sophisticated and composed woman.

Casey and Landon shook hands together, while the rest of their teams continued to celebrate. As their hands were interlocked, the two Red Rangers couldn't help but to smile from all that they had accomplished today.

"We owe you our lives, Red Ranger," said Casey. "You saved us all today even though you didn't even know a thing about us. I can't even begin to describe how grateful we are for your help."

"Don't even mention it, Red Ranger," said Landon. "We are all Rangers, we are a very large, extended family. I know that if it was us or any other Ranger that you'd do the exact same thing."

"Of course!" Casey said as he cheerfully nodded his head. He reclaimed his hand as he straightened himself out before sending a brief bow at Landon and the other Angel Force Rangers. He was soon joined up by the rest of his team, which included Jarrod and Camille who truly proved themselves as Rangers today. "Just know that if you ever need our help that we will be there for you. Do not hesitate to call us if you getting into a situation where you are way over your heads on."

"I suggest that you don't make promises that you can't keep," Alice said, wrapping an arm around Landon's waist. She rested her head on his shoulder with a devious grin growing against her caramel flesh. "We just may hold you to that promise. There's a big storm brewing, we're not too sure just what we're facing anymore."

Lily spoke for all of them as she stepped up. "Well then, I guess we'll just need to be waiting by a phone then," she said, laughing alongside everyone else.

And for a shining moment, the Earth was safe as the Power Rangers triumphed over evil once again.

* * *

><p>With Bahamut slain, it helped to foster as new rift in the balance of power. This greatly amused the Dark Lords as they already felt the balance shifting to allow them to gain access to more of their hidden powers. The pathetic Power Rangers failed to realize that as they grow stronger so do the Dark Lords.<p>

But despite this small victory for them, the Dark Lords were still concerned. At least, Leviathan was as he began to see just what was the source of the Rangers' power. Witnessing the birth of Cosmic Ultrazord was proof enough of just how deeply woven into the conflict that the Angel Force Rangers were.

The others didn't seem to pick up on this fact, but Leviathan was wiser than most of them.

Feeling a little angry, Leviathan turned to Beelzebub with a hand grabbing the leather-clad Dark Lord by his shoulder. The Dark Lord of Envy pressed Beelzebub against the wall with his true form threatening to burst forth as he glared at Gluttony. "You didn't tell us that the Rangers had access to our family's powers!" hissed Leviathan. "Why have you been keeping that a secret from us, Beelzebub?"

"I thought it was obvious," Beelzebub said, pushing Leviathan away from him. The Dark Lord of Gluttony fixed the crinkled spot in his clothes, while the other Dark Lords drew near. As a conflict was brewing, Helios and Bakari showed up to see what the commotion was about. "The Rangers are connected to the Universal Morphing Grid, it was Celestials who created the Grid in the first place. It's only natural that they wield some of our power."

"Not that, Beelzebub," said Leviathan. "Yes, all Rangers are connected to the Grid, but they need a catalyst that will grant them access! The Jungle Fury Rangers use Animal Spirits to connected to the Grid, but the Angel Force Rangers…they hold the very essence of Celestials within their Morphers!"

The other Dark Lords turned to Beelzebub, attempting to see if he knew this. Beelzebub appeared equally as surprised, but they all knew that Gluttony was a master liar and would do anything to save face. He was so much like a politician in that way that it was downright sickening at times.

Which was the whole reason why that Leviathan was plotting against him, that and because Beelzebub was responsible for their Fall.

"I see it now," Barbatos said, softly. "I knew something was off as I fought Black Ranger. That power I sensed, it was one of our kin."

Belphagor yawned, yet again, as he stepped forward. His mind was a little more active as he recalled his own battle against the Rangers. "Yes, it makes sense now," said Sloth. "Blue Ranger, he was able to break my shield by calling forth a greater power that did not belong to him, it belonged to a Celestial."

"Who in their right mind would allow such a thing?" said Lilith. "There were fools up in Paradise who willingly trapped their souls within crystals and gave it to the humans to use! How insulting!"

"I'm not so sure it was the Faithful who trapped themselves," yawned Belphagor. "That scent didn't belong to a Faithful, if I'm not mistaken."

But Sloth's comment went unnoticed as Daemon roared in his wrathful fury. Daemon stepped at the front of the hoard as he struck a wall with his fist. "It makes me furious just thinking about it," said Daemon. "We must destroy the Rangers at once!"

"Not yet," said Beelzebub. "We must free the King before do that. We cannot fail him now that we're so close to freeing him."

"So let it be," Leviathan said, calmly. He was far from letting the subject to get swept under the rug, but he would deal with Beelzebub later. Right now, their King came first. "Barbatos, choose which of us will go next."

The wizen Dark Lord nodded his head as he turned to the final three candidates. He already knew he didn't want Daemon to move so he chose one who he had a soft spot for. "I choose our darling Lilith for the job," said Barbatos. He extended his hand out to her as he gave a slight bow before her beauty.

Lilith smiled at her fellow Dark Lord as she gave him her hand. His lips briefly touched the hand before Lilith pulled it back and stared out into the stars. "Well then, since we have more power, I already have something in mind for the Power Rangers," said the Dark Lord of Lust. "The humans will pay for using our own kind against us." Licking her bottom lip as a soft laughed escaped her lips, Lilith already knew just what she wanted to unleash upon the Earth. "This will be truly delicious."

Turning her head back, Lilith smiled as she spotted Bakari and Helios hiding in the shadows. It had been so long since she used her power, she needed to make sure that it still worked properly.

And here she found two, "willing" participants in her endeavors.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, an alien face arrives to Earth revealing Serena's origins just as Alice begins to uncover the secrets about the enemies that they are facing against. Meanwhile, Lilith casts a spell on all of the men in Angel Grove, causing them to become her lustful drones who are bound to serving her will. The Dark Lord even ensnares Landon, Tommy, Eric, and Ric in her trap, causing the Rangers to fight against their friends. Will Lilith succeed in defeating the Power Rangers? Find out in **Dark Lord of Lust!**


	30. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: Well, this chapter isn't quite as long as the last one, but it's pretty damn close. Well now, I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed the Jungle Fury crossover that I spent so much effort writing. Haha. I don't have much else to say so read and review!  
><strong>

**Dark Lord of Lust:**

Standing at the roof of Castle Pandemonium, Lilith was fully nude on the surface of the moon with her magnificent figure reflecting against the starlight and the sun. Lilith dropped the jar of dirt that she had anointed for her ritual. As its contents spewed to the ground, dust floated up into the air and began to soak into her naked flesh. The ritual she cast was beginning to affect her, expanding her power to spread to a much larger scale that would be of great use to her.

An orgasmic smile spread across the Dark Lord's face as she bit down on her bottom lip to fight back the tingling that ate at her toes. The Dark Lord opened her eyes and gazed out to the lunar surface with only one thought in that pretty, wicked mind of hers.

She needed to find a target to use her power on. It had been a while since she used this spell, centuries if she wasn't mistaken. The men that were fanning over her when Beelzebub appeared had been under her thrall for hundreds of years, due to the affects of their long lifespan and the affects of her spell. And since she couldn't use the men in the Castle because of a warning given to her by Beelzebub, she would have to search elsewhere. This annoyed her, having to search for new idiots to manipulate into serving her every whim, but it was a necessary evil. Her life was too valuable right now to risk it getting vaporized by _him_.

It still disgusted her when she thought about how unworthy creatures could be even remotely connected to the might of Paradise. She wasn't as afraid of them though, it was the greater power that lurked behind them that truly made her shiver and squirm from nightmares. Lilith was many things, mostly a whore, but she wasn't foolish enough to provoke the Wrath of the First. _He _was, after all, the first of their kind and the one being in the universe who held the power to rival the Creator. Doing anything that might even cause _him _to stir from _his _confinements would equal the death of countless souls, especially hers.

And Lilith wasn't quite ready to die, at least, not just yet.

Retrieving her red dress from the ground, Lilith dressed herself and prepared to make her way to Earth. The dress fit every curve of her body quite well with her large breasts half hanging out as the dress was cut to reveal the middle of her chest from the neck to her naval. The sleeves of the dress extended to ruffle cuffs when they reached her wrists. And its train flowed with a purple tint that had a feather-like design to it, which ran off to about a foot behind her.

The Dark Lord gazed out to the starry universe with only one thing in mind, and that was how she was going to raise the most amount of hell on Earth in such a short period of time. Her usual plan seemed to be the most effective, which always led to her slaughtering all the women and devouring the children of the planet.

As for the men, well, they were able to live in bliss before they suffered horrible and slow deaths.

* * *

><p>While evil was beginning to move, something else had made its way into the Sol Solar System. It was a small spaceship that looked large enough for two people to fit comfortably during a short voyage. The ship was painted completely gray with the flag of the planet's military group and the Coat of Arms of the Royal Family on both sides.<p>

His mission was a simple one and it was to deliver an important message to his beloved princess.

The young man stared off into the ocean of stars with his trained, militant mind attempting to block out all sense of distraction. Although so young, the young man had dedicated his entire life to serving the people of KO-35. The former rebels had given so much up for the freedom that his and the younger generations have that it couldn't be taken advantage of. It would be people like him that would have to continue fighting to uphold the freedom the people of KO-35 obtained in the aftermath of the fighting against the United Alliance of Evil.

It had been so long ago and he had no recollection of the fighting. He wasn't born until the final year of the conflict so he was still far too young to remember all of the battles and sacrifices that were made. He did know though that his father had been killed during the fights and his mother suffered horrible scarring from the battles as well. Through the bravery of his parents, the young man had dedicated himself to serving his people until he rose to his current ranking in the Royal Army.

Lieutenant-Commander, Cid Raines, was the youngest commander in the Royal Army at age twenty-four. He gained this ranking only two years ago, but he had been enlisted since he was sixteen so it was a rank that he fought to attain tooth and nail for. Cid had earned his place and it had been recognized as such.

This might seemed like a simple grunt mission, but the king and queen asked this of him due to his connection to the situation. He was one of the few people who had ever gotten truly close to the princess, she trusted him above all others, even her parents.

Cid checked the cloaking system that protected his ship from detection as the sensors detected a crazed surge of malevolent energy. The sensors could not only pick up simple anomalies with its radar, but the sensors were similar to those built into the Rangers' Command Center. It was something brought over from some of the Space Rangers during their time as the Turbo Rangers of Earth.

"I will reach the Earth's atmosphere in twenty-four hours without using the thrusters to their maximum. Otherwise, I will arrive there in six hours," Cid reported into his mission log. "I will rest for the five hours until the thrusters bring me to my destination. I can only assume that Princess Serena will not be pleased to see me on Earth without any notice."

Pushing on a few more keys, Cid finished his statement before pulling away from his chair to enter the small cabin down a skinny hallway. He crawled into his cot as the ship rushed to the Earth so that he could complete his task.

* * *

><p>It was research time for Alice who sat in the Command Center with his mind buzzing at twenty million different directions. She had notes scattered all around the computer station where she was attempting to uncover the secrets of the Dark Lords. She was the only one competent enough to do so this is how she was going to spend her Saturday.<p>

Even with Alpha and Adam there, Alice still wasn't exactly turning to them for advice. Since the Rangers awakened the Ultrazord during the fight against Bahamut, they discovered that the combination had greatly expended the power of the Sentinel Zords. And since the Dark Lords were just so damn strong, the Rangers would need the Sentinel Zords to be at the peak of their game.

So it was up to Alpha and Adam to ensure that the repairs on the Sentinel Zords were accomplished in an effective haste. Alice would help, but she was busy with her research, which she felt was a little more important at the moment.

Everything she gathered was pointing to one source, Judeo-Christian mythology. Considering everything that they faced since becoming Rangers, Alice was more than certain that she would find the answers by digging into some mythological lore. The Daimons, the Celestials, and the Dark Lords all seemed to have their origins within this Earthly religion. So it would seem that the popular faith actually had some truth to it, if Alice's research yielded any results to prove it as such.

And boy did she have a lot of research put together.

One of the first things in mind was Yahweh. The Celestial that they had met on Pluto had explained a great deal of things to the Rangers, including that the Celestials were in fact what the Earthlings knew as angels. As for the Dark Lords, they were Fallen Angels, or, more appropriately, Fallen Celestials. If that was the case then that narrowed down the playing field as Alice put together the final pieces together.

Names, the names of the Dark Lords that they had encountered plus their lordly title. Each of the Dark Lords seemed to represent one of the Seven Deadly Sins, again a Judeo-Christian symbol. Then the names of the Dark Lords were of great concern to Alice. Beelzebub, after all, was known as the Lord of the Flies, either a separate Fallen or the Devil, himself. Considering the Beelzebub that they went up against, it seemed like he was more of a Fallen then the actual Devil.

Now, the inclusion of Belphagor and Barbatos's name to the equation gave Alice exactly what she was looking for. Well, it was what she was looking for, but it brought terror to her heart as the matching results showed her what she sought.

Seven names and seven sins, all of which seemed to remarkably familiar to Alice as she thought back to the few times she went to church. Plus, there was that theology class she took one semester that popped up a few basic facts.

"Holy fucking shit," whispered Alice as she stared at the screen. "God have mercy on all of us."

Praying at this point seemed like the appropriate thing to do as Alice found out exactly what the Rangers were up against.

* * *

><p>The place hardly seemed worthy enough to be her testing grounds, but there wasn't much else to look for in Angel Grove. Lilith found herself slightly annoyed as she entered Skulls and Crosses. However, that feeling of tension began to dissipate as she sensed the changing air in the room just from her presence alone.<p>

As the Dark Lord walked inside of the restaurant, all eyes were soon on her skin. Lilith felt herself grinning from ear to ear as she did nothing at all but walk. She purposely passed by tables were there was a group of men present and found that each one was under her thrall. Their minds evaporated into oblivion as their mouths began to salivate from the anticipation and lust for the flesh of the beautiful goddess before them.

Lilith soon found her gaze meeting those of the "charming" women in the restaurant. Each one was glaring daggers at her as they uttered not so pleasant words like "tramp", "slut", "whore", and "bitch". Not that Lilith cared exactly since the women would soon be dealt with once she tested her thrall to its fullest extent.

Even as the men fawned after her, some were bold enough to actually come up to her and bent over to kiss her bare feet. The Dark Lord ignored them all though as she went over to the bar counter and sat down with her legs crossed. She could see that Bulk's back was turned to her so he wasn't under the full influence of her spell, at least not yet.

She needed to test her final trick, to make certain that she was ready to takeover Angel Grove.

"Excuse me, sir," Lilith said, sickly sweet. "But I desire something to eat."

The air suddenly became very thick for Bulk as he practically choked upon hearing Lilith's voice. The enchantment created by the Dark Lord began to sink into his thoughts as everything that was Bulk was lost in a foggy haze. Bulk knew only that he was utterly devoted to a woman who he had yet to even seen just yet.

And the moment that Bulk turned around, he was completely at a lost. He gazed upon the beautiful, Dark Lord of Lust. His own desires reached the surface as he ached to reach out to touch her lovely, creamy flesh.

Lilith could see the lust in his eyes and knew that it had worked. Her voice was powerful enough to capture a man's attention, which means she would be able to spread her power throughout the city. Everything would be lost to her and her fellow Dark Lords, at least until the Rangers mustered up the strength to do something about that.

Even then, Lilith found herself almost willing to destroy the Power Rangers. She couldn't really picture how much fun that they would be, especially once they freed their King. The Power Rangers would serve no purpose at all so the Dark Lords were better off just vanquishing the heroes right now.

Or she could make them destroy each other.

That beautiful thought caused a villainous smile to creep up Lilith's face as Bulk brought her a glass of wine to feed the thirst of his lust's desire.

* * *

><p>Across town, oblivious to the coming dilemma, the Rangers met together at the Angel Grove Lake. It was a nice day that could be spent relaxing by the lake, but Alice had called them there for a different purpose in mind. She had informed her companions that she had uncovered some critical data about the Dark Lords, so that was why the others were in such a rush to meet her.<p>

Alice, of course, was the first one there at her own meeting. She sat on a tree stump with head tilted back as the sunlight hit her face and the upper portion of her chest. This radiation of heat felt very nice against her skin, but she had to remind herself that she didn't have the time for a tan.

Connor and Haley arrived with Tommy at their heels. They tried to integrate Alice about the situation, but she remained perfectly silent until the others finally arrived. Eric and Serena showed up not long after the others, but Landon and Ric were the ones who took their time to get there since they had just gotten out of work.

Now that everyone was present, Alice felt it was appropriate to discuss her research with the others. At least nobody was really at the beach so she wasn't too concerned with anyone overhearing her words. Well, except for maybe the Dark Lords. But she highly doubted that the Fallen Celestials would care if their identities were discovered.

"Well, chica?" asked Ric. "What's eating at your vagina?"

Haley elbowed Ric in the ribs for that rude comment, while Landon punched him in the arm as well. Ric flinched against both attacks on him before uttering a half-silent apology to Alice.

Rolling her eyes, she practically ignored Ric as she got to the point. "I found out who the Dark Lords are," Alice announced to everyone. "I was able to trace their origins back far enough to where I'm almost a hundred percent certain. Considering what we've seen and what Yahweh told us, this could very well be the Seven Princes of Hell."

"Seven Princes of Hell?" said Serena. "Who are they?"

"Ditto," Connor said, raising his hand. "I never went to Sunday school and I've yet to pick up a Bible."

The others seemed a little unfamiliar with the term as well, which wasn't exactly a surprise to Alice. It wasn't exactly a topic that was generally discussed in everyday talk. Only the more Orthodox religions would even mention anything that would come remotely close to the information that she dug up.

"The Seven Princes of Hell are from Judeo-Christian mythology," said Alice. "To put it simply, they are Fallen Angels who each rule a different section of Hell aka the Underworld. Each one represents one of the Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Lust, Envy, Wrath, and Pride."

Landon flinched as he thought back to their encounter with Yahweh and Beelzebub. Those two had dropped so many hints about everything that it almost wasn't funny now that he took the time to think about it. "So we're facing the worst of the worst then," said Landon. "They put the capital D in demons."

"Worse than that," said Alice. "According to the mythology, they were the ones who organized the War in Heaven."

"No!" Ric said, a little too loudly. "You're joking, Alice. You're not trying to tell me that the Devil is in that list!"

The others Rangers turned to Ric before shooting their attention back to Alice. She was the expert on the subject and it was a very good question to have. They were all more familiar with that story then they were of who the Seven Princes of Hell were. If what Alice was saying was true then they could very well be going up against real Fallen Angels, correction, Fallen Celestials.

Alice nodded her head, which was enough to make everyone want to shoot themselves. "Yes," she said, softly. "We've already met Beelzebub, Barbatos, and Belphagor. The other four are supposed to be Asmodeous, Leviathan, Satan, and Lucifer. So if my research is right, and I pray to God that I'm wrong, then we're at war with the Devil and his greatest followers."

"I need to sit down," Connor said, dropping down to his knees.

"I need a fucking drink," Eric said, running his hands through his hair.

Tommy wanted to utter something too, but his voice dried up and cracked on him. He couldn't seem to find the ability to speak at the moment. So instead, he dropped down to the ground to sit beside Connor on the grass.

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Alice was completely silent. She shared what she needed to with her fellow Rangers; it was up to them now to process everything.

But how easily could that be processed? The Dark Lords were the most terrifying creatures in the known world, myth come to life. Sure they might have defeated three of them, but who's to say that the Dark Lords haven't been playing with the Rangers' minds?

It took everything they had not to call it quits. The only thing that they could hope for was that Alice was wrong or that the Dark Lords weren't as big and as bad as mythology claimed them to be. But their luck was never that good so none of them were about to hold their breaths for that kind of a miracle.

Serena fought to say something when she felt something in the air. Her first instinct was that it was the Dark Lords when her mind calmed down enough to make her think clearly.

Turning her head around, Serena saw a young man wearing a Karoven military uniform. It was designed to be form fitting, but the suit represented his rank so it was a pure white, two-piece suit. There was a red tie wrapped around his neck with a silver chain dangling from his waist and his left breast pocket was decorated with his medals.

His hair was shoulder length, perfectly straight, and pure black. His face was perfectly smooth without even the slightest of flaws on it. Serena knew from personal experience that the young man had an excellent body shape. He had tough, lean muscle where it was needed and his skin was soft to the touch to entice someone to join him at his bedside.

Landon was the first one besides Serena to notice this stranger. He practically jumped into action with Ric, Eric, and Tommy joining him in a rush for a fight. Since Alice's explanation, they were all a little on edge as they feared the worst might happen.

However, the young man held his hands up as if to almost show his surrender. He turned his gaze to meet each Ranger's face before finally settling on Serena. "You know why I am here," he said, specifically to Serena. "His and Her Majesty wish for me to bring you back to KO-35, immediately."

"They know that I cannot abandon the Earth, Cid" Serena shouted, stepping in front of the others. Her sudden outburst came as a surprise to the Rangers, more so then the authority she had behind it. As she kept this gaze locked between her and the stranger, it was enough for the Rangers to assume that the two knew each other. "The Dark Lords have begun their attack on the Earth. I am part of the Angel Force Rangers; there is no way that I can leave now."

"You are putting me in a difficult position," said the young man, who was apparently named Cid. It was a handsome name for a handsome guy. At least that's what the girls and Connor thought, but they kept that comment to themselves. "You know I cannot leave with you, the king and queen will not be happy with me. I must bring you back home, Princess Serena Cassandra Karoven."

Hearing that full name was enough to get the Rangers to turn to Serena. What threw them off was the title, which made their jaws drop as they tried to repeat what this Cid said.

Serena let out a soft sigh as she turned back to her friends, while Cid began his approach. She didn't have much time to explain and there was much to say. "I am Princess Serena Cassandra Karoven," she said, starting from there. "My father, Zhane, became King of KO-35 after the fall of the United Alliance of Evil since his grandfather was one of the founding fathers of the planet. He married my mother, Karone, after she was rid of her evil influence as Astronama and her time as the Pink Lost Galaxy Ranger was completed by her returning the Quasar Saber to Mirinoi." She let out a sigh from that explanation as she turned to her main argument. She knew they might understand, but this was a little much to process along with everything else. "I kept my identity as the Princess of KO-35 a secret because I didn't want you to treat me differently. I didn't want you to think or treat me as a princess, but as your friend and comrade in arms."

It was Connor who was the first to shrug off this current revelation. He tilted his head up a little to face his alien friend and her apparent knight (?). "But why would your parents want you to return to KO-35 now?" asked the boy. "You said that they accepted you being a Ranger and were proud of that."

"They were," said Serena, "but I suppose they are afraid for me since the Dark Lord Threat has become very real, which is why they send the Lieutenant-Commander of the Royal Army to come get me." She looked behind her to see that Cid was now standing right behind her with a soft grin forming on his face. It caused a smile to form on hers, but not one of her best. "Cid has been my friend for years. They knew that I would be more likely to return if he was the one who came to get me."

"Well, you're not leaving," said Haley. "We need you to help us fight!"

As if on cue, their Communicators began to ring as Alpha 8 came on the line. The Alpha bot was going off about the Rangers were needed in the Command Center, which brought this current conversation to an end.

Landon informed Serena and Cid that they weren't about to drop this one. They would return to this problem once they had cleaned up this mess. Cid agreed to be quiet as his princess took his arm. They were all teleported to the Command Center with the plus one.

Upon arriving to the Command Center, Adam and Alpha were about to jump to questioning just who was Cid and what he was doing here. Serena told them to drop it before heading towards the viewing monitor with the others. Each of them, even Cid, was waiting for whatever it was that was brewing in Angel Grove.

Alpha 8 pulled up an image of a group of men mindlessly following a lone woman to downtown Angel Grove. Now, that seemed to be odd, not because she was beautiful, but because they each looked like mindless zombies. The Rangers raised a concerned eyebrow since this was defiantly not anything normal.

"I'm guessing she's some kind of witch," said Tommy. "Can well tell if she's evil or not?"

"Very evil," Adam said, putting up a chart to another screen. It was their sensors that were going wild as they detailed the negative energy that surrounded the woman's body. "Whatever she is, she's pretty damn powerful. I recommend that you are very cautious, Rangers. We can't tell if she's a Dark Lord or not, but that's not reason to be sloppy."

The Rangers agreed that it would be wise to tread on the safe side. They grabbed onto the bracelets on their wrists, summoning their Crystal Morphers to view.

Serena briefly looked over to Cid who stood there with his arms crossed against his chest. She waited to hear him protesting about her going out to fight with the Rangers. Fortunately, for him, Cid didn't say a single word as simply stepped aside to where Adam and Alpha were standing.

Holding their Crystal Morphers up into the air, the Rangers called forth their powers. Their transformation happened in a flash of light with plenty of feathers surrounding their bodies. Once they were done morphing, they were teleported out into the city in order to contend with the growing problem outside.

As they disappeared, Adam turned his head a little bit to the side to look at Cid. It only took a moment for him to tell that the young man was an alien from another world.

"Karoven?" Adam said, simply.

"Lieutenant-Commander of the Royal Army," Cid said, nodding his head, "Cid Raines."

Adam and Alpha simply awed as they figured out who he was. They had heard about the young man from their occasional contact with Andros and Zhane. Now that they knew who Cid was, they were able to figure out just what was happening with Serena.

* * *

><p>The love nest was growing as Lilith continued to stroll down the road with the mindless men under her thrall following her every whim. The Dark Lord barely had to cast a glance in a man's direction in order to bring them under her control, Heaven forbid that she actually spoke directly to them. Each man was practically a drooling imbecile who was popping at the seams to just touch her for even a second, but that would only end with a sticky, wet patch.<p>

It was such a joy to her to see that so many had fallen for her spell and progress was rapidly being made.

But her feeling of victory was about to hit a major snag when she sensed something in the air. She began to sniff as she tilted her head up to the sky and felt the sensation of power wafting about. It brought a smile to her face as she stopped her army of lustful men with the Dark Lord tightening her fist into a tight ball when eight streaks of light appeared before her.

The Power Rangers came into view; the only ones who stood even stood the slightest chance at interfering with her plans. The meddlesome pups needed to be put down, but not before Lilith had just a little bit of fun with them. No sense in extinguishing her enemies too quickly, at least not until she got to make them squirm like little worms.

"Good day to you, my charming Power Rangers," said Lilith. "I was wondering when you would all decide to grace me with your presence."

Red Ranger kept himself at the front of the pack with the others closely at his side. He was ready to jump into the fight, but there was something about her that put him ill at ease. "Well, sorry for keeping you waiting for so long!" the Ranger said, deeply. "We can remedy that by stopping whatever it is that you're planning."

"I'd like to see you try," said Lilith. With her fist unclenched, she ran her hand through her blond locks as a gentle smile caressed her face. The men around her began to shrink to their knees as they smelt her intoxicating scent, feeling hopelessly out of their minds but unable to care. "You won't find me so easily vanquished. Unlike the others you defeated, my power isn't quite as limited." She threw her arm to the side with a storm of black feathers dancing in the air around her as a sword took form. The blade was thin and made from aqua colored steel that made the blade appear not so intimidating. "I am Lilith, the Dark Lord of Lust!"

The declaration of the villainous left the Rangers a little at shock. It seemed that the Yellow Ranger's theory was a little wrong and made thing seems even worse as the Rangers had no idea what they were facing.

"All of these men are under my control!" Lilith said, pointing her blade at the Rangers. "They follow every last one of my commands. They will do anything I tell them to, even if the command was to kill their families and themselves." Drawing her blade back, Lilith felt a smirk growing on her face as she turned to her followers. "Now, my lovely slaves, attack the Power Rangers!"

Without even the slightest bit of hesitation, the men followed her command. They jumped at the chance to prove themselves loyal to Lilith as they sprang to attack the Power Rangers.

This sudden charge came as a surprise to the Rangers as they found themselves at a conflict of interests. They needed to stop Lilith, but even with their lives in danger, they couldn't do anything to harm these innocent men. Even though they were under a spell, innocent lives would be at stake if the Rangers fought against them.

It was a major problem that led to the Rangers each having to suppress their better judgment. They remained unarmed, however, as they faced off against the men under Lilith's spell. They kept the fight as simple as they could, going for blows that would render the men unconscious, nothing could be even close to a fatal attack.

Over three dozen men were trying to fight them though, but they were nowhere close to the level of fighters that the Rangers were. The fight could hardly be considered difficult for them as Red Ranger finished of the last of the men with a blow to the ribs. He prayed that he didn't lay a serious injury onto the poor man as he slipped to the ground for dreamland.

And just as the Rangers were about to take down the big fish, Lilith had already sprung up to surprise them.

In less than a second, Lilith had drawn her arms against the Rangers once more. She slashed the air with her thin blade to cause chaotic bolts of energy to strike each of the young heroes. The Rangers were all thrown up into the air and hurtled away from the ring of unconscious men on the ground until they landed in the middle of the street.

Lilith appeared not to far from where they were with the blade still in hand. She let out a light chuckle as her bare feet began to walk on the concrete street. Stretching her gaze, the Dark Lord could see that there were five males amongst the Rangers, which would make for a very interesting show. It would be quite funny to see how the lady Rangers could handle fighting against the Rangers who they thought of as gentlemen.

Blue Ranger was the first of the Rangers to get back on his feet. He stormed across the street with his Angel Sword in hand and was ready to cut the Dark Lord in half.

However, before he could even get close, Lilith unleashed her full gaze against the Ranger. Her powers pierced through the defenses of his powers, causing a slight gasp to escape his helmeted face as he stood in his tracks. There was one Ranger already under her spell and now she only had to concern herself with four more.

Growling, Red Ranger drew his swords with White Ranger following his lead. The duo hoped that two Rangers would be enough to catch Lilith off her guard, but that was hardly any better. She slipped through the small opening that their attacks made and slashed them to get their defenses to further drop.

Once their guard was broken, Lilith pulled Red Ranger back so that he was looking at her. As for White Ranger, he foolishly made that mistake on her own. Her gaze fell upon them like a ton of bricks as they felt every ounce of self control dissipating into the void.

Now that they were done for, Lilith found herself turning to the last of them. Orange Ranger and Black Ranger had gotten up to their feet along with Pink Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Violet Ranger. The five of them would've done something about this had Lilith not taken the liberty to strike before they could even think.

Electricity surged into the air, knocking the wind out of the girls. Orange Ranger put himself in front of Black Ranger so to protect his lover from the attack. He took the full blunt of Lilith's assault and groaned in pain as he dropped to his knees, while Black Ranger tried to hang onto him before he fell to the ground.

Lilith was laughing as she appeared before them. Her eyes flashed a crimson shade that made Black Ranger's stomach drop. As for Orange Ranger, the spell began to affect his mind as he fell for the feminine charms of the Dark Lord. Black Ranger, on the other hand, didn't feel himself falling for the same affects. Even as the spell tried to sink into his mind, there was a powerful ringing that blared into his head that kept the boy from falling for the spell, but not without leaving him with a splitting headache.

Feeling this tension, Lilith broke her gaze from Black Ranger as she felt something was incredibly off with the boy. She could detect that something else was in that boyish head of his, but she couldn't tell what it was. All it said to her, though, was that she better back off before it was too late for her.

Removing Orange Ranger from headache torn Black Ranger, Lilith called for the Rangers under her spell to join her. Red Ranger and Blue Ranger carried their fallen companion as White Ranger drew his blade to protect his mistress.

When the girls were back on their feet, they saw this and knew that this had suddenly gotten very bad. Yellow Ranger noticed that Black Ranger though hadn't fallen for the trap so she tried to get him to join them, but the pain he was in kept him from hearing her. She had to grab the boy before Lilith could send their friends to fight against them.

It was obvious that the Dark Lord was proud of her handy work as she easily had the guys under her control. She was grinning from ear to ear as their fellow Rangers would attack them without even the slightest hesitation.

They had no choice but to retreat and regroup.

As they ran away, Lilith continued to grin as she had four, big, strong men to do everything she could possibly want. Being so powerful was absolutely glorious according to the Dark Lord.

* * *

><p>Connor felt like his head was being torn from his head as he sat on the floor of the Command Center with the remaining Rangers there as he continued to wear his Ranger uniform.<p>

He could still feel Lilith's gaze against his skin, but something had stopped her from taking over him like she had done to the rest of the guys. It was like something had taken over his mind for a moment, but it was something from within his own mind. It made no sense at all, but it's what preserved him from being hijacked by Lilith like the other guys were.

All that was left of their team was Haley, Alice, Serena, and him. Half of their team was out of the game, which was enough to worry them all as they replayed, the battle in their heads.

It was Alice who pointed out the most obvious little fact from the fight. And it was directed at the "charming" Lilith who had fucked up their day. "She claimed to be the Dark Lord of Lust," said Alice. "It doesn't make sense. Lilith's myth was that she was just Adam's first bride and got all pissed because he only wanted to fuck her in the missionary position. Then she got kicked out of the Garden and went to mate with demons. Oh, and she hates all the children of Eve with a bloody passion."

"What a charming bedtime story," Haley said, sitting on a chair. "Do tell another, Mother Alice."

The alien stood beside her fellow Karoven as her face was worried with concern. "Can we get back on topic," said Serena. "How do we save our friends from Lilith? She's turned all the men in the city to mindless idiots with the exception of Connor." She looked behind her to where Connor was sitting down at. "And how did you not get taken over by Lilith like the others?"

Connor felt his headache subside enough to where he could crack a joke on them. "Maybe it's because I like cock and not vagina," said the boy. "Being gay saved my life, who knew that was actually possible."

The girls got a small laugh out of that, while Cid just got what the boy meant by that comment.

With at least that bit of problems out of the way, they began to wonder what to do about the Lilith problem. They had no idea at all what to do about saving their friends or how to defeat the Dark Lord of Lust. And now that they were only down to half their team, it was going to be all the more difficult for them to overwhelm her.

"You defeated a Dark Lord, how you purpose we stop her, Connor?" asked Alice.

Connor rubbed his sore head as he started to force his way back up to his feet. He thought back to his fight with Barbatos and started to piece together that fight. "Well, it was hard, I can tell you that," said the boy. "I wouldn't recommend fighting a Dark Lord on your own if it can be avoided. But it seems that only when we feel the most desperate that we can tap into our full potentials as Rangers. Then I felt a power unlike any other and that was how I was able to weaken Barbatos enough to where we could finish him off."

"So teamwork and desperation," said Serena. "We'll, we certainly have both. No one can get any more desperate then our tiny team."

Haley nodded her head as she leaned against the computer as Adam and Alpha remained oddly silent. Their advisors weren't exactly very helpful when it came to doing their job when the Rangers kind of needed them most. It was also difficult on her part since the Rangers had came to an agreement, long ago, that if Landon would ever be able to perform his leadership duties then it would be Haley's job to pick up the slack. She would be the de facto leader until Landon could snap out of it.

Defeating Lilith would be virtually impossible without the rest of their team. Even if they could slow her down, they couldn't truly defeat her. Lilith could easily regain her strength and finish them all off if she so desired. And since Lilith was the Dark Lord of Lust, knowing how to desire things was her specialty.

They were all locked in silence as they tried to piece together a plan that might help them get through this fight. Without a way to break Lilith's spell, however, that would almost certainly impossible to do.

The silence was long-lasting until Cid finally spoke up to catch the Rangers' attention. He might not be one of them, but they would surely appreciate his two cents.

"If I may be so bold," said Cid, "this spell that you speak of might be broken by breaking Lilith's concentration. From what little experience I have against magick, the spellcaster must retain a constant focus in order to maintain their spell. Without that focus then the magicks will unravel until they completely dissipate."

"Well that's one idea," said Alice, "but how do we break Lilith's concentration long enough to free our friends? No doubt she'll send them to fight us so that won't exactly make things easier on her."

"But what if she had a man as a distraction?" said Cid. The alien tore his focus away from Serena as he looked over to the other Rangers. Each one cast curious gazes at him as they tried to piece together what it was that he meant by that. "I could offer myself to Lilith. With any luck, I could fight her spell off for a few moments so that you might be able to strike her with all your might."

"No," Serena said, taking Cid's hand into hers. "I won't allow you to put yourself into harm's way. That is too risky."

Haley intervened, however, as she pulled out her standing leader card. She looked Cid straight in the eye with her arms crossed over her pink uniform. "Are you willing to take that risk for us?" asked the young woman. "Would you be willing to accept that you may get hurt or taken over by Lilith?"

"Yes I am," said Cid. "My duty to the Royal Family keeps me honor bound to protect the princess from harm. If this Dark Lord is such a threat then I must do what I can to neutralize it before she is injured."

"Alright then," said Haley. She ran a hand through her hair as she let out a deep breath. She built up her confidence as she looked towards Connor and Alice before briefly looking at Serena. "I guess we got ourselves some bait. Let's get back to action, Rangers."

For a moment, Serena was on the verge of having a princess fit. However, she settled down when Cid gave her hand a firm squeeze that seemed to pull her back from that edge. A gentle smile was on the face of the young Karoven man as he assured his princess that he would be safe.

Serena nodded her head as she released his hand so that she could join her fellow Rangers.

It was decided that Cid would wait in the Command Center until the Rangers could track down Lilith. Once that was resolved then Cid would show up to offer himself up to the Dark Lord as one of her mindless slaves. Hopefully, Lilith's guard would be dropped low and long enough for them to take her down.

That wasn't much to go on, but it was the only plan that they had as they powered up.

* * *

><p>Lilith sat at the miniature thrown she had her lust slaves build for her. The men were so handy with their hands that she even thrown them a little bone for their hard work. They were all just too eager to please her, which worked for the Dark Lord since she did so enjoy being pampered by them.<p>

For her throne, it was made from comfortable materials that were both soft and supportive. She had me all around her that were focusing on different duties for her. The Dark Lord even made them dress down in various revealing outfits for these very handsome men that were taking care of her every whim. She had three men with feather fans that were constantly blowing a breeze her way. Then she had two men focusing on massaging her feet, while another was busy with her neck. And one man, one very naked and attractive man, was putting on a show for her.

The man's eyes were completely glazed over in lust as he stroked himself before his beautiful goddess.

But for her crown jewels were the Power Rangers she had standing before her. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, White Ranger, and Orange Ranger were all under her thrall. She had them remove their helmets so that she could see their ruggedly, handsome facial features. They might be Celestial power stealers, but they were handsome at least. She might let them live for a little while longer before she killed them along with the rest of the men on the planet.

That would be after the women and children though. Throughout the city, Lilith had her men guarding the women and children who were locked up in cages. She would eventually get to work on devouring them, but she would wait until the remaining Rangers showed up to put up their fight. And she knew that they were on their way too because she understood how the good guys functioned.

Speak of the little annoyances; Lilith looked up to the sky to see four streaks of light coming their way. The Dark Lord let out a soft sigh just as her naked man spilt his seed on the ground. She dismissed all of them, with the exception of the Rangers, as she prepared to deal with another little mess.

Her followers were gone just as the Rangers came into view. The three girls and the boy who fended off her spell were all gathered before him. A smile graced the Dark Lord's face as she roes up from her small throne, running her hands down the front of her dress.

"And here we all are," said Lilith. "I knew that you'd show up sooner or later. If it's one thing that I can say about the Power Rangers it's that you children never seem to disappoint me. You're a pain in the ass that needs to be dealt with."

"The problem is going to be dealt with," shouted Pink Ranger, "but it's you who will be going down! You might have the advantage, but we will not go down without a fight. We are Power Rangers and we will defeat you!"

Lilith continued to smirk as she turned to the Rangers who were under her spell. The four men retrieved their helmets as they prepared for a battle. "So be it," she said, calmly. "You heard that, boys. Go fight your friends and I want you to make sure that they don't escape me!"

Already aware that Lilith would pull this trick, Pink Ranger and Black Ranger took to the lead charge. They took it to the front lines with Yellow Ranger and Violet Ranger going off to the side since their task was to handle Lilith. The adopted siblings would handle their fellow Rangers; hopefully, long enough for them stop Lilith and break her spell.

These next few minutes would be what decided the outcome of the battle, which the Rangers couldn't afford to lose.

* * *

><p>Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, White Ranger, and Orange Ranger were furiously after Black Ranger and Pink Ranger. They were each armed with their swords, ready to cross blows with the Rangers who weren't under Lilith's spell. The four hypnotized Rangers fought aggressively against their friends even though the connections that kept them bound were still together, merely just fogged over.<p>

The dark magick persisted though and kept the two Rangers from breaking through to their friends' consciousness.

Black Ranger was taking on Orange Ranger and Blue Ranger by himself. He had to keep his speed up if he was going to avoid the worst of their attacks. Between force fields and superhuman strength, it would be difficult, but he to try his best.

His current lover and former lover were attacking him from both sides. He barely could parry against Orange Ranger's attack when Blue Ranger tried to swing at him with his Angel Sword. The attacks slashed across his chest, leaving behind a world of pain before Orange Ranger pulled him out of Blue Ranger's range of attack.

Orange Ranger tossed the boy to the ground before springing up on top of him with his Twilight Ray pointed at the boy. Black Ranger gulped as he rolled away where he avoided getting stabbed in the chest. Just in time to because Blue Ranger was coming after him with his full fury. The Angel Sword was nearing his head, which caused the boy to stop rolling before he got his head diced off.

The boy did the only thing he could do and use a technique that he learned from Jarrod. He spread his legs apart to hit the both of them in the back of the legs. This caused them to stumble over a bit, which gave the young Ranger enough time to get back up on his feet.

With them vulnerable now, Black Ranger slashed at them both with his Angel Sword. Considering whom they both were, he didn't feel too guilty since they both did try to kill him just recently.

Holding out his Crystal Morpher, the boy knew that the only chance he had was to summon up his Job Class. They were both too strong for him to fight on his own and he'd need the power boost if he were to keep up fighting. As the two were getting their bearings straightened out, Black Ranger threw the crystal into the air.

"Job Class Form Activate!"

He leaped into the air, transforming into Black Archer Ranger. Once his transformation was complete, the boy got pulled the bowstring of his Heaven Bow back to fire a couple of arrows after them both. The shadow arrows struck them both in the chest, staving them off from attacking him again for the moment.

A smile crept up underneath the helmet as the Ranger took charge after them both. He jumped above their heads to shoot a few more arrows after them. Luckily, the attack began to stick, which came as a welcome relief for the boy as he let out a deep sigh.

What bothered him though was that Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger had yet to use their Job Class Forms. He found it weird because they could easily defeat him if they just transformed and mopped the floor with him.

Unless, they couldn't transform, this really got Black Archer Ranger thinking. Lilith's spell was blocking them from using their true powers, an advantage that he yelled at Pink Ranger about. She did seem to hear him even as she fended off the blades of Red Ranger and White Ranger with her Sacred Claws.

Pink Ranger was rolling through the ground, avoiding the attack that Red Ranger and White Ranger had thrown at her. She laughed as she got back on her feet with her Sacred Claws crossing against her chest. She had an advantage because the guys were all muscle and not much brain. All of her training with her parents were about to certainly pay off as she fought against her friends.

The swords narrowly missed her head again as Pink Ranger bent her spine back. She dug her claws into the ground as she pushed her body up into the air. With all her agility, she was able to avoid them trying to chase after them as she landed on top of a sign post. Taking out her Crystal Morpher, she threw the pink feather up into the air to transform.

"Job Class Form Activate!" the Ranger shouted as she took a leap.

Light consumed her body as she landed on the ground as Pink Ninja Ranger. Her Sacred Claws smashed together as the Ranger crouched to spring after her mind controlled friends.

They were both running straight after her. It seemed that Black Ranger's advice had been very right since neither one transformed into their Job Class Forms. It was a bit of a relief to her since she knew that she probably wouldn't stand a chance if they both had transformed.

Still, Pink Ninja Ranger took no chances as she took off after them both.

Swirling waters wound itself all around her body as she used that as a shield to protect herself from the attacks she couldn't avoid. The water bounced off against the swords as she stretched her arms forward to smash them in the chests with her claws. The claws were lying a hurting on them both, which made her feel a little guilty since they were her friends after all.

Taking on step forward, she unleashed all the water around her to smash into her friends. The sudden burst of energy was enough to knock some sense into them as the water purified their minds. Each one yelped as they dropped to the ground, knocking their heads onto the concrete, with the spell placed on them by Lilith beginning to melt away.

Meanwhile, Orange Ranger was coming after him in a full rush. Black Archer Ranger felt a knot forming in his stomach as he pointed the Heaven Bow after him. "I'm sorry, love," he said, softly. He released a shadowy arrow that exploded against Orange Ranger's chest. The impact was powerful and shocking, one that was able to shake against the haze that had clouded the young man's mind.

It seemed a little obvious to the boy that the spell was being broken by the aura that was beginning to crumble around him.

He didn't have the chance to see how well that turned out as Blue Ranger struck him from behind. The Glory Hammer smashed into his back, sending the Ranger flying into a nearby wall before collapsing to the ground. Blue Ranger grabbed the boy by the neck and easily hefted him up into the air with his hand tightly suffocating him.

Black Archer Ranger was weaponless and trying to kick Blue Ranger as he fought for air. The grip on his neck was just too strong, nearly crushing his throat until virtually no air could get into his screaming lungs.

Blue Ranger didn't seem to care at all about the former relationship that they had or anything at all as Lilith's spell left him completely blind. Black Archer Ranger felt the power of his Job Class fading away from him. He was left significantly weaker, while the grip on his neck was breaking him apart. "Ric…stop," Black Ranger cried, weakly. "You're going to…kill me."

"Lilith wishes for you to be dead," said Blue Ranger. "My Lilith will get whatever her heart desires."

"Please Ric," cried Black Ranger. "You have…to fight this. Remember…remember who…I am."

"Lilith is all that matters to me," said Blue Ranger.

"Ric, you can't…kill me," choked Black Ranger. "I…I…still love…you."

Those little words were enough to hit Blue Ranger like a sack of bricks. His grip on that young throat loosened up until he finally released the boy from his hold. The spell that chained him to Lilith had been erased just as it had been with Orange Ranger. The haze shattered and his mind was restored to him with a bad taste left in his mouth.

He didn't remember those words that Black Ranger spoke though. Blue Ranger could only remember what he had almost done to the boy that he had cared so deeply for. "Connor…I'm so sorry," Blue Ranger said, catching the boy as he fell.

Black Ranger could only cough as he tried to reclaim all of that lost air.

Meanwhile, Orange Ranger had picked his head up, well aware of those fatal words that Black Ranger had spoken to Blue Ranger. A deep sigh escaped his chest as he tried to pretend like that never happened. But the words continued to ring through his mind, keeping him from forgetting everything.

* * *

><p>"Job Class Form Activate!"<p>

In order to combat a Dark Lord, Yellow Ranger and Violet Ranger knew that their current powers would not be enough. They transformed into Yellow Machinist Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger in order to be able to fight against Lilith's dark powers. The major power boost would be enough to grant them an advantage in the fight, but just how much of an advantage was uncertain at the moment.

Running around a little too trigger happy, Yellow Machinist Ranger was raining down gunfire from her Holy Pistols against the Dark Lord who kept herself protected by an energy shield. Lilith hardly seemed to be straining her mind at all as she stood perfectly still with her sword drawn up against her chest. As the gunfire subsided, Violet Sage Ranger used her Divine Wand to unleash a shower of stars upon Lilith. The razor sharp stars were racing straight towards her, which the Dark Lord stopped by the simple wave of her sword.

The stars were shattered to bits and fell to the ground along with the earth encrusted bullets. The young ladies had failed to do anything at all in order to stop the Dark Lord from her conquest.

"Is that everything you have to offer me?" smirked Lilith. "Seriously, Rangers, I don't see how you could defeat Belphagor and Barbatos if that's your best. Let me show you what a real attack looks like!"

Lifting her sword up into the air, a bolt of lightning came down from the sky. Lilith encased the attack into her sword as she swung it forward to unleash painful streaks of energy that crushed the two Rangers upon impact.

They were easily flung around just like before, which was becoming an outright insult.

Violet Sage Ranger attempted to put a stop to Lilith as she forced herself back to her feet. She fired a stream of starlight energy from the tip of her wand, which managed to attack before Lilith could put her shield. The sudden barrage was enough to cause a hindrance to latch onto the Dark Lord of Lust.

"Do you like that, bitch!" shouted Violet Sage Ranger.

Only silence responded her as the two Rangers waited anxiously for any sign of Lilith. The smoke had cleared but there was no sign of the Dark Lord. This was a bit of a surprise for them as they tried to spot the fiendish Lilith only to feel the sting of a sword at their backs.

Yellow Machinist Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger went sailing across the courtyard until they landed near the water fountain.

Lilith had appeared behind them to strike, whilst they believed that they had overwhelmed them. Her sword still dangerously dangling from her fingers as a naughty smile graced her face. "Still not impressed," said the Dark Lord. "I suppose that it is time that this game ends."

"Not on my watch! You will not harm my princess."

A few scattered shots rained down around Lilith, which the Dark Lord defended herself from by calling forth a shield. She withstood the laser fire until she saw a handsome, young man leap across the sky and stand in front of the two Rangers.

Violet Sage Ranger shouted the young man's name, Cid, which caused Lilith to smirk. The concerned sound in the Ranger's voice was enough to tell the Dark Lord that this young man mattered.

Cid held up a single rifle with the utmost of care as he took aim at Lilith. He was about to pull the trigger again when Lilith unleashed her siren's call. The humming of her voice rang into the air, causing her spell to awaken as it cast its thrall against Cid's mind.

Despite this being what they had planned, it still pained Violet Sage Ranger as she knew that Cid would become her enemy. She turned to Yellow Machinist Ranger so that she took the hint. Her companion took off of to face Lilith, while the spell's hypnosis took full control of Cid's mind.

Lilith would've gloated about this had Yellow Machinist Ranger got the bulk of her attention. The Dark Lord was forced to ignore this romantic battle as she turned her sights on annoying fly that needed to be squashed.

Violet Sage Ranger stood on her feet with a grim look hidden by her helmet. She held onto the Divine Wand as it became painfully obvious that Cid's eyes would only sparkle for Lilith now.

"Forgive me, Cid," whispered Violet Sage Ranger.

Cid took charge after his princess, whom he couldn't even remember because of Lilith. He drew his rifle against her and was ready to pull the trigger against her when Violet Sage Ranger used her telekinesis to disarm him. The rifle was forced out from his hands, tossed across the courtyard to where he couldn't retrieve it.

The tactical mind rang as he grabbed hold of his chain and ripped it from his pants. The chain extended as it became more like a whip, which he cracked into the air and wound around the wand that belonged to the Ranger.

Violet Sage Ranger had already expected this since she had seen Cid fight before. She grabbed onto her wand with both hands as she tugged forward with all her might to get Cid to lose his balance. Once that was done, she dropped her weapon to the ground and took flight with a remarkable amount of speed.

Cid blinked as the Ranger was now in front of him. The Ranger whispered another apology before striking Cid across the face with her hand that was added with telekinetic force. He was thrown across the courtyard until he crashed onto the ground. He was rendered unconscious due to the hit, but she had made certain that his landing was safe to where he wouldn't be drastically injured.

Once that was resolved, Violet Sage Ranger retrieved her wand then flew off to help her friend.

Yellow Machinist Ranger was having a rough time as she tried to take on Lilith on her own. She would attempt to suppress the Dark Lord by raining down round after round of gunfire, but Lilith had already taken precautions to avoid getting shot. None of the bullets would leave even a scrape against the Dark Lord, which was becoming a great nuisance to the Ranger.

Finally with a growl tarring out from her chest, the Ranger decided to use her powers to her advantage. The technological mind called on the attention of a parked car, igniting the engine, and pushing down on the gas so that the car was racing straight to Lilith.

Surprised by this, Lilith was almost caught off her guard. However, the blade of the Dark Lord slashed the car in half just as it was about to run her over. The two halves of the car exploded far away from where they both stood, to someplace where nobody was at.

"Clever girl," said Lilith. "It looks like you'll be a little fun to play with."

"I'm a lot more fun than you think!" shouted Yellow Machinist Ranger.

Lilith claimed that she would be the judge of that when a bolt of fire came from out of nowhere. The Dark Lord stepped aside from the fiery eagle just as the other Rangers finally came to sight. Imagine the Dark Lord's surprise to see that the men had found a way to be broken free of her spell that she thought to be unbreakable.

It was downright insulting that's what it was.

"But how!" shouted Lilith. "My spell is eternal!"

"You should know better than that, Lilith," said Yellow Machinist Ranger.

"Lust only lasts for a while, but it will always fall to what it really eternal and that is compassion!" said Violet Sage Ranger.

The other Rangers hurled all of their energy at the Dark Lord to trigger a massive shockwave that left Lilith completely crippled. Her blade was knocked out of her hand as she began to stumble back from the staggering feeling of the attack.

Aware that this was their chance, Yellow Machinist Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger joined their powers together. They felt an overwhelming amount of strength coursing throughout their bodies as they had gained access to their full power. The ordeal that they had faced against Lilith was enough to push them to their very limits.

Yellow Machinist Ranger brought her Holy Pistols together and fired up into the sky. The earthly energy formed a large boulder that erupted into wicked spikes as it crashed against Lilith's wicked body. As for Violet Sage Ranger, she simply waved her Divine Wand five times to call forth five stars that began to surrounded Lilith. The stars leapt at the chance to strike, attacking all at once to slash away at Lilith's weakened form with their burning power.

The Dark Lord let out a painful groan before dropping to her knees as her body was completely consumed in explosive flames.

Lilith had been taken down a serious peg by the Rangers, which caused the spell she had inflicted upon the men of Angel Grove to be reversed. With her full concentration broken by earthly and starlight energy, the men were finally able to reclaim control of their minds with many wondering how they were put into the odd positions that they were in.

* * *

><p>One of the first things done now that the spell was broken was the releasing of all the women and children who had been caged away by the Dark Lord. It was like a mass exodus as the people fled the main city, knowing damn well that the battle had yet to begin.<p>

And they were all right as the sky began to darken with Lilith's return.

There were a few streaks of light that flashed across the sky as Lilith returned as a giant. In this new form, she appeared to be more daimonic then human. The beast was large and thick with layers of black muscle on her flesh. She had the face of a lion with angry, blood red wings on her back with the similar colored painted onto her fleshy paws. Long, white hair flowed from the back of Lilith in this monstrous form as she prepared to attack Angel Grove.

The Rangers were at a shock as they saw this monster.

"It looks like beauty became the beast," laughed Black Ranger.

"This isn't really a good time for jokes," said Yellow Ranger. She held up her wrist in order to establish a communication link between her and the Command Center. It came as a relief for her as she immediately heard Alpha's voice. "Alpha, are the Sentinel Zords fully operational yet? We could really use them about now."

"I'm afraid not, Alice," said Alpha 8. "The Zords still need a little more time. However, we just learned that your Angel Force Zords are back. You can use them to fight until the Sentinel Zords are ready."

"If that's the case then," said Violet Ranger, "Alpha, established a power link between the Sentinel Zords and the Astro Megaship. Take what power you need from the ship to reenergize the Zords. We'll fight Lilith off for as long as we can with the Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord. Also, teleport Cid out of here, things are about to get very messy."

"Understood, Serena," Alpha said as he ended the transmission.

Cid only had a second to turn to Violet Ranger before being sucked up in a beam of energy. Gray light absorbed him and in the blink of the eye, he was teleported away from the battlefield to the Command Center.

Now that one problem was taken care of, the Rangers were able to turn to the larger threat. They each threw their fists up into the air, calling forth on some old friends to help them fight. "Angel Force Zords, we need you now!" shouted the eight Rangers.

A dimensional portal opened up with the Angel Force Zords running to their call. The Zords had finally reached a full recovery after the disastrous battle they had faced against Zodiark and Umbra. Knowing that their Zords were back was enough to give the Rangers a bit of help as they jumped into their separate cockpits.

And without wasting a heartbeat, the Rangers inserted the Crystal Morphers into the slots to activate the Megazord sequence. Angel Zord flew to the middle with Bear Zord and Dolphin Zord at the arms, while Wolf Zord and Unicorn Zord went to the legs. They combined together to form the Angel Force Megazord. Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord fused together with Condor Zord attaching to the back, combining to form Archangel Megazord.

Both Megazords were ready and able to battle against the Dark Lord, which would certainly be interesting.

The Rangers inside Archangel Megazord didn't use up any of their time on foolishness. They called on their cannon and took aim at the monstrous form that Lilith had taken. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the trio. White, orange, and violet energy was sent out from the cannon and hurtled towards Lilith's body. The cannon fire erupted upon impact, but failed to leave behind even a scratch on her skin.

Summoning the Angel Power Sword, the Rangers inside Angel Force Megazord were ready to lie a hurting onto Lilith. The five gemmed sword came to the hand of the Megazord and began to charge up for greatness. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. With the sword fully charged, the Megazord swung the sword forward to unleash a slash of energy against the Dark Lord. The sword slashed across flesh, but the attack was just as miserable as the one unleashed by Archangel Megazord.

The Rangers had hoped to end this fight quickly; however, it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen.

Lilith could only chuckle as electricity began to coil around her gigantic body. She held up her beastly fist to fire spears of dark energy that exploded upon coming into contact with the Megazords. It was a heavy barrage of fire that quickly began to deplete the power cells that had taken so long to fully reenergize.

Dropping her hand to her side, the Dark Lord continued to laugh as she stood in the middle of the city. Occasionally, one of her wings would flap to show signs of life. "I am hardly impressed, Rangers," said the Dark Lord. "I had hoped that you would try at least a little harder against me. If this is your best then it is probably better if I destroy you now."

To prove that point, Lilith released a wave of electricity from her body that turned out like a shock bomb. The electricity rippled in the air, seemingly draining power from the city, before lashing out to cause major power disruptions for the Megazords. It took every bit of precaution that the Rangers could muster up at the last possible second to prevent the Megazords from being completely totaled.

Still, Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord were being knocked around like little rag dolls. Their powers were simply not enough to combat against the Dark Lord, which she knew and that was why she exploited that bit of information.

And as she was about to strike again, bullet fire began to rain down above Lilith to keep her from doing so. The Dark Lord had paused in her assault as she looked up to the sky along with the Rangers to see that the Sentinel Zords had finally arrived. Alpha immediately came onto the transmission to notify that the Zords were ready for battle.

"It's time to switch things up then, Rangers!" shouted Red Ranger. "We form the Ultrazord now!"

"Right!" shouted the seven other Rangers.

Leaping out from the cockpits of the Megazords, they jumped into their individual Sentinel Zords for battle. The Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord disappeared to rest; while Lilith watched the Sentinel Zords combine together. The spirits of their Angel Force Zords were with them though as they joined to form a perfect harmony. All eight Zords fused together in their respective places in order to form the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord.

When the ultimate weapon of the Angel Force Rangers came into view, Lilith actually mumbled about being impressed. Still, she was far away from being truly impressed as she hurled spears of dark energy from her hands once again. The explosive spears dug into the Ultrazord, causing massive eruptions to take place against the armored weapon.

However, the Rangers persevered as they channeled all their power into the Ultrazord.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord flew up to the stormy sky with its great sword in hand. The eight gems that represented each Ranger began to sparkle and shine, piercing through the darkness summoned by Lilith. The Centennial Ultra Sword was bathed in light as the Rangers called forth on their strongest attack.

"Cosmic Final Arcanum!" shouted the eight heroes.

Dropping from the sky, the Ultrazord released its full power into one attack. Slashing the blade across the chest of the Dark Lord was enough to finally put a stop to Lilith. She let out a great gasp of breath as her dark energy began to fail her. Lilith spoke out one final curse to the Rangers before exploding in a great fashion to signify that she was done for.

At least, that's what the Rangers assumed as they celebrated yet another victory.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord straightened itself up with its great sword continuing to gleam against the setting sun.

* * *

><p>Things had calmed down considerably since the fight with Lilith. Everything had seemed to return to normal so when the sun came up to great the next day, everyone pretty much chalked that up as a bad memory. For the Rangers and all the men who had their minds warped, it pretty much became a rule that it would never be spoken of again.<p>

Now that there was some peace in the world, another problem needed to be dealt with. The princess would have to face Cid soon, but she just had a bad feeling about this confrontation. Serena would've much rather gone up against Lilith again then have to deal with this can of worms that was about to be opened up.

Inside of the Astro Megaship, Serena was running a diagnostics on the craft. Alpha did heed her advice by taking out power from the ship to reenergize the Sentinel Zords. She wanted to see just how much power was zapped out of the Megaship. From what the report came up with, a considerable amount of power had been taken, enough to make the Megaship grounded for a long while. She wouldn't be able to take any intergalactic flights in the near future, which she hoped might be enough to convince her parents and Cid to let her stay on Earth longer.

It came with a sigh when Serena heard the doors to the cockpit open up. She knew it wasn't Eric since he had taken off for the day with Connor, apparently, in attempt to make up for what happened with Lilith. She didn't have to turn around in order to know that it was Cid who had found his way to the ship, probably through the assistance of the other Rangers or Adam or Alpha 8.

"Can we talk about this another day?" Serena asked, hanging onto a touch screen tablet. She keyed in a few notes before firing it off to the computer. In attempt to ignore Cid, she hoped that he might just take the hint and take off. But that wasn't about to happen since he was about as stubborn as she was.

The approaching footsteps told her so as the scent of his musky cologne began to hit her senses. It was a calming smell that mixed with his natural scent so well that it had always drew Serena to him without much difficulty.

Cid reached out to lightly touch the hand of his princess with the tips of his fingers. His own emotions present in a single touch that almost brought Serena to her knees. "We must discuss this now, my princess," said Cid. "I have a duty to your parents. They have entrusted me with the task of making sure that you return home for you own safety. Yesterday proves that the Dark Lords are too grave of a threat for you."

"I refuse, Cid!" Serena said, lashing out at him. She dropped the tablet on the cold ground as she broke away from the contact of his hand. The princess turned to face her protector, looking into his brown eyes. "I cannot leave the Earth now." Her voice was strong, commanding even but also held a tinge of fear behind it. "You're right, yesterday did prove that the Dark Lords are a grave threat, but it also showed that I can hold my own. The other Rangers need me to fight at their side if we're to survive this war. The universe will crumble unless we stand strong together, I will defy my parents, Cid, if that's what it'll take to keep them and you safe." A few tears looked as if they wanted to run down her face. But she continued to stay strong as she met Cid in the eye, her nerve refusing to surrender. "I will fight until my last breath to stop the Dark Lords from hurting everyone I love."

Eyes closing, Cid let out a soft sigh as he drew himself one step closer towards Serena. Before she could blink, his arms were locked around her. But it wasn't in attempt to kidnap the princess, Cid was merely holding onto her with his face soon buried into the crook of her neck with what felt like tears from him moistening her creamy neck.

This sudden contact wasn't the first. Serena could remember numerous times that the two had been this close, all of those images played in her mind as she remembered the Karoven summers. Those were the times she was "allowed" to get so close to Cid due to the amount of free time that they both had available to them.

"My princess," Cid whispered, softly. "I swore an oath to protect the Royal family. That oath leaves me bound to do everything in my power to keep you safe." Pulling away from the princess, Cid's eyes were locked with a light haze as one gloved finger touched the cheeks of the princess. His eyes spoke a thousand words at once, all of which Serena was gravely familiar with since she had heard almost all of them. "I will not allow you to perish for me. I will be your shield; I will do everything in my power to protect you from the Dark Lords, even if it means laying down my own life."

"You're not a Power Ranger, Cid," whispered Serena. "You wouldn't stand a chance against the Dark Lords in a battle."

"Being a Power Ranger isn't the only way a man can fight to protect the woman he loves," Cid said, firmly. "I promise, Serena, that I will make certain that you are safe. I will not allow the Dark Lords to crush your beautiful light."

Serena began to smirk as she took hold of Cid's hand with both of hers. She closed her eyes for a moment before having her hands remove the glove that kept their skin from touching. Once the leather was gone, the warmth of their hands melded together as the two finally looked each other in the eye.

"I've been waiting so many years to hear those words from you, Cid," said Serena. "I finally know that I'm not the only one in love."

"You know I couldn't risk my feelings to be heard," said Cid. "It would've been the end of my career and there would've been the chance that you'd be locked up under stricter security. And−"

Cid never did get the chance to finish that though. His speech was cut off as Serena pressed her lips against his for the first time in a very long time. The last time that they had kissed, they were only curious, playful children. Now, the kiss truly meant something as they both had finally admitted their feelings of love for one another.

They simply stood there, arms locked around each other, and lips fully pressed together. Lust had come and went, leaving behind only love as two hearts were finally brought together. Serena held onto Cid the same way that he held onto her. Neither one was about to let go of the other as they had finally allowed themselves to confess their heart's true desire.

* * *

><p>The walls were crumbling as Zodiark found his way to the darkest depths of the temple. His body ached from exhaustion as the traps left behind by the ancient Earthlings were made from intricate design. There was no possible way that the Earthlings could've done something to this extreme without assistance from an alien or supernatural power. Some of the traps were just too advanced for what the primitive people had access to.<p>

Anyways, Zodiark continued to wander into the temple as he had finally been granted access to the treasure vault. He had overcome the final trial, at the expense of his shirt, which allowed him to claim the treasures that Leviathan had told him of. The Dark Prince was pleased to see that this was all finally about to be over as his entire body throbbed from fatigue. Even to hold up the fiery torch, which reflected beautifully against his sweaty, caramel physique, was proving to be too much for him to handle.

His grumbling vibrated against the walls that were covered in dust and other filth. He found himself standing in front of a pair of doors that were easily taller than he was. But they were no match for the power that he wielded, which he unleashed in a bolt of dark energy that flung the doors apart with a loud boom.

With the broken, stone doors out of his way, Zodiark ventured finally into the vault. He saw numerous hieroglyphics sketched onto the wall that no doubt meant various things. He had no time, patience, or care at all about the possible meanings as he focused solely on his hard earned prize.

Ascending up a few steps, it was there that Zodiark found himself staring at a sarcophagus that was easily as long as he was. His hands found themselves tracing against the design that dictated various images of winged creatures. These creatures had to have been the Celestials due to the importance of the contents to Leviathan. That was one theory, at least, which not even Zodiark could be certain of being true.

"Now to see if this trip was worth all of this trouble," whispered the Dark Prince.

Groaning as he lifted up the lid, the metal casket was flung open by his might. Zodiark let out a sigh of relief before leaning forward to see the contents of the sarcophagus, only to find himself a little disappointed and confused by a lack of a Divine Stone. Instead, Zodiark uncovered a sword and a mace. Certainly, both weapons were of remarkable make, but they were no Divine Stone.

At first glance, there appeared to be nothing special about these damn weapons. However, Zodiark felt a power stirring from both weapons that could not be denied. Cautiously, he reached out to retrieve both items when he felt a light surge of energy coursing throughout his body. Whatever these weapons were, they spoke of true power, something that a man like Zodiark would come to covet.

Clinging onto both weapons, Zodiark was about to call this mission quits when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned off to the side to spot a certain chain of hieroglyphs that seemed familiar to him as he got closer.

The symbols spoke of a rock that the Ancient Egyptians claimed to be a source of great power. This was promising to Zodiark as he continued to read to discover that the rock had been lost as it had been sent to the Moon by another power. The exact location was a mystery, but the hieroglyphs had whispers that the rock had last been seen landing on the southern end of the moon, its dark side.

The location of the Divine Stone hit Zodiark as he remembered that the Machine Empire had built their base on the dark side of the Moon. He felt that the stone had a good chance of being in the ruins of their palace, which meant that this mission might not be a complete waste of time for him after all.

Only time would tell as Zodiark stepped into a corridor of darkness to ascend up to the Moon.

Meanwhile, the Dark Prince had been completely oblivious to a gaze that had been following him since he arrived to Egypt. Hiding further into the shadows, Yahweh finally stepped out with a grave look formed on his face as he tried to understand what the Dark Prince was up to. He gave up on this search though as he wished not to provoke the true player that was orchestrating all of this mess, a power far greater than the Dark Lords or their King of Pride.

The power that Yahweh was thinking of was one that he did not even wish to speak _his_ name out loud.

Vanishing from sight as well, Yahweh could only continue to wonder what was about to happen to the universe as the powers stirred against everything.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Leviathan is chosen to battle the Rangers next. Summoning his Daimon minions, Behemoth and Ziz, Leviathan unleashes his terror upon Angel Grove as Eric finally have a much needed confrontation with his father all while dealing with the trouble revolving around Connor. Can Eric pull himself together in time to help his friends defeat Leviathan and his Daimons or will Angel Grove fall to this Dark Lord? Find out in **Dark Lord of Envy!**


	31. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: Yet another case where a chapter turned out much longer then I originally expected! Well, that's good news for all of you. I dont have anything else to say other than enjoy the story and make sure to leave behind your reviews!  
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**Dark Lord of Envy:**

It was strange being here. The dark side of the Moon held an eerie silence that agitated Zodiark's nerves as he strolled through the ruined city that had once been here. Years ago, this industrial center was a source of fear and terror, but now it was just nothing but a mountain of rust.

The old Machine Empire never inspired much loyalty or concern for Zodiark. The Dark Prince always found himself at ends with the traitorous rebels. He was delighted to hear how the Zeo Ranger, Lord Zedd, and Rita Repulsa had brought King Mondo and his family to their very knees. When the Machine Empire came crying to Dark Specter to rejoin the United Alliance of Evil, it was Zodiark urged constant caution with the traitorous whelps, a warning that Dark Specter had taken seriously until his dying day.

But that was an old issue that Zodiark burned aside now that he was no longer under the service of the dead Grand Monarch of Evil. The Dark Prince only had concern for himself and that of furthering his own agendas, which included this Divine Stone that he learned was underneath the ruins. Just as the Zeo Crystal had once been buried beneath the palace that Thrax now resides in, the Divine Stone was hidden beneath the Machine Palace.

The locations of such crystals lead the Dark Prince to wonder if this was all merely coincidence or if there was a higher power manipulating all of these actions. He didn't specifically believe in an all powerful being, but the existence of the Celestials and Dark Lords was proof enough that something godly existed in the universe. Now, if this Creator is truly the godly source that the Fallen Celestials claim then it was another set of questions that he sought answers to.

Those were concerns for another day, however. His focus would remain on retrieving the Divine Stone for Leviathan.

So much time had already been wasted to reach this point. Zodiark did not wish to keep the Dark Lord waiting any longer, not when the prize was a great deal of power. In this new body that he got from Leviathan, Zodiark did not want to spoil such a gift.

As his fine silver hair flew behind his back with the cold air nibbling against his pale flesh, Zodiark only drew nearer to the Machine Palace. The great treasure that was hidden beneath the rock and metal would be the crown jewel that would make this hunt worth it all. He could already feel the existence of the Divine Stone emanating from the ruins now that he was far away from the Dark Lords and the lack of a living (even mechanized) presence. It was downright incredible, so much so that it made the air thick with each passing breath.

If only Zodiark was aware of just how many forces were manipulating him, pushing him to reach the next chapter of his destiny.

* * *

><p>Nails bit into flesh as a near breathless whisper escaped Connor's lips. He clung onto Eric's body as if his life deepened on it, while Eric penetrated Connor with almost no mercy. There was a certain roughness that had developed in their love making that made the sex all the more exhilarating for them both.<p>

But there was something else that. Even as Connor moaned in pure bliss of what was being brought to him by Eric, the older boy knew that there was a cloud in the smaller boy's mind. The much was evident in the eyes which Eric gazed down to as he had his lover pinned down on his back with skinny legs hosted over his own broad shoulders. It was the look that spoke of lost and uncertainty, something that Eric had been feeling since Connor professed that he still loved Ric who was under the possession of Lilith.

That was only three days ago, it was always on Eric's mind though. He couldn't get Connor's words out of his head and he fought so hard to justify the boy's words too. The first thing he tried to convince himself was that it was just to save his own skin. Eric tried to believe that it was just Connor going for a low blow to keep a possessed Ric from killing him. Then another idea was that Connor was just trying to reach out to a possessed friend before the Dark Lord's spell had pushed Ric too far. But at the back of his mind, Eric would always return to the notion that Connor was very much still in love with Ric.

It was heartbreaking because Eric was so desperately in love with Connor. He loved this innocent boy more than anyone else in the world. He'd gladly give his life to save Connor if necessary. But just thinking that he might not be who Connor wanted to be with was downright soul shattering.

Even as they both were in the threshold of blissful passion, Eric could only feel a part of himself die as his lover shivered and cried underneath him.

Connor was lost in the sexual haze with his tight hole squeezing Eric's erect length for all it was worth. The body was obviously burning for Eric that much was for certain. The way that Connor clung to his skin, pressed their bodies closer, and spasm with every thrust was proof enough for Eric. However, the heart and soul was entirely different. Eric heard the boy whispering that he loved him, but he couldn't be for sure just how certain that was.

Another gasp escaped Connor as he tugged on Eric's short hair. His other hand was on Eric's ass, trying to get his boyfriend to push deeper inside of him to smash his prostate again. The air of sex was thick and heavy between them, a lot of it coming from their sweaty bodies and the cum that was trying on Connor's stomach from his first orgasm.

Still, Eric couldn't shake of his bad feeling as he smashed himself inside of Connor's body for the final time. His eyes were closed shut as his pubic hair grazed the smooth ass cheeks, his scrotum plastered against sweaty flesh, and his hard dick brushed the nut-sized nerve center that caused him to explode. He was spent as he spilt his essence inside Connor with a heavy groan being torn from clenched teeth.

Once he had calmed down enough, Eric collapsed onto his bed and rolled onto his back. He was panting for air just as hard as Connor was from the unusually long and rough sex that they had just had.

Connor briefly turned his head to the side, gazing over to Eric's closed eyes. The boy was no fool; he understood that there was something upsetting his boyfriend. He couldn't tell just what that problem might be, but he could only hope that he could help Eric, if his stubborn boyfriend would let him in.

Then again, he shouldn't be so quick to judge. Even as Connor curled against Eric's body, he still had thoughts about what he said during the fight with Lilith. He too understood that he told Ric that he still loved him. It wasn't intentional and it wasn't a cheap trick, it was something that tore out from the boy's chest at that moment where he was most vulnerable.

And as he closed his eyes and went to sleep in his boyfriend's arms, Connor wondered just what he meant by that confession.

* * *

><p>In almost certainty, chaos was brewing in Castle Pandemonium as the latest Dark Lord had been defeated by the Rangers. Lilith's defeat caused another imbalance between the forces of good and evil, which greatly tipped power to the Dark Lord's advantage. The balance would soon reach the tipping point when they revived their King of Pride, but that day was still some time away.<p>

Leviathan and Daemon had remained silent when Lilith had returned. The two Dark Lords gave Lust time to recover from the injuries she had sustained against the Rangers. Despite the deep gap in power and her own stubbornness, it was obvious that Lilith had gotten hurt during the fight just like Belphagor and Barbatos before her. She would need a little bit of time to recover enough to where she'd be of use to the organization again.

But the least she could was choose just who got to pick up the slack next.

She strolled into the throne room that was empty, save for her fellow Dark Lords. She shifted glances from Leviathan and Daemon, pretending to look like she was taking serious consideration into who should go next. If she were anymore wicked then she'd pick Beelzebub just to put some spite into the cauldron, but a certain wrathful Fallen would get at her for that.

So instead, Lilith just decided to play her little game. She danced her way towards Daemon, wrapping one arm around one of his thick biceps as she laid her head against him. A villainous grin began to form on Wrath's face as he assumed that he'd be chosen to battle the Rangers next. It would be glorious and greatly entreating for him since he had no greater desire then to unleash true chaos upon Earth.

However, there were other things in mind within the head of a very dangerous woman.

"You're up, Leviathan," Lilith said, still hanging onto Daemon. "Go have fun with the Rangers."

A beastly roar was ripped out from the throat of Daemon as he latched onto Lilith's dainty wrist, pulling her against him. His eyes turned red as he strained to control that Daimon that was stirring within him. "How dare you, bitch!" growled Daemon. "It is my turn. I have been waiting long enough."

Breaking free from his grip with a surprising amount of strength, Lilith gained her freedom. She emphasized her strength by pushing Wrath back before leaping over towards Leviathan. "I've made my decision, asshole," Lilith said, latching onto Leviathan now. "Our favorite, Envy, gets to play next. You're too unpredictable, Daemon, to be of any real use. Besides, Leviathan actually knows how to get a job done and done right."

The Dark Lord of Envy bore a small smirk for the compliment that he received. Still, something needed to be done with her before Daemon lost it. "Hush Lilith," Leviathan said, placing a hand over her lips. "Do not provoke our lion." He removed himself from Lilith before stepping a few paces forward to stand over his furious companion. He touched the boiling cheek of Daemon with the smallest kindness in order to contain that rage. "You'll have your fun soon enough, Daemon. I promise you that I'll leave some of the Rangers left for you to sedate yourself with."

For the moment, Daemon calmed down, but for how long was never certain with him. It would only be a matter of time before something set their wrathful one over the edge again. More than likely, it would be something that Lilith or Beelzebub would say in an effort to provoke him just so that they could mock him.

Vanishing from the Moon and away from his colleagues, Leviathan travelled down to the Earth for a plan he had brewing for quite some time now.

* * *

><p>Soon enough, the Earth would be devoured underneath the weight of the sins of humanity. The Earthlings had been filling the planet with their toxins so it was only a matter of time before it all came to a crashing halt. Leviathan could see this as he stood on the rooftop of the tallest building in the city of Angel Grove.<p>

The Dark Lord of Envy gazed out into the city that was below him. Humanity was a plague upon the beautiful Paradise that had once been the domain of the Creator. Seeing how humanity treated their gift was downright infuriating. It was something that would make their King of Pride and the First growl with righteous fury that would lead the humans to drown in their own blood.

But he was getting ahead of himself.

Leviathan turned aside from the metropolis as he devised his plan against the Rangers. It was a simple plan, the standard attack that the heroes would be expecting. The only thing that made this attack special was that Leviathan wouldn't be alone when he would square off against the Rangers. He had a trick up his sleeve that would help him take care of those pathetic runts.

Snapping his fingers, Leviathan pushed through the dimensional divide to summon his servants from the depths of the Underworld. The call went answered as chaotic flames began to swirl all around Leviathan until two figures stepped through the summoning rings. Leviathan began to smirk as he gazed at the two Daimons who had heeded his call without a moment's hesitation.

One of the Daimons was tall and very bulky, while the other was far more agile and thinner. The bulkier one was a beastly figure that appeared to be like a thick, muscled bull with grayed skin that was rippling in his veins. His silver fur flew all along his head to his back. The thinner Daimon appeared more like a massive eagle with a pair of brown wings on his back. His hands were also winged with steel feathers and sharp claws for his hands with thick, brown feathers that covered his entire body.

The two Daimons bowed down before Leviathan, their lord and master, with the utmost respect.

"You summoned us, my lord," said the bullish Daimon.

"We are your humble servants, my lord," said the avian Daimon.

Leviathan began to smirk, the smirk that belonged to a dominate master. He began to circle around his monstrous servants with his eyes turning a gaze out to the city. "Behemoth and Ziz, I have called you here for a purpose," said the Dark Lord. "I am going to be attacking this human city today, but it is protected by the Power Rangers. You will both assist me in dealing with these Champions of Good so that we may take a step closer to awakening our King of Pride." The Dark Lord turned his head back to turn his attention to the Daimons whom still had their heads bowed before him. "Am I understood?"

Behemoth and Ziz immediately nodded their heads in agreement to serve their master. They were loyal to him without any hesitation, which was very peculiar quality for a Daimon to hold. Daimons were not known for being loyal; they were manipulative, vindictive, and soulless bastards that were all about themselves.

However, Leviathan had come to appreciate the blind loyalty that had been presented to him. Time and time again, Behemoth and Ziz have already proven themselves useful to the Dark Lord of Envy. Leviathan had no doubt that the two Daimons would show their usefulness to him yet again as he now began to plot against the Power Rangers.

"When will we attack, my lord?" asked the avian Daimon, Ziz.

"Very soon," said Leviathan.

"Then we shall make our preparations," said the bullish Daimon, Behemoth.

Leviathan dismissed the two Daimons, sending them back to the Underworld so to prepare for battle. The Dark Lord gave out a heavy sigh as he looked up to the sky for a moment, feeling the heat of the sun scorching against his flesh.

Soon, very soon, everything would reach the cracking point where the world order will soon crumble to pieces.

It was almost deliciously hilarious to him.

* * *

><p>The vibration of his phone caught Eric's attention as he finished changing into something a little more appropriate for today's adventures. He wore his standard workout gear since his fellow Rangers had decided to make today into a training day. He dressed comfortably in his track pants and muscle tee.<p>

Raising the phone up to his ear, Eric was in for a small surprise when a booming voice hit his canal.

"Hey son," came the voice of his father.

Eric Myers Senior had actually gathered the gull to call his son. It brought an assumed smirk to the face of the junior as he greeted his father with the same rough tone.

The two had a meeting back in Silver Hills a month ago, but it was less than stellar. They hardly bothered to vent out their concerns or problems, it was filled with more awkward silence than anything else. Their phone conversations had been more stimulating than what they had gone through in person.

So yes, Eric was surprised to catch his dad calling him so suddenly.

"What's up, dad?" said Eric.

"Well," said Eric Senior, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm planning on showing up to Angel Grove tomorrow." There was a slight pause after that announcement, probably to gauge his son's reaction. For once, the junior was speechless as he allowed his father to continue going on about this trip to the city. "I didn't like how we left things during your last visit. I finally got enough time away from the Guardians so I figured that you and I should take the time to actually talk."

There was another pause, which lasted longer than the first. A storm of thoughts began to rush Eric as he tried to picture what would happen during this visit. There was so much that could be said or done that could either bury the hatchet or open up Pandora's Box. The young man's father had to repeat his name twice before invoking a response from him.

Eric simply nodded his head when he realized that his father couldn't see this bodily gesture. "Yeah, dad," said the young man. "I think that's a good idea. We really do need to talk about some things. Tomorrow should be fine. The city has been somewhat peaceful since we took care of the latest big bad."

"Alright then," said his father. "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye son."

"Bye pops," Eric said, hanging up the phone.

Tomorrow couldn't be over quickly enough, thought Eric.

* * *

><p>It was a day to get ready for the battles ahead of them.<p>

All eight Rangers gathered together in the training room for what they used to its full potential. They broke off into pairs to make the most out of the time that they had before the next battle could begin. Meanwhile, in the chamber, Adam and Alpha were instructing Cid on how the Command Center worked. Since the soldier wanted to a part of the Rangers' battle against evil, the first thing that Cid was taught was how to run the base and about the dark forces that they were at war against.

Landon and Ric were constantly going at it. The two were grappling onto each other, flinging one around in the ring. They were sticking to some wrestling moves, but they would occasionally throw in a real blow as they tested their strength.

Alice and Serena were sticking to speed tests. They weren't as physical strong as the others so they let their speed do the talking. Although, they weren't as quick as Connor, they could still be useful in a fight. They trained themselves to be light on their feet, to always be on the move as soon as they laid down a blow on their opponent.

Rotating herself into the air, Haley escaped a punch that Connor had thrown her way. She hid a smirk because she really took notice to how strong and quick he's gotten. Those two lessons that he got from Jarrod seemed to actually be paying off for the boy. Connor moved with such fluid ferocity that it seemed downright beastly.

Eric also noticed this change in Connor, while he was fending off Tommy and one of his copies. He tried not to pay too much attention on the boy because he was supposed to be training. The fight was a great distraction for the problem that was in his head, he even thought about his dad to help blur out thoughts on the boy.

At least, that's what Eric had planned until he noticed Ric passing by Connor. The Latino had finished off the fight with the Navajo, so he was wandering around a bit before starting up the next round. It was only a passing glance, but Eric still saw the way that Connor looked at Ric. Those eyes spoke of a boy who was scared and confused, it was the look that someone had whenever they didn't know what they wanted.

That much was painfully obvious to Eric as he let out a deep sigh before turning back to Tommy and the copy. The air got thicker around him as he gathered his strength to conjure up a powerful force field that knocked Tommy and the copy aside. The force released by the barrier was enough to really put some flight into the attack, easily throwing Tommy across the room while the copy faded into nothing.

Tommy went crashing to the ground with a loud enough thump that caused concern for everyone. Even Eric had felt his stomach tightening up into knots as he raced towards the friend that he had lashed out his frustrations against. Several apologies were spilt from his mouth as Eric tried to make sure that Tommy was fine.

"It's alright, dude," Tommy said, while shaking it off. "We're training. This is exactly what we're supposed to be doing." He slowly started to stand up on his feet, popping his back in the process. His body was feeling a little sore now so he kind of just dropped back on the ground, landing on his ass as he let out a tired sight. "Next time though, save it for the Dark Lords. I don't want to be on the receiving end of your force fields again."

Eric stifled the urge to smirk since he understood what he did was a very wrong. He shouldn't have used so much power against Tommy, especially since this was his own personal problem. "I'm still really sorry, man," said Eric. He got down on one knee, helping Tommy to get back on his feet so that he could take him to a couch where he could get some proper rest. Tommy was almost deadweight on his back, which caused Ric to show up and help.

Wanting nothing more than to punch Ric in the back of the head, Eric bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from doing anything else that he might regret. Connor could see this tension that was brewing up around Eric, which made the boy feel a little uneasy as he followed them to the main part of the Command Center.

Landon had to call training to an end since they needed to check on Tommy and make sure that he was fine. Although, Tommy was constantly assuring them that he was just fine. Their leader didn't want to take any risks as he forced Tommy to get on a healing station.

"I think it's time for a subject change, Batman," Alice said, wiping the sweat from her brow. She made her way over to the computers to pull up a file that she had been working on. Well, it wasn't so much a file but a database that stored all the information she had gathered on the Dark Lords. "I picked up some new info about our big bads. Since the whole Lilith thing, I decided to take the liberty of doing a bit more research."

"And what did you find, Alice?" Haley asked, liking the subject change. She tried not to glare at Eric, despite of what he did to her boyfriend. But it was like what Tommy said, this is exactly what they were supposed to be putting their training to. "Anything useful? Or is it all cryptic stuff?"

"Well, I picked up a lot of data on Leviathan," said Alice. "There is a lot of lore around him, all of it different then the rest."

"I thought Leviathan was supposed to be a sea monster, not a Fallen Celestial?" said Landon.

Alice nodded her head as she pulled up the new data. She turned to the others as she prepared to give a lesson to the class. "There in lays the problem," said Alice. "There is so much lore around Leviathan that its difficult to tell fact from fiction. But yeah, Leviathan is supposed to be a giant sea serpent. One of the stories is that there were two Leviathans, a male and female, but during Genesis, God killed the female and castrated the male because He feared the power that they wielded. He believed that the Leviathans could destroy the world if they were allowed to produce offspring."

"I really don't like your bedtime stories," Serena said, shivering a little. She continued to be assaulted by chills until Cid came up from behind her and placed a hand on her lower back. His warmth and strength kept her from completely freaking out, which had always been safety blanket since he always could reassure her.

"There's more," said Alice. "Leviathan is supposed to be one of three Primordial Monsters. He is the Monster of the Sea, while Behemoth is the Monster of the Earth and Ziz is the Monster of the Sky. They are apparently supposed to have a major battle during the Apocalypse where the three will kill each other, but not before laying waste to the world."

"Still not a pretty picture you're painting, Alice," said Connor.

"And the last of the story says that Leviathan wasn't a monster but an angel," finished Alice. "He is supposedly one of the angels who rebelled against God during the War in Heaven. Like Lucifer, Leviathan was cast out at the end of the war and thrown into Hell with the rest of the Fallen. So, considering that Celestials are angels, I'm assuming that the last legend is a little more accurate."

"Yeah," said Ric. "Frightening still though."

Not much could be said about that or anything else for that matter as the sirens began to go off. Alice didn't like getting cut-off, but she would have to deal with it as Alpha pulled up an image on the screen. The city was under attack by two monster that bore some resemblance to the Overlords, Carnisoar and Grizzaka, yet they were completely different, which forced the Rangers into action either way.

If the city was in trouble then that meant the Rangers would have to answer the call to protect their home.

* * *

><p>Rushing into danger, the Rangers were ready for battle as they arrived in the city. They found themselves running through a crowd of people who were screaming as they attempted to escape the explosions that were going on. Wind and earth converged together to attack the city, which was more than reason enough for the eight heroes to spring into action.<p>

The Rangers made it into the eye of the storm to meet the two Daimons responsible for this. They both look rather beastly, so much so that the heroes really thought that they were up against the Overlords yet again. They were about to question them when the Daimons had anticipated such words to be spoken from the mouths of the Rangers.

"We are Daimons, loyal to the Dark Lords," said Behemoth. "Our master is the mighty Dark Lord of Envy!"

"Behemoth and I serve the Dark Lord with unquestioning loyalty!" said Ziz. "We are his personal servants."

"Ziz and I will be your destruction, Rangers!" added Behemoth.

Thanks to Yellow Ranger's mythology lesson that day, they were already pretty certain that they knew which Dark Lord that the two were talking about. Not wasting any more time though, the Rangers charged into action as they split up into four to take on each Daimon.

Red Ranger teamed up with Yellow Ranger, Pink Ranger, and White Ranger to handle Behemoth. Blue Ranger led Black Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger against Ziz. With any luck, their groups would be able to handle each Daimon before the big fish came in for the kill.

If only they were aware of just how close Leviathan was; the Dark Lord was watching the battle unfolding on the rooftop of a nearby building.

The fighting went off without a hitch. The Rangers took on the Daimons, doing whatever it took to keep the city safe from harm.

Red Ranger led the charge with Yellow Ranger following his lead. The two of them attempted to strike Behemoth with their Angel Swords. Their swords slashed against the thick hide of Behemoth, but it wasn't enough to actually do any damage. Behemoth was able disarm them both by merely stomping his foot down on the ground before smashing them both in the chests with his heavy fists.

The two of them went sailing back as Pink Ranger and White Ranger came up behind them. White Ranger tried to stall the Daimon by firing a couple of blasts from his laser. The beams of light struck the side of the Daimon, which caused Behemoth to take a couple of defensive action. Pink Ranger saw that most of that defense was concentrated on the right so she took charge to strike from his left. Upon getting around him, she slashed at the Daimon with her Sacred Claws leaving a mark on the flesh.

Yet again though, Behemoth proved to be too thick-skinned to injure. Behemoth could only laugh at how futile the attempts were as he latched his thick hands around Pink Ranger. She yelled for some help which came as White Ranger came running up towards them both. The Daimon shook his head as he threw Pink Ranger at White Ranger with all of his might. The two went crashing down to the ground, joining Red Ranger and Yellow Ranger in defeat.

Meanwhile, Ziz was having a blast as he flew away from the attacks of the Rangers who were after him. Black Ranger and Violet Ranger were concentrating on striking from a distance with their ranged attacks. However, arrows and razor stars weren't enough to hinder this Daimon.

Ziz continued to fly back to avoid getting injured as Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger tried to spring up to attack from behind. The two Rangers jumped into the air with their weapons fully drawn only to fail at their surprise attack. The Daimon had already attempted such a maneuver so he flew higher up into the air to avoid the sharp edges of their weapon. As they were falling back to the ground, Ziz swung each of his feathery arms forward to unleash a storm of steel-tipped feathers that slashed against all four Rangers.

The attack was simple, but it was highly effective in dealing with them all. Orange Ranger and Blue Ranger were forced to drop themselves in defeat since they had taken the blunt of the Daimon's attack. Black Ranger and Violet Ranger managed to pull enough of their strength together then unleashed a surge of energy that they hoped would be enough to put a stop to Ziz.

It wasn't though. Ziz shielded himself from the stars and shadows by covering his front with his feathery arms. As the attack began to dissipate, the Daimon spread his arms forward again as he flew forward for a dive-bomb. But before he landed, he ascended back into the air, triggering a sonic boom that struck the two Rangers, which was way too much for them to handle.

The two of them were easily flung aside, dropping down beside their friends just as Ziz landed on the ground.

Ziz was yapping with laughter as he joined Behemoth's side. The two Daimons were yammering about how easy that was when they found themselves surprised to see that the Rangers were actually getting back on their feet. The eight heroes pushed themselves back from the edge of defeat with a startling amount of motivation. It was allowed, for the moment, as the Daimons were hoping to get a little more bang for their buck.

However, the Rangers weren't allowed to reach further empowerment. It was obvious that they were about to summon their Job Class Forms, hoping that would grant them an edge in the fight. This could not be allowed though, at least not the first time out which is what provoked action.

Leviathan descended from the rooftop that he had been watching the battle from. The appearance of this descending, dark-skinned figure surprised the Rangers, but what was more surprising was the aura of power that was wrapped around him. The Dark Lord of Envy touched the ground and his mere landing was enough to send a small shockwave that ripped through the Rangers. Eight bodies were flung up into the air, despite the protests made by the Rangers as they found themselves unable to control themselves.

The Daimons immediately bowed upon witnessing the might of their master. Leviathan huffed as he ran a hand through his soft hair just as the Rangers dropped to the ground with a landing that was far from being up to Olympic standards.

"I'm certainly disappointed in you, Rangers," said Leviathan. "You've already defeated three of my accomplices, yet you have trouble facing my two minions. This is certainly not what I was expecting. Or are you lot just so tired that you can't give us a good fight? Should we give you a break, heroes?"

"Fuck you!" spat Red Ranger.

Leviathan couldn't help but to chuckle, while Behemoth and Ziz growled with anger. The Dark Lord stayed their hands though as he stepped a bit closer to look at the eight heroes. His eyes lingered on Orange Ranger though as he saw something that was interesting within him. It was an envious soul that the Dark Lord could easily manipulate, delicious.

The Dark Lord pushed the thoughts back for a moment as he turned his back to the Rangers. He walked backwards with his hands briefly touching his Daimon servants. "Time to go, you two," said the Dark Lord. "Let us be polite and give the Rangers a chance to rest before the next fight. Maybe then they'll be a little more entreating for us to fight against."

"Yes, my Lord Leviathan," said Behemoth.

"Yes, my Lord of Envy," said Ziz.

The two Daimons followed the lead of Leviathan and soon the three of them were just gone. In the wake of their disappearance, the Rangers could see just how much trouble that they were in as they realized just who it was that they were up against this time around.

* * *

><p>The home of the Royal House of Gadgetry was covered in thick layers of moon dust and broken machines. Zodiark found himself chuckling without mercy as he gazed upon the ruined home of the Machine Empire. It served them right as far as Zodiark was concerned. He kept his laughing to the bare minimum as he entered the abandoned throne room.<p>

There was no clear directions on where to go. The Dark Prince tried to navigate a corridor that he had expected to lead down to the dark depths, but saw that the depths were blocked off by broken machinery. He wondered if the Machine Empire had known about the Divine stone that they built their palace on top of or if it was all a mere coincidence.

By what intelligence that the Empire held, Zodiark assumed that King Mondo and Queen Machina must've known something. Even Lord Zedd had his palace purposely built on top of the Zeo Crystal, in hopes of stealing that power from good. Granted, Zedd was a fool because his flesh was stripped from his body when he attempted to touch the crystal.

And that's when another thought journeyed into his mind. If the Zeo Crystal could only be touched by those who were pure of heart, what about this Divine Stone? If it was as sacred as Leviathan made it to sound, the Dark Prince wasn't so certain if he could even touch the stone without suffering a similar fate as Zedd.

Leviathan wasn't setting him up for a fall or was he?

Zodiark had learned to never grant a villain your unwavering trust. After all, he worked for Dark Specter and learned firsthand how manipulative that a villain could be. This journey into the Machine Empire's ruins was beginning to smell very much like a set up to the Dark Prince.

It caused a growl of frustration to rip through Zodiark's throat as he hurled a bolt of darkness against the wall. His hand erupted from the chaotic energy that was burning in the palm of his hand, which caused a massive explosion. The power granted to him by the Dark Lords had completely devastated the wall to the point that he could've cleared out half of the ruins if he so desperately tried.

At this point, Zodiark was attempting to do just that as he gathered his energy. He held a burning ball of darkness up to his face and let out another beastly growl when he took notice of the opening he created.

Instead of a gapping hole that led to another wing of the palace, the Dark Prince discovered a stairwell. It looked ancient and decrypt, but it was possible to assume that it led to someplace important. Dismissing the chaos, Zodiark stayed his hand as he took a step closer to the stairwell. He gazed into the depths to find that nothing but darkness could be seen, but there was something down there that was calling out to him.

Zodiark felt his mind become mesmerized by the call that he blindly began to wander down the stairs. Despite the poor state that they were in, the stairs didn't crumble as Zodiark descended into the darkness. Even in heavy boots, Zodiark was able to safely descend down the stairwell into the darkness until a magnificent radiance began to illuminate his path.

A door was at the end of the stairway with ancient runes in place that were of primordial origin. The Language of Ancients, Zodiark couldn't translate it, but he understood the significance of the markings. They were runes that were meant to seal away something, a powerful force that could create life or take it.

Smirking, Zodiark touched the door and found that the runes shook at his very touch. The seals were breaking from the light pressure placed on the seal until they finally collapsed and the door opened up by itself.

The light was so bright, so intense that Zodiark would've thought himself to go blind by it. However, he pressed onward, onward to the key that would bring him closer to destiny.

* * *

><p>Fighting through a wicked amount of body aches, Eric wasn't sure how he'd survive this lunch date with his father. Well, there was the fact that he got his ass handed to him by Leviathan and his Daimons, but it was also because this was the big showdown with his dad. Eric pinched himself as he tried to remind himself that this wasn't some western shootout.<p>

The whole point of today was just to clear the air of all the issues that him and his dad had against each other. They were both supposed to finally heal after all of that bad blood that had been going between them. This was the day that Eric had been hoping for when he was really young before his heart had turned bitter at the mere thought of the man who was responsible for his existence.

Eric let out a soft sigh as he scratched his head which was covered with small hairs. He had hardly been letting his hair grow only because Connor like him with a bit of hair. He wondered how much longer that would last as he sat with at the table with a glass of sweet tea in front of him.

Why his father chose something as nice as the French Quarter to meet his son for lunch was beyond him.

But speak of the devil, Eric tilted his head up a bit to see the sperm donor. Okay, so that was a little mean and completely uncalled for. At least he didn't say that out loud, which meant that maybe today could turn out to be a somewhat pleasant experience.

Eric painted a fake smile on his face as he stood up to greet his father. Sometimes, it amazed the junior by how much he looked like his father. Not that his father was a bad looking man, at least Eric could say that he would continue to look good to his forties. His dad had just recently turn forty and still looked like he was in his late twenties, which was a good sign for the younger Eric.

"It's good to see you, son," Eric Senior said, while hugging his boy.

The junior pretended to be equally as excited as he hugged him back. He pulled away as soon as the three seconds were up and sent his ass back down onto the chair, a little too quickly though. A slight groan of pain escaped from his lips, which didn't go unnoticed by his father who raised a curious eyebrow.

"Monster trouble?" asked Eric Senior. When his son nodded his head, several memories began to drift to mind. The fight against the Mutants from the year 3000 began to flash into his mind. "Yeah, I remember those days. They weren't great on my body, but I can say I enjoyed my time as a Ranger."

"You still have your powers, dad," Eric reminded him. "You can't exactly complain just yet. Anyways, how is Uncle Wes doing?"

"He's doing great," said his father. "Wes has his hands full with Sky though. That little boy has too much energy for his own good and he completely idolizes the ground that his father walks upon."

Eric wished he could've said the same thing about his dad. He let that thought drop though for a moment as they exchanged the basic pleasantries before they'd venture into the murky waters.

When that happened though, the roof could've been blown off the place.

It started off decent enough at first. No curses were exchanged and no punches were thrown, and there wasn't a table overturned. At least, not yet, the afternoon was still young enough though where anything could happen. The senior and junior were hoping that it wouldn't reach that point though as they began to discuss the real reason why they were here.

"I understand that you can never really forgive me for what I did to you and your mother," started Eric Senior. "I know that it was wrong of me to abandon you both, to become one of the men that I despise with a passion. I used to get on Wes's ass for being so irresponsible, but I was worse than he was. Yes, I took my career seriously, but I failed as a father, which is where he excels in. Wes will and does everything for Sky, he's always there for his boy while I never was. I screwed up bad those first eight years, and I regret it with all my heart. I hope you understand that, son."

Eric took in the sob story with stride. He knew that this is exactly where his father was going to take the conversation, but he wasn't about to buckle down just yet. "You're right," said Eric. "You screwed up bad. For the first five years of my life, I always pestered mom and asked her where my daddy was. Do you know what she told me? 'I don't know'." Eric paused as he remembered those early years. They weren't the most pleasant for him, he remembered always being sad because he always saw his classmates with their dads and moms, while he only had his mom there for him. "She did everything for me. She was my mother and my father. I gave up on you when I turned six, I knew that you didn't want to be part of my life so I decided that I wanted nothing to do with you either. I still really don't want you to be part of my life."

"I figured you'd say that," Eric Senior said, letting out a soft sigh. He began to pull his chair away from the table and made the gesture to stand. "I'll stay out of it then. You're a grown man, you can make your decisions."

"I'm not done yet," said his son. "Sit."

The authoritative tone made it sound like he was the father and not the son. If Eric Senior had actually been part of the young man's life then he would've had reason to smack him. But he had forgone that right so he did exactly what his son wanted without question.

"I don't want you in my life," continued Eric, "but I can't allow myself to be angry with you for the rest of my life. What you did can't be forgiven, but I understand now." There was a pause as Eric began to feel a sense of clarity that he never had before. "You were a coward, you were too afraid to face the fact that you could have a family when that was taken from you when you were just a kid."

"You have to earn redemption, it can't be given upon request, but the least I can do is make it somewhat easy for you. I should at least give you the chance at repairing those bridges that you burned but are so desperate to rebuild. I'll try, but I can't make any promises that this will work out between us. You already missed so much and I can't just stop being angry with you overnight. It's going to be a very long time before I can just forgive you for walking out on me before I was even born."

"I'm willing to make the effort," said his father. "All I ask for is one chance to make things right between us, Eric."

There was a short nod that escaped from Eric as he stared the older man in the eyes. being so good at reading faces, Eric could tell that his father meant what he said, which was enough to make him motivated enough to go through with this. "Then I can give you that," said his son. "I can't promise anything else, but I can give you one chance."

Oddly enough, that once chance would be what saved the both of them from a lifetime of pain. Slowly, they were both freeing themselves from the baggage of the suffering that they had been carrying on their shoulders for over twenty years.

* * *

><p>While father and son were reuniting, the other Rangers were busy with their own reunion of sorts. As they recovered from yesterday's fight, they had decided to go to Skulls and Crosses for a fattening meal that would make all the pain go away.<p>

Landon stared at the menu, drooling at the update list of burgers that had been put up there. He certainly loved Bulk's taste in "fine dining" as he debated between two favorites of his. Ric had a similar thought in mind as he joined Landon's one-sided debate. The two of them were half tempted to split their orders, but they were both too greedy to actually make sharing work even remotely.

While that debate was reaching presidential proportions, Connor couldn't help staring at the fools with much curiosity. He never could understand Landon because well…he wasn't straight. It was just a simple fact that he learned to accept since the guys at Angel Grove High had a similar mindset. As for Ric, he didn't even want to think about what was going on in that head. In fact, he tried to avoid all thought on Ric for that matter since it brought back memories from the fight with Lilith. He wasn't so sure of himself so he thought it best to avoid the subject all together by not thinking about it at all.

Tommy had joined the girls in a riveting argument on what movie they should watch when they defeated Leviathan. It had become a regular tradition for the Rangers to do something after defeating one of the Dark Lords. With Belphagor, they finished celebrating Power Rangers' Day. With Barbatos, they had a movie marathon in the Astro Megaship. With Lilith, well, they sat pretty much in awkward silence as they ate pizza in the Command Center.

Since Leviathan wasn't turning them against each other, they figured that they could stand watching a movie together without causing too much trouble. If only they could agree on what to watch, which only grew worse as Landon and Ric joined the fighting.

But that came to a crashing halt, before they had the chance to order too, as their Communicators began to go off. That only meant no good which was proven to be quite true when Landon answered the call and heard from Cid that the Daimons was attacking the city again.

There went that delicious and fattening lunch. It's time to save the city from evil, again.

* * *

><p>Their chance for redemption was hear as the Rangers went for a rematch against Behemoth and Ziz. The two Daimons had made their way to a courtyard this time around, laying havoc in the wake of their wickedness.<p>

Even though they were short a Ranger, the heroes weren't about to be showed up again. They quickly transformed into their Job Class Forms as they took charge against the Daimons. It was absolutely necessary that they went all out for this one since it was a battle against Daimons and a Dark Lord.

The strategy was similar as before. The Rangers had split up again, but they switched up the order a little bit. Blue Gladiator Ranger and Yellow Machinist Ranger switch targets with hopes that the opposing element would do some damage to the Daimons. Last time, it had been matching elements fighting against each other. This time around, they figured that switching things up might be a little more effective.

Yellow Machinist Ranger was chasing the airborne Ziz with Black Archer Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger. They had decided to send Violet Sage Ranger out for the main charge since she could easily fly herself after the Daimon. Black Archer Ranger followed a similar tactic as he used his speed to help him to keep up as well. Meanwhile, it would be Yellow Machinist Ranger who would go in for the glory shot.

With stars flying around in a chain, Violet Sage Ranger directed her attack after the Daimon. She cracked the chain like a whip as she tried to strike one of the Daimon's wings. Her attack hard narrowly missed her prey, but that's where Black Archer Ranger came in. He went forward and fired two arrows after the Daimon. Both arrows had missed only to be directed by the Ranger to strike the Daimon from behind.

Ziz gave out an awful cry as the shadow covered arrows exploded against his back. Violet Sage Ranger took advantage of this and cracked her starry whip against the body of the Daimon. The first hit was just to knock him around a bit, the second had the chain tangle itself around the body which was then dragged down to the ground.

Upon crashing, Ziz lifted his dizzy head up just as Yellow Machinist Ranger was coming after him. The Daimon's eyes lit up as she pulled the trigger on him. There was a rain of earthly bullets that burned with every shot that struck against his feathery flesh.

With one Daimon crying for momma, the others were handling the massive Behemoth.

Behemoth was being a little more of a pain for them, which was kind of obvious why. He was like a giant bull, there was no stopping those rampaging beasts so easily.

But that didn't stop Blue Gladiator Ranger from trying. He met the Daimon on for a charge with the two of them grabbing each other as they tried to overpower their foe. The Ranger began to spit out a few cocky one liners about how Behemoth wasn't so tough and how he cracked bigger beasts. It was safe to say that these jokes weren't very funny to Behemoth.

The Daimon tried to rip the neck of the Ranger as he craned his head forward. Doing so, however, the Daimon exposed a soft spot in his neck that was quickly exploited by Pink Ninja Ranger. She, literally, appeared from nowhere to strike the spot with her claw. The Daimon howled in agonizing pain as he released Blue Gladiator Ranger to sooth the irritated spot. This caused Blue Gladiator Ranger to deliver a few smashes with his wind-encased hammer, sending Behemoth sailing into the air.

Springing into action, Red Warrior Ranger and White Paladin Ranger charged through the opening to strike. Their swords were encased in their individual elements as they used it to slash against the thick hide of Behemoth. Fire and light left its mark on Behemoth, which was enough to grant the Rangers the final edge that they needed in the fight against the Daimons.

At least one thing was working out for them.

* * *

><p>Now, as the Rangers handled the Daimons, Orange Ranger had finally arrived to the scene after getting away from his dad. The bad air had been cleared out so now he was able to focus his attention on another problem, which today would be fighting evil.<p>

Hauling his Celestial Lance over his shoulder, the Ranger was on his way to unite with his friends. As his boots covered feet helped take him to the battleground, there was a chill that crept into the air just as he was getting close. The sudden cold spell caused the Ranger to pause as he tried to figure out where this was coming for. By taking the moment to asses this, Orange Ranger had left his mind vulnerable to the serpent tongue.

Leviathan stepped through cold mist with his human-like form beginning to cast circles around Orange Ranger. The Dark Lord appeared rather relaxed as his eyes locked into the covered face of the young warrior that stood before him.

"Why are you going to bother fighting?" said Leviathan. "Is there a point to all the violence? You know as well as I do that none of this matters to you at all. What you want to do is rip that Ricardo Cruz's throat out."

The Dark Lord's words tried to sneak their way into Orange Ranger's mind like sweet lullabies. But that's what they were, all lies. At least that's what Orange Ranger tried to remind himself even though he couldn't really move. It was like Leviathan's words were a weight that kept him completely bound.

"Your precious Connor still loves Ricardo," said Leviathan. "You're only a replacement for Ric's dick, Eric. Connor doesn't really love you, at least not in the way that he loves Ric. First love will always triumph over the rebound. We both know that it's true. Why are you fooling yourself into thinking otherwise?"

Leviathan placed on hand over Orange Ranger's heart, attempting to worm his way deeper inside of the conscious. He could tell that his words were already beginning to affect the Ranger because it was everything that he was thinking. "You know, you could end this lie," whispered Leviathan. "I have a wonderful way to fix this mess. If Ric were just so happens to die then there will be nothing to hold Connor back from you. He will take you without any question. You would finally be first. At long last, you would matter enough to be someone's first choice. That's never happened to you before, has it, Eric?"

"Your father abandoned you before you were even born," continued the Dark Lord. "He walked out on you and your mother. That had to have a lasting impact on your life." It was true, Orange Ranger could still feel that childhood scare ripping away at his heart. "What kind of man just abandons his son like that? And your mother, she never truly loved you the way that she should. Sure, she took care of you and taught you well, but you were always the constant remind of what she could've had. Her future was taken from her by a man that didn't even stick around to raise their child. What a mess that turned out to be."

"So here is your chance, Eric," whispered Leviathan. "You have the power to erase all of that pain and suffering. All you have to do is make sure that Ric dies. At least you'll then have Connor in your bed to keep warm at night. Doesn't that sound so much better than the alternative? To never be certain if Connor truly does love you, or worse yet, to have him walk out on you to reunite with his first love? So come on, Eric, don't be a punk. You're nobody's second fiddle. You deserve the best!"

There was so much truth to all of that. Orange Ranger listened to the serpent lies, which stained his mind like wine on a carpet. He could only see red when he turned his head to where Blue Gladiator Ranger was fighting against Behemoth. The hold that he held onto his Celestial Lance with was proof enough of this as he took a few steps forward.

If he got rid of Ric then all of his problems could very well be solved. The pain that had been eating away at his chest would finally be gone. It would be easy too, quick if he did it effectively as the battle was escalating to its boiling point.

But would it really solve anything? Could all of his jealously really do him any good if it might hurt the one person that he loved above all others? Orange Ranger turned his sight towards Black Archer Ranger. Could he do that to Connor? Would that make a difference at all or would it only rip the two further apart?

He already knew the answer to that, he was well aware that his actions would have severe consequences.

So without anymore hesitation, Orange Ranger fought through the spell of jealously that Leviathan held over him. The Ranger pointed the tip of the Celestial Lance at the throat of the Dark Lord with both hands holding onto the weapon firmly.

Leviathan gave out a light sigh as he figured that this might happened. The Rangers were just far too noble to effectively manipulate, but it was worth the shot anyways. "So you made your decision then?" said Leviathan. "You wish to fight me now, do you?" The only response he got from Orange Ranger was an orange flash of light that led to him transforming into Orange Dragoon Ranger. It was obvious that this was going to have to end in battle, which was a bit of a disappointment to Leviathan. "Alright then, if this is your wish. Believe me though, Eric, you would've been better off if you just killed Ric."

"No, it wouldn't have been better," said Orange Dragoon Ranger. "All I would've done was kill a fellow Ranger and subjugated my love with heartache because of my jealousy. I will now allow my envy to destroy those who I care about! My sins are not in control of me. I am in control of me!"

"Big words, little boy," said Leviathan. "Let's see how far that little speech of yours will get you."

The Dark Lord grabbed onto the Celestial Lance and pushed it back to that the blunt end struck the Ranger in the chest. The armor protected him from harm, but it left a lasting impact that would stall the Ranger for a bit. And it did as Orange Dragoon Ranger nearly lost his grip on the lance, Leviathan exploited this by using the lance to help him fling the Orange Dragoon Ranger across the courtyard.

He went sailing away as Leviathan began to add to the mess. The Dark Lord conjured up a surge of energy that he hurled after the armor covered Ranger. Striking the ground with his Celestial Lance, Orange Dragoon Ranger had used his weapon to help stick a decent landing. The lance dug through the cement until the Ranger was able to stop himself from going any further.

Leviathan's attack was getting closer to him though, which meant that the Ranger would need to take action. Orange Dragoon Ranger jumped out of the way of the attack and took charge after the Dark Lord with Celestial Lance in hand. The tip of the lance was aimed for the Dark Lord's heart, which would hardly do a thing even if he did allow it to sink into his flesh.

Which he wouldn't.

Leviathan raised a hand up into the air, conjuring up a chain of icicles. The large icicles were sharp and became almost like spears as he hurled them after the armored Ranger. The barrage of ice was heading straight towards Orange Dragoon Ranger, forcing him to take a great deal of evasive action if he were to avoid getting hit.

Orange Dragoon Ranger couldn't see how he'd break through Leviathan's defenses. The Dark Lord of Envy was already proving himself to be significantly more cunning then the others. Leviathan was really pushing Orange Dragoon Ranger to his wits end, which was leaving him without a single thought on how he could defeat him.

Even with what he learned from the others and how they dug deep within themselves for the answer, he couldn't seem to do that. Even though he had fought Leviathan's hold, Orange Dragoon Ranger was finding it difficult to push through all of his conflicted emotions to find that inner clarity. His emotions were too erratic right now to be of any use at all to him, he stood no chance at all against Leviathan at this rate.

But he couldn't afford to give up either though. Orange Dragoon Ranger understood that this was his personal challenge that he needed to overcome Leviathan on his own in order to pass through this conflict. He couldn't do it though, it was just too difficult for him to face like this. He just couldn't piece himself together long enough to do anything about this.

Seeing all of this weakness, Leviathan knew that this Ranger wasn't about to last much longer. Insanity would soon take hold of him, which would leave him to be nothing more than sitting prey. Leviathan could already see how delicious this meal would taste as he flew across the divide between the two of them. He prepared to reach out to snatch Orange Dragoon Ranger by the neck so that he could snap him apart.

As the hand was reaching out towards him, Orange Dragoon Ranger felt a sudden burst of motivation. It wasn't enough to help him defeat the Dark Lord, but it was the start in the right direction. Thinking back to what happened in the Command Center, Orange Dragoon Ranger struck the ground with his Celestial Lance as he released all of that anger at once. His ability to project force fields responded as it created a thick wall around him that managed to repeal Leviathan back.

The Dark Lord was hurled away from him, which ticked Envy off by doing so. Leviathan couldn't be the guts that Orange Dragoon Ranger had by doing that. There was a certain bit of respect he had for such a trick, but he was still going to get killed for doing that to him.

"Let's test just how strong that wall of yours is!" growled Leviathan. "Rome wasn't built in a day, but I could certainly crumble it in one!" The Dark Lord gathered another surge of dark energy at the palm of his hand. The energy burned with a ferocious intensity that it would've killed a lesser man.

Leviathan released his attack, at once, wishing not to waste another second with this fight.

Orange Dragoon Ranger saw the attack coming and he knew exactly what was about to happen to him. He tightened his grip onto his lance as time itself began to slow down for what felt like an agonizingly, long minute. He briefly peaked over to where his friends were battling the Daimons, they were fighting so hard against them even though they were uncertain of the final outcome. This was something that they had always done, so he had no idea why it seemed to stick out more to him than usual.

Maybe it had something to do with it being the fact that the threat was larger than any other. The Dark Lords were something to worry about, to fear and tremble. But Orange Dragoon Ranger didn't want to be afraid, he didn't want to be uncertain, or give a damn about all of this heartache. He just wanted to move on, he wanted to stay strong for himself and for those that he cared for.

Awakening his full strength, Orange Dragoon Ranger felt a powerful burn swelling up from the depths of his soul. Time resumed as the world seemed to return to its proper place. Clenching onto his lance, Orange Dragoon Ranger knew that this was his only chance to do something about ending this fight.

* * *

><p>The burn was so strong that he could no longer contain it within himself. His entire body began to shine with this burning band of sunlight as he spun the Celestial Lance in his hand. Just as Leviathan's attack was about to reach him too, Orange Dragoon Ranger released his power all at once. He struck the ground with his lance, creating a great pillar of sunlight that turned into a lethal wave of energy that spread halfway throughout the courtyard.<p>

The attack proved to be strong enough to vaporize Leviathan's attack as well as to leave a burning imprint against the Dark Lord of Envy. Leviathan gave out a ferocious yell as the sunlight burnt his flesh, while the sunlight continued to spread until it pierced the Daimons as well. The other Rangers, on the other hand, were immune to the burning affects as they found themselves surprised to see what Orange Dragoon Ranger had done just now.

The burn from the sunlight unleashed by Orange Dragoon Ranger was powerful enough to leave a lasting burn on Leviathan. The Dark Lord threw himself away from the lasting pillar of sunlight as he leaped towards where his Daimons had been beaten back to. The other Rangers began to join their companion, ready to begin the final attack.

Before they could do anything, Leviathan unleashed a tide of energy from his being. His human form began to change as he took on his Daimon form, while Behemoth and Ziz got back on their feet. Changing his appearance, Leviathan's figure turned into that of something that was more of a dragon then man.

A pair of red wings began to spread from his back with yellow membranes, his flesh turned into red scales and a yellow underbelly. He stood on hind legs, his neck was more serpent-like as it easily extended up a few feet but he kept the height of it at a human level. A long, thick tail began to take form with his teeth sharpening into terrifying fangs that let out a beastly hiss as he stared at the Rangers.

The new form was a lot more frightening then the older one. The Rangers found themselves shaking a little as they saw the Dark Lord become more beast than Celestial.

"And now the real fun begins," said Leviathan. "Let us see who will come out victorious!"

Behemoth and Ziz parted ways from their master as they attempted to rush the Rangers. However, it was an unwise move as the two Daimons had already been weakened by the last round against the heroes. The Daimons were putting themselves into reckless danger as the eight Rangers assembled together for battle.

Leviathan stuck to the sidelines as he watched the events unfold before him.

Red Warrior Ranger drew his Aurora Sword up to the sky, consuming his sword with flame. Blue Gladiator Ranger covered his Glory Hammer in a cyclone of wind, while Black Archer Ranger pulled his Heaven Bow back as an arrow made from the purest of shadows. Yellow Machinist Ranger crossed her Holy Pistols together to call forth earthly energy as Pink Ninja Ranger summoned up a surge of water with her Sacred Claws. White Paladin Ranger held up his Solar Blade so that light would stream forth with Violet Sage Ranger twirling her Divine Wand back and forth so that starlight would dance around it. Orange Dragoon Ranger called upon the sunlight once more as he held the Celestial Lance.

All at once, the Rangers unleashed their powers against Behemoth and Ziz. Their individual elements surged in a powerful display of energy that ripped through every defense that the Daimons could've put up. Elemental energy broke the ground apart as it surged through the bodies of the Daimon, while continuing its charge towards Leviathan.

Behemoth and Ziz could only let out agonizing howls as their bodies crumbled apart, vanquished at the hands of the Rangers in an explosion of energy.

The rest of the attack was charging in Leviathan's direction, which would soon tare him apart as well if he didn't do something. Well, it would be far from doing such damage to him. Leviathan could take a hit better than the Daimons could so he wasn't exactly scared as the elemental energy was rippling towards him.

Leviathan would've attempted to put up a shield to protect himself with, but he didn't have to. Instead, a vortex of energy intercepted the elemental attack unleashed by the Rangers. The vortex began to work like a black hole; it sucked away at the energy that the Rangers had used to power their attacks. The source was a mystery to the heroes and the Dark Lord, but Leviathan had a sinking suspicion that he knew who was responsible for all of this.

Eventually, the vortex began to die out as it pulled the full attack in its direction. There was a blinding source of light that sparkled with divine radiance that only could be seen from Paradise. This light was in the mortal realm and it took the form of an orange-red colored crystal that was in the hands of Zodiark.

The Dark Prince stepped through the divide, dressed in his full armor. His long, silver hair flowed through the breeze as he held up the crystal that continued to shine with a remarkable amount of radiance. A dangerous smile formed on his face though with every step that he took, making the Rangers trembled as they found themselves backed into a corner by both Leviathan and Zodiark.

This would be a battle that they couldn't win if they would have to be forced to face them both.

Leviathan, in his demonic form, was a frightening sight to see with a smile. The leathery skin stretched in such a vicious manner with the added bonus of a deep, draconic growl escaping from him. "I see that you've found the Dawn Shard," said the Dark Lord. "In your hands is a gift from the Goddesses who existed in ancient times. And you even managed to successfully carry out one of its abilities."

Zodiark barely made a move to nod his head as the crystal continued to glow in his hand. He dropped his arm down to the side, his eyes gazing back and from the Dark Lord to the Rangers. "You are right, Leviathan," said the Dark Prince. "I do seem to be able to wield the powers of the Dawn Shard. I can feel its power, surging into my body even as we speak."

"Spoken like a member of the Edeonian court," laughed the Dark Lord. The unfamiliar word used by the Dark Lord had seemed to fly over the heads of the Rangers with the exception of Black Archer Ranger. It was as if that word was enough to bring back repressed feelings that brought chills to his spine, a feeling that was also felt by Zodiark in the process. But uncaring to those feelings, Leviathan stepped closer to the Rangers with his fangs drawn. "Now, leave us, Zodiark. I wish to eat the Rangers for a snack."

Feelings of alarm pushed aside, Zodiark found himself glaring at the Dark Lord. He clenched onto the Dawn Shard with a grip that would've crushed a weaker object. "After all the trouble I went through to retrieve this Divine Stone, you dismiss me like I'm nothing?" Zodiark said, with a hint of vengeance. The Dawn Shard began to show signs of reacting to those emotions before the Dark Prince bit down on his tongue to regain his composure. "So be it then. If you are defeated by the Rangers then don't come crying to me."

Vanishing into a dark portal, Zodiark left the battlefield to make his way back to the moon.

Now that he was out of the way, Leviathan turned his sight back onto the Rangers. A snarl escaped from his throat once more as he rushed the Rangers with a blinding amount of speed. Just like before, the Dark Lord lashed out against the heroes in a vicious display of power, this time, his tail did most of the talking as he used it to repeatedly pummel the Rangers.

With their defenses dropping quickly, it was almost certain that the Rangers would lose this fight. Leviathan's tail struck them all like a giant whip as it easily knocked them around in the courtyard until each fell to the ground in defeat.

Laughter filled the air Leviathan began to stomp the ground with his thick feet. He gazed out to the damage that he had delivered to the Rangers, which greatly amused them as each one was laid out on the ground. None of them were moving as they had suffered a great deal of injury from that initial assault against them.

The joy that the Dark Lord felt burning inside of him as he readied to end the suffering for them. The first one on his list would be Blue Gladiator Ranger who was the closest one to him. A smirk formed on his draconic face as he approached the hammer wielding Ranger with his clawed hands sharpening in the process.

"Don't you dare touch him!"

Black Archer Ranger had gotten back on his feet, while Leviathan had his back turned. The boy dropped to one knee as he pulled the bowstring back to fire an arrow at the Dark Lord. His attack managed to strike the Dark Lord's right wing, leaving a lasting impression as the arrow pierced the flesh. A light growl rippled through the Dark Lord as he spun his frightening body around to face the one who dared to attack him.

The yellow eyes of the Dark Lord burned as he barred teeth at the boy. He would've torn the boy asunder until he saw through the light-armored uniform that he wore. For a single moment, Leviathan saw through the Ranger to see just who resided within. And here he claimed that Lilith was crazy when she warned him of a power living inside this Ranger.

Leviathan had just begun to back down when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The first thing to come to mind was the First's wrath reaching through the dimensional divide to punish him. Instead, the Dark Lord felt the pain to be significantly lesser than that which the First wielded. It was then that Leviathan took notice to the small line that was against his muscular chest, which had been put there by the tip of a lance.

Head turning slightly to the side, Orange Dragoon Ranger could be seen standing further to the side with his weapon in hand. He stood with a heroic posture as the Dragoon armor covered his body, signifying his strength and determination.

It was downright adorable from the point of view of the Dark Lord. He couldn't help but to laugh as he placed a clawed hand over the wound on his chest. "You look a little green, Orange Ranger," said Leviathan. "Is it because I was right after all? He didn't protect you, he rose up to protect another." The sound of his voice was still beastly, but it was an attempt to taunt the Ranger. Even the others heard it, but were unable to piece together just what the Dark Lord of Envy was saying. "Now, could it really be that you'll never be his first choice? You are nothing more than a runner up."

"What I am to him doesn't matter," Orange Dragoon Ranger said, calmly. "All that matters is that I won't allow you to touch him. I will not allow your kind to hurt him or anyone else!" Turning his body back around, he held up his Celestial Lance, pointing it at the face of Leviathan. The tip was dangerously close to poking the Dark Lord, but he failed to show any sign of fear.

Leviathan continued to laugh though, despite the obvious threat. He remained still for a moment before his body began to glow yet again as he prepared to unleash the Rangers' real test. The Dark Lord vanished from the ground, ascending up to the sky in a streak of dark light that could only mean one thing.

Orange Dragoon Ranger gathered his friends together as he threw his arm up into the air and summoned the Sentinel Zords.

The Zord heeded the call and came forth from the dimensional portal. Each Ranger jumped into their Zord and quickly activated the Megazord sequence as Leviathan grew into a true giant. As Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord were landing, Leviathan was beginning to show off his newest form.

This time around, Leviathan took the form that was a little different than his traditional interpretation. He became a monstrous alligator that bore red, scaly flesh with a yellow underbelly as well. His tail split off to form two points towards the end of it. With his alligator-like face, Leviathan unleashed another beastly growl as he appeared before the Rangers in his newest form.

Not wasting a single second, the Rangers unleashed the attacks against the Dark Lord. Cherub Sentinel Megazord released its "Cherub Wheel of Fate" with the attack cutting into the exposed underside of Leviathan. As for Seraph Sentinel Megazord, it unleashed its "Seraph Heaven's Eruption" with the burning attack taking form of a fiery orb. The Megazord tossed the attack at Leviathan with the orb erupting upon impact as the fiery ring at the back of the Megazord began to ignite its energy.

However, it could never be that easy to defeat a Dark Lord.

Leviathan was back and ready for more as he spewed out a ferocious blast of dark water from his gigantic jaw. The water became more like fiery as it tore through the shields of the two Megazords. The Rangers found themselves having a hard time trying to break through the attack sent by the Dark Lord, so they were forced to stick it through until the very end.

Eventually, Leviathan closed his mouth as he needed to recover a bit. In order to make up for the delay, Leviathan swung his sharp tail at the Rangers' Megazords in hopes of crushing the metal into nothing.

Both Megazords managed to avoid getting hit by the first tail swing. The second assault, they weren't as fortunate as Leviathan attacked with a greater amount of speed. Leviathan was able to swat the Rangers out from the sky, forcing them to crash into the ground.

But just as Leviathan was about to spring his next attack, the Rangers activated the Ultrazord. A wave of energy erupted from the Megazords that temporarily stunned Leviathan as the two Megazords combined to form Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord.

With their ultimate weapon put together, the Rangers charged into action. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord flew forward to latch onto the stunned Dark Lord with its robotic arms. The Ultrazord attempted to raise Leviathan up into the air, but found that the Dark Lord was a little too heavy for that. The Dark Lord of Envy had to laugh at the attempt as he snuck his tail back around to lash out at the robotic backside of the Ultrazord.

"Damnit!" shouted Red Ranger. "This snake just won't give up already."

"Try using the sword!" said Violet Ranger.

As the Ultrazord managed to get away from Leviathan, the heroes summoned their greatsword to action. The Centennial Ultra Sword came to their hand and they used it to slash at the exposed underbelly of the Dark Lord. The impact of the attack was enough to cause Leviathan to hiss at them as he stumbled backward on his hind legs.

Leviathan attempted to spew out another stream of dark water at the Rangers, but the heroes managed to block the attack. They had gathered all the power that they could into the Centennial Ultra Sword to release their ultimate attack. "Cosmic Final Arcanum!" shouted the eight Rangers. With the eight gems glowing, the Ultrazord unleashed a powerful slash that ripped through the tide and smashed Leviathan against the face.

Still though, Leviathan wasn't backing down. If anything, the Rangers only succeeded in pissing him off further.

"Okay," said Yellow Ranger. "This really isn't looking good, you guys."

"What else can we do?" said Black Ranger. "That was our strongest attack!"

"We'll just have to use a stronger one," said Orange Ranger. "Everyone, put your power into the Ultrazord now!"

Orange Ranger led the charge as he placed his hand over the exposed Crystal Morpher. A stream of orange energy began to leave his body as his determination took new form. The other Rangers followed the gesture and repeated his movement. Their Crystal Morphers responded as well by the sheer willpower of the Rangers.

Leviathan gave out a monstrous growl as he prepared to unleash an unstoppable attack. The Dark Lord began to gather all of his energy together for what would be the final blow. This was an attack that the Rangers were attempting to perform as well, which would be far quicker than what the Dark Lord could accomplish at the moment.

The Centennial Ultra Sword and the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord began to shine with renewed energy as it faced Leviathan. The power that the Rangers were pouring into the Ultrazord was enough to grant them power that they hadn't thought about unearthing yet.

All eight gems erupted with energy as a stream of heavenly energy began to circle around the greatsword. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord held the weapon up as it prepared to unleash its full power. Within the cockpit, the Rangers raised one arm up into the air while the other still hovered over their Crystal Morpher.

"Cosmic Heaven Annihilation!"

Raising the greatsword to the sky, a bolt of light came down from the sky to further ignite the weapon. Leviathan had taken notice of this and grew threatened as he paused from the sight of this. Exploiting this opening, the Rangers released the power without any hesitation. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord grabbed the Centennial Ultra Sword with both hands before bringing it down to unleash that destructive energy.

As if the heavens themselves were on fire, the Rangers' attack shattered through all of Leviathan's defenses. The Dark Lord of Envy howled into the sky as his body was torn with anguishing fury. The heavenly light ripped the Dark Lord apart, triggering a loud and powerful explosion that was followed by the Dark Lord's retreat.

Still though, victory had been given to the Rangers with them cheering in celebration even though their actions only brought the world a step closer to doom.

* * *

><p>Dawn Shard in hand, Zodiark carried in his hands a weapon greater than any other in the entire universe. If he so wished to, he could dispose of all the Dark Lords at once, but he did not fully understand just how powerful the crystal in his hand was. Something that Leviathan could be thankful for as he stood in front of the Dark Prince, holding up his injured carcass.<p>

After the defeat at the hands of the Rangers, Leviathan had returned to the Moon a defeated Dark Lord. The price for failure was the soulless lives of his two, favorite Daimons. Behemoth and Ziz had proven their usefulness to him in the end at least, which was more than Leviathan could say about the other Daimons that lived in the Underworld.

All Leviathan cared about though was the brilliant shine of the Dawn Shard. He gazed into the crystal with a familiar longing that had sent Faithful Celestials down into the pit.

"You found the shard and it yields to your commands," Leviathan whispered to Zodiark. The Dark Lord longed to touch the crystal, but withheld his hand. He was far from being worthy and even remotely able to use the power held within. "Our plans have been greatly escalated. We now hold the power of overthrowing Beelzebub."

"So then use the blasted thing," said Zodiark. He extended his pale hand forward, pushing the Dawn Shard towards the Dark Lord. The crystal's shine was utterly magnificent, it could've illuminated and destroyed the entire castle if he so desired it. "You know how to use it so unleash its power against Beelzebub."

Leviathan shook his head as he pushed the Dawn Shard back towards the Dark Prince. "Beelzebub would take the crystal if it was in my hands," said the Dark Lord of Envy. "I do not posses the power to use or even protect the crystal. You, on the other hand, can use the crystal's power against Beelzebub. Even if he knows that we have the crystal, he wouldn't dare to try and steal it from your hands."

Zodiark huffed as he tried to piece together this fear that the Dark Lord was shamefully displaying. There was much more to the story then what Leviathan had been leading on, it certainly had to deal with this Edeonian Empire.

"And I'm assuming that we'd wait to destroy Beelzebub until after your king is free?" asked Zodiark. "That is the plan, correct? You need the Rangers to battle each of you in order for the seals to have a clean break."

"Yes," said Leviathan. "That is why Daemon will be next to battle the Rangers. When he falls then Beelzebub shall be the last of us to fight against the Rangers with the Final Seal being broken in the aftermath of the battle."

"Then perhaps you need a weapon to deal with this coming war," said Zodiark. Extending his other hand, a surge of light flashed into his hand as a sword appeared. The sword that he had uncovered in Egypt, it appeared rather plain to the sight but that was because it was dormant. The sword appeared to be a simple longsword because it was not in the hands of someone who knew how to release its true form.

Leviathan smiled as he took the sword from his hands. The stench of the blade helped to identify just who had forged this Celestial Weapon as well as its wielder who were both one and the same. "Mikhail's sword," Leviathan said, softly. "I never imagined that we'd come across this. You uncovered an ancient weapon without even realizing it, Zodiark. This belonged to our brother, one of the strongest up in the Heavenly Realm."

"And what of this?" asked Zodiark. The other weapon that he held up was a large mace. Again, the weapon was in a dormant state because Zodiark had no idea just how to unleash the incomprehensible power that was contained within. "I know that this is no ordinary mace. It has a power contained within that I cannot breach."

"Once again, Zodiark, you found the key to another ancient weapon," said Leviathan. "I highly recommend that you keep the Mace of the Void under lock and key. I will teach you how to use it, someday soon, but not until after we've overthrown Beelzebub and revived my king."

The Dark Lord ended the conversation there as he vanished before Zodiark's sight. His words continued to linger in the air, which left behind a feeling of unease for the Dark Prince as he desperately sought the answers to his questions. Zodiark saw so much, but nothing could be pieced together with what little he knew about these Celestials.

Time was not on the side of the Rangers nor on his, thought Zodiark. The Dark Prince knew that it was almost time for the final battle to reach the world with the fist of pure evil suffocating the universe in his wake. As he held the Dawn Shard, Zodiark could see that the storm was about to reach its full fury.

But still, there was nothing more that he could do unless he figured out what all of this meant.

* * *

><p>Waiting by the lake, Eric stared out to the water with an anxious feeling worming its way into his chest. He had finally pulled together enough of his courage to do this, but that didn't meant it would make any of this any easier on them. There was nothing else he could do though, Eric had to know the truth and he needed to know where he stood.<p>

One day after the battle against Leviathan, Eric had mustered up the courage to confront Connor about his feelings. Nearly going off to attack Ric was cause enough for Eric to finally make this stand. He couldn't continue this relationship if Connor still had real feelings for the other Ranger. It wouldn't be fair to Eric if they continued on like this, he had to make sure that Connor's heart belonged to him.

But the very real possibility that it didn't was enough to make him feel as if a knife was hovering over his heart.

About five minutes passed before Eric heard the voice that always made his heart skip a beat. He turned behind him to see Connor running over towards him with a precious smile plastered onto his face. The boy was the picture of sweetness, and that made Eric's gust knots together as this feeling of anguish began to grow all the more severe for him.

Connor dropped down to his knees beside his boyfriend, still smiling as he knelt on the grass. "Hey you," the boy said, happily. "What is it that you wanted to talk about so badly? You've been acting kind of weird these last couple of days."

"I know," Eric said, softly. "I'm sorry about that, but I've been doing a lot of thinking about us." The whole 'thinking about us' phrase was never a good sign. It usually led down a bad road; Eric took notice to that heart wrenching look on Connor's face. "There's something I need to ask you and I need you to tell me the whole truth, no matter what."

Somehow, Connor had a very bad feeling about where this was going. He could sense that it was something that could either make or break them, but he wasn't certain what it was. "Of course," Connor said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "You know that I wouldn't lie to you."

Eric nodded his head before reaching out to take Connor's hand. The boy was shaking from his touch and he had yet to even ask the question, so it was time to just blurt it out. "I know what you said to Ric when we were fighting Lilith," Eric said, calmly. "When we attacked you and while he was choking you, you said that you still love him. Connor…I need to know what you mean by that. I know that Ric is your first everything so you can't just erase him from your heart, but I have to know if you still want to be with him."

The moment the question left him, Eric knew that there was no taking it back. Connor's hand wasn't shaking in his grip anymore, but he could tell that the boy was at a complete loss at what to say and do.

For a moment, Connor had completely stopped breathing. As soon as Eric had said that he heard him then Connor knew that there was no turning back. All of the tension that had been growing between them really began to make sense now, but it wasn't exactly what Connor wanted to think about. He didn't want to have to be pushed into this corner, but it was a fair question to ask and what that he had to answer honestly.

But Connor had no idea just how to answer that without doing too much harm to Eric. He loved Eric, he didn't want to lose him like he had lost Ric. But could he really lie about what was going on with his heart? He couldn't deny that the feelings were there, but a lot of things were in his heart. All those weird dreams he's been having about Zodiark for starters, but he knew that he couldn't tell anyone about that.

So he needed to focus on the problem staring him with painful eyes. Connor could see just how much pain Eric was in so he had no choice but to let the truth out. As much as it would hurt, it was better then the pain that they'd be stuck with in the long run.

"A part of me still does," Connor whispered, softly. "I love you so much more though, Eric, but…but I just can't help but to wonder."

Eric closed his eyes as he took his hand away from Connor. He didn't want to have to picture the hurt look on the boy's face from this action, but he looked anyways to see the expression. Connor's eyes were watering up with tears as Eric went to stand up on his own two feet.

"You might love me, but it sounds like you're still really in love with Ric too," said Eric. "I don't want to be the other guy or the guy you're settling for. I want to be your one and only just as I know that you're mine."

There was nothing else that needed to be said. Still though, Eric felt himself hesitating from leaving, but he couldn't stay either. He pushed himself to keep on moving without looking back at his love. He would just have to wait until Connor could figure out who he wanted more, hopefully that would be him.

Connor couldn't do anything to stop him, he knew that Eric needed to leave. With blond bangs falling into his eyes, Connor knew that this was the price he had to pay for being in love with two boys at once. He needed to make up his mind about who he really was in love with, he knew that he had to do this if he was going to have any shot of being with Eric.

It still didn't make things easier though as the boy watched him leave.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Tommy goes through his own personal challenge while Daemon attacks the city. The Dark Lord proves to be a force far more devastating then the Rangers could possibly imagine. But with Tommy out of the fight as he battles the mystery within himself, is he a real person or just a shadow of Tommy Oliver, the Rangers are at a serious disadvantage. Find out what will happen to the Rangers in **Dark Lord of Wrath! **


	32. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: Let's just say I'm exhausted after writing this chapter. And beware of heavy spoilers! This chapter contains major information that will be critical for the remainder of Angel Force, as well as dropping hints to the plotline for Galactic Pirates. That's all that needs to be said. Read and review!  
><strong>

**Dark Lord of Wrath:**

The blackened corridors of Castle Pandemonium could at times be a giant maze. The castle was specifically designed by Thrax to ward off any intruder who might dare enter. However, when Blue Ranger and Orange Ranger had broken into the castle, they succeeded in escaping due to Thrax's spell being weakened due to him being incapacitated. With the mutant fully conscious, the spell was in full affect and even succeeded in disorienting the Dark Lords and Zodiark's warriors.

However, the Dark Lords eventually saw through the illusions and easily began to stalk the halls of the castle. The constant terror put into the place by the Fallen Celestials caused many of the castle's inhabitants to stay hidden.

All of the Putties knew not to wander out into the open for fear of being vaporized by the spiteful Dark Lords. Kratein stayed hidden in his chambers with Helios being staying faithful to him by guarding the room that housed the Prince. Bakari and Lightning stayed in her chambers due to the close proximity to Thrax's private chambers. As for Umbra, he was the only one really foolish enough to wander without any care in the world. A large part of that had to deal with him being completely insane. Even Zodiark seemed to be cautious as he was greatly uncertain of this partnership that had been established between him, Leviathan, and Daemon. As for Thrax, well, since he's been shamed by the Dark Lords for their takeover of his home, he rarely left his chambers as he plotted revenge.

As of right now, the only one brave enough to venture into the corridors at this late hour was Dark Knight. The armored warrior kept one hand on the hilt of his sword while his other hand conjured an energy shield. The knight was attempting an escape of the castle, despite knowing that he would be breaking his fealty to Thrax by doing so. But the consequences of remaining in the castle so close to the Day of Reckoning were just too severe.

Dark Knight was constantly on the defense as he tried to flee for some place on the furthest edges of the universe. If he could only manage to hide for a few months without the Dark Lords finding him then everything would end well. He would escape Fate if he could just stay as far away from this solar system as mortally possible. There was too much riding on him, the very order of the cosmos could be disrupted if he failed and was captured by the Dark Lords again.

The knight understood his fate. He understood his part in the role that would bring the universe to its downfall. Even for someone who fought on the side of evil, Dark Knight would not wish this total destruction on anyone. Unlike the other incarnations of evil who sought domination, what the Dark Lords sought was utter annihilation of all life in order to sedate their vengeance against the Creator.

The darkness covered Dark Knight well as the armored man approached the nearest exit. He managed to avoid detection for this long, he truly believed that he would manage to escape destiny if he could successfully make it out of the castle.

However, Fate was utterly cruel as Dark Knight felt his entire body being frozen still. Dark Knight fought to stretch his hand out to the door that would lead him to where he and the rest of the universe would be safe. But that was impossible now, the force that contained him was too powerful for him to resist and it was dangerously close to strangling him to an inch of his life.

"You only need to be alive to say yes," uttered the cruel voice of Daemon. Emerging from the shadows, the Dark Lord stepped into the dim light of the corridor to stand beside Dark Knight. His beastly breath was hammering against the armored man as the Dark Lord gazed into the covered eyes with his vengeful red ones. "There is no escaping your destiny, Dark Knight. You will say yes to my master."

"I will do no such thing," hissed Dark Knight. "I will not submit to such a fate! You cannot force me, Fallen Beast. Your kind is still bound by Celestial decree. You cannot force a living being into taking in your soul, the Vessel must give consent!"

"We are well aware of the rules, mortal. Leviathan and I are amongst the Old Ones, we were there when the law was forged by the Four Sons!" said Daemon. "But you forget that you are a True Vessel. Your fate is absolutely sealed. There is no escaping, you will concede to our leader soon or later. When we free him from his cage, he will claim your body as his own and he shall walk amongst the mortals. Nothing can stop us now that we are so close to accomplishing our millennium goal."

Dark Knight gave out a bitter roar as Daemon applied pressure on the psychic bounds. The knight was forced into a catatonic state that he would remain in until the Day of Reckoning was upon them. Daemon would awaken him then, but for not, the knight needed to be silenced before he caused anymore trouble for them.

* * *

><p>Beelzebub sat near the throne with a stone tablet in hand as he used it to map out the chain of stars outside the castle. He checked his calculations once more to make certain that the alignment was on an approximate date. A smirk began to form on the face of the cunning, masked face of the Dark Lord as he saw that the date was upon them.<p>

The time to release the Dark Lord of Pride was almost here. In only a matter of weeks, the planetary alignment would take place with Venus being in its key position. The final seal needed to be broken on that specific date and hour in order to shatter the cage. Also, the true vessel would be required, who was currently being manhandled by Daemon.

Even though he was an aggressive beast, Daemon still was useful in keeping people in line and making sure they bent over to their superior will. Beelzebub could clearly see that things were going to be kept on schedule with the way that things have been progressing. As soon as Daemon had his battle against the Rangers then Beelzebub would make his comeback. After that, the balance of power would be adequately disrupted to the point where there would be no stopping them.

Soon, the universe will bleed into certain destruction as the King of Pride was awakened.

And all of this needed to be done in a timely fashion. Even as the Dark Lords orchestrated his return, Beelzebub could sense that something was greatly amiss. Gluttony saw with his own two eyes that Zodiark had retrieved the Dawn Shard, which meant that Leviathan was plotting against him. He was no fool, he knew that Leviathan bore no love for him, and neither did Daemon. The only reason Beelzebub had so much control was because Lilith, Belphagor, and Barbatos hadn't shown any signs of hate towards him. Without their power then Beelzebub wouldn't be able to stand a chance.

But that was not his reason for concern. Beelzebub was more frightened by what was lurking within Zodiark. Well, not so much as within but around the Dark Prince. Beelzebub could see that Zodiark was only the puppet to a larger power; an entity that even the Dark Lords knew to be terrified of.

The First was not to be trifled with. Beelzebub was well aware that the First really wasn't a fan of his, which was a mutual feeling. However, there was nothing that Beelzebub could really do against about Zodiark without risking the First from stirring from _his_ own divine prison.

It was all becoming quite a handful for the Dark Lord. Things would've been so much simpler for Beelzebub if he could've just maintained utter control on his fellow Dark Lords, but that was impossible. They have all grown too independent since their banishment from Paradise. There was no uniformed structure that kept them united with the exception for the desire for revenge. Only their bloodlust kept some form of stability amongst them and that was it.

Beelzebub knew it would only be a matter of time for when that wouldn't be enough. He only hoped that by then he'd gather enough power to not have to bow down to anyone.

As Gluttony moved about in the throne room, the other Dark Lords stayed on the sidelines. Belphagor appeared as tired as ever as he lounged about on the steps. Barbatos was close towards him, counting the worth of the jewelry that was dangling from his neck. Lilith, on the other hand, was busy fixing her hair as she stretched legs on a sofa she had the Putties bring in for her.

Leviathan and Daemon remained utterly silent as they stood off to the side. It had already been established that Daemon was the next Dark Lord to attack the Earth. Despite all his violent attempts at being selected before, Daemon had yet to make his move which was rather disturbing. The other Dark Lords that a calm and relaxed Daemon was far more terrifying then a berserk, homicidal Daemon.

What those two had up their sleeves no doubt involved the removal of Beelzebub. The ill feelings that they felt for their de facto leader was plenty obvious amongst all of their organization, even half of the Underworld was privileged to this information. The best versed in all of this were the other Fallen; Leviathan and Daemon blamed Beelzebub for the war that led to their Fall. After all, it was common knowledge that Beelzebub was one of the grand orchestrators of the infamous rebellion that led to the great rift that is now known as good and evil.

"So when are you gonna strike, hubby?" Lilith said, examining her nails next. She raised an eyebrow at Daemon as she tried to catch his attention. When he ignored her, Lilith decide to throw her hand mirror at his chest in order to be listened to. The glass cracked upon impact, leaving not a single trace on his body. "You've been itching at the seams to attack the Earth, but you're still standing around here with the rest of us. Why don't you hurry up and go do something already? You're creeping us all out."

"She does have a point," Barbatos said as he summoned a smoking pipe. "Why don't you go do something about the Rangers, Daemon? Teach them a little lesson in humility for their superiors."

"I say make them bleed and cry," yawned Belphagor.

"That sounds like fun," Lilith said with a sigh. "Sadly, I won't be a part of this much longer. It seems that Fate really is a cruel bitch."

Ignoring her cryptic words, Daemon began to step forward. His human face still covered up the beast that lurked within as he gazed upon the rest of his comrades. "You do not rush me," growled Daemon. And there was the Daemon that they knew and loved. Violent and on the verge of killing a couple of puppies just how they liked him. "I will strike with full force once I have the power to do so. I still need a few moments to gather my strength for what will be our finest hour."

"Yeah yeah," said Barbatos. "Quit yammering and get to attacking."

Daemon spewed a breath of fire from his mouth that ended up burning Barbatos's robes. The wizen man put out the growing flames as the temperamental Dark Lord began to laugh. Daemon vanished from view, choosing to rest elsewhere as Barbatos glared in the disappearing trail.

* * *

><p>The sky was clear and the stars were shinned brightly above Angel Grove. Many of the people were assembled towards downtown for the monthly Art Walk that was hosted by the city's entertainment council. The typical venders were there to show off jewelry, paintings, sculptures, and other creative works that could be sold. At the heart of the park where the event was centered around was a stage where local bands and musicians would perform.<p>

Currently, a Spanish guitarist was dazzling the crowd with the hypnotic, Latin inspired cords that sent people flocked to dance. Parents dragged their little ones to dance with them, while happy couples were amongst the largest in number. One of those couples just so happened to be Haley and Tommy.

Haley had been coming to Art Walk for the past two years since the city started this fund little event. She normally went with friends, but for the past couple of months she's been bringing Tommy instead. She enjoyed spending time with her boyfriend and being able to be do fun things like dancing in the park or just walking from booth to booth was better than going out to dinner and a movie.

Even Tommy couldn't help but to enjoy himself as he spun Haley around to the beautiful music that was being played. The rhythm that came from the guitar was powerfully hypnotic to the point where the couple feared that this man was Sweets in disguise. They didn't want to go through another musical drama with that particular Daimon, not when they were already struggling with just the Dark Lords.

But those unhappy thoughts needed to be pushed aside. The Rangers managed to survive two days without getting hit with another Dark Lord attack. Since that was the case, the team had pretty much decided to take this downtime to recover from all of the fighting. Even their usual training missions were put on a brief hold. They were all exhausted since they had fought Leviathan and Lilith almost back to back.

And to think, there were two more Dark Lords that the Rangers knew absolutely nothing about and Beelzebub was still out there too.

Still, all of those thoughts on business needed to be dismissed. Today would be a day of having fun and dancing to good music. That was exactly what Haley had in mind as she wiggled her hips in front of Tommy with a cheerful grin on her face. She placed one of her hands on his right shoulder with the other hand on his hip. Since Tommy wasn't that strong of a dancer when it came to Latin music, Haley needed to teach him some of the proper steps.

The easiest thing to remember when dancing to any form of Latin music was to wiggle your hips. Nearly every dance required you to dance from the hips for reasons that she wasn't sure why. One of Haley's theories was that it dealt with men objectifying women because their tits and asses tended to move around more. Now for women, she had to admit that her gender could get almost as bad as men when it came to objectifying a sexy man who knew how to shake it.

"Alright," Haley said, talking above the music, "do you think you got it now? Do I have to show you this move again or can you lead now?"

Removing the hand from his shoulder, Tommy held onto the delicate fingers while placing his other hand on Haley's waist. He did exactly what she had told him to do but even threw in his own trick by doing a graceful dip with her. "I think I got it now," said Tommy. His lips were close to hers as he kept her dipped back.

Haley had to applaud him for that one. She could at least say that her boyfriend was a quick learner, which made this all the more fun for her as she pushed them back up. She quickly humbled Tommy down a bit by stunning him with a more advanced technique. Tommy had a little more trouble keeping up with her.

"You're cheating," Tommy said with a smile. "Your mom's been teaching you to dance for years."

A disagreement brewed there. Haley continued to shake her hips around a bit with one hand hanging onto Tommy's shoulder. She pressed herself closer to him with her lips just about to touch his. "It's not cheating," Haley said, seductively. "I'm just talented." Licking her lips, she pushed herself away for another move that left Tommy a little hot and bothered.

Tommy tried to catch up with her as she danced her way off the dance mat. Her heels would slow her down since the grass was a little muddy from all the rain that they had in the morning. As he thought, Haley couldn't quite escape from him which made it easier on him to latch onto her before she could escape.

Neither one could help but to laugh as they were spun round and round. For a second there, Haley's dressed hiked up a bit, but nothing could be seen since she kept her legs down and Tommy's sleeves blocked the exposed skin. Tommy dropped Haley so that her feet were on the concrete now, while his boots continued to sink on the muddy grass. Using this to her advantage, Haley pressed down on Tommy's shoulder as she forced him to lift her up yet again.

Being held up in his arms, Haley continued to smile while the music continued to flow around them. She briefly kissed his cheek, while Tommy continued to carry her over towards the nearest bench that wasn't being occupied.

The two of them gave up on the laughing and dancing for the night as they sat comfortably on the bench. Haley rested her curls on Tommy's shoulder with a very content sigh leaving her throat as she turned her head up to the starry sky.

"It's a beautiful night," Haley said, softly.

"It makes you wonder how many more beautiful nights there will be," Tommy said, while wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He pulled his girlfriend a little closer towards him as he gazed up into the sky with her. "All of this fighting, I don't know if we can keep winning at this rate. The Dark Lords just keep getting stronger and stronger. Where is the limit to their powers?"

"That's a good question," Haley said, calmly. "But I don't want to dwell on it. Tonight, I just want to think about nothing but us." She pulled her head away from his shoulder as she adjusted her body around a bit. She wrapped her thinner arms around his neck with her legs also being draped over his lap. "I love you, Tommy."

A smile grew on his face as Tommy leaned his face closer towards her. "I love you too, Haley," he said, softly. He gently brushed aside a stray curl before going in for that kiss. His lips touched her, bringing a chill to his body.

He held her close as his lips continued to caress hers. It was a wonderful moment that reached an abrupt end as one awful thought crossed his mind.

How could Haley love someone who wasn't a real man?

Tommy's body tensed up from this reflection, but Haley didn't seem to notice. She continued the kiss even as those thoughts began to assault his mind.

In the end, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, what Tommy had with Haley could never last. Tommy was just a clone that was meant to be replace the greatest Power Ranger that the Earth has ever known. A clone wasn't supposed to fall in love, he wasn't supposed to settle down, and he could really never start a family of his own.

Just thinking about it was enough to crush Tommy's heart, and even he doubted that those feelings were even real.

* * *

><p>Eric brushed the sticky sweat from his face as he started to pant for air. The cool air stroked against his naked torso with his track pants covered legs feeling a little shaky from all that running he did this morning. He ran over three miles in the past half an hour. It wasn't his personal best, but it was difficult to run almost fifteen minutes for three miles straight without feeling like shit.<p>

Between the feeling in his wobbly legs, the quivering of his abdominal muscles, and the personal issues, Eric was less than thrilled with things. Part of this sadistic attack on his body had to deal with what had happened between him and Connor. All of this exercise was just an outlet for him not think about the very short talk that they had. That image kept on replaying in his mind the way that Connor looked almost devastated by what Eric said.

Even though Eric could tell that Connor understood the problem, it didn't make things any easier on them both. Eric was half tempted to run to Connor and beg for some kind of forgiveness. Then he constantly reminded himself that it was for the best, he couldn't be with Connor if the boy didn't even know who he really loved.

It still sucked like no other as Eric collapsed against a tree in the middle of the park. The one bright side to all of this was that he didn't have to worry about Haley jumping out of nowhere to karate chop him. Connor and him made it clear to the rest of the team that this was done through mutual means.

At ten o'clock, the park was buzzing with plenty of people. It was the middle of summer too so that just double the total crowd with the diversity being kids playing at the playground, people playing some kind of sport, nature gazers, people watchers, or sadistic folks like Eric who were waging a war against their bodies.

At least he wasn't stuck her alone. There was nothing worse than being the only guy at a park because it looked like you were cruising for a "straight bro" to have some gay sex behind a bush. Yeah, he's seen a couple of those here in Angel Grove and Silver Hills. He even got eye fucked just a couple of minutes ago by some old guy who was very interested in what the young man had to offer.

Of course, that offer was declined and ignored by Eric's ingenious methods. Mainly, it just involved Eric telling the old guy to fuck off.

But back to this reality, Eric was just beginning to really relax against his tree when he felt something cold. The cold was gradually getting closer to him until he realized that it was something very cold that was inches away from his skin. He opened his weary eyes to see that it was bottle of water being held up by a young hand.

"I figured you'd be done with your workout by now," said Connor's soft voice. "I figured that you might need this."

Eric let out a soft huff as he accepted the bottle from his hand. He tore the cap open and began to slug down the cold water. It felt wonderful against his overheated body, but he'd knew that he'd regret it later when he got stomach cramps from it.

Connor sat down on the ground with Eric. He was dressed up rather different then his usual, emo-punk boy self. He had on a very simple pair of cargo shorts with a black v-neck, something that Eric found a little unusual. When Connor pulled his skinny legs closer to his chest, part of his shorts began to slip to reveal part of his thighs.

Eric ignored the glimpse of skin as he focused on the water. He guzzled about half of that before finally paying attention to Connor. "Have you talked to Ric yet?" asked the older boy. "Have you even thought about what I said?"

"I have," Connor said, sounding guilty. The boy turned his head to the side, his bleach blond hair hanging off to the side a little bit. "You're absolutely right about everything. It's wrong for me to be with you if I'm still in love with Ric. I can't help it though that my heart loves the both of you."

"And I don't blame you for that," Eric said, reminding Connor of that point. Now, he actually faced the boy with his full attention. He gently took hold of one of Connor's hands, holding that familiar hand against his rougher hand. "I could never ask you to stop loving someone. We are capable of loving an infinite amount of people. All that I'm asking you, Connor, is to decide who your heart really belongs to. There is no way that we can be together if you love Ric and me the same way. One of us has to be above the other on that scale in order for you to have a functional relationship with either one of us."

"I know," Connor said, sadly. He scooted closer to Eric, which he found little resistance on the elder's part. He inhaled Eric's musky scent that was spiced a little stronger thanks to all the sweat. "I just don't want to lose you. I really do love you, Eric."

"I know that, love." Eric lightly kissed Connor's forehead with his sweaty arms wrapped around him now. He didn't know how the two of them got into this familiar position, but it was nice to still be able to get so close to him. "You have to take the time to seriously think about this though. I stand by whatever decision that you make, but I really think that you need to talk to Ric soon. If you can't even agree to fix what failed between you then how can you possibly get back together with him."

"You're right," Connor said, pressing his face against Eric's chest. He pressed his hands up against the slick chest as he faced the sunny sky that was beating down above them. "You're right." The boy knew that he had to make the first move in order to find out how anything would work out, but not now. There was too much going on; he'd wait until at least they were done fighting against the Dark Lords.

Eric knew that, but it was nice hearing that every now and again.

* * *

><p>In the Command Center, Serena found that it was surprisingly secluded for a change. She normally came here to bother somebody since it tended to get very lonely in the Astro Megaship. If one of the other Rangers weren't here then she could at least talk to Adam or Alpha, but those two were busy checking on the repairs on the Sentinel Zords. Since the fight against Leviathan, a lot of energy got depleted just like with Bahamut.<p>

It came as a disappointment to Serena how little entertainment that she had. Back on KO-35, she had an entire palace that was dedicated to serving virtually every single one of her needs. If she was bored then she'd have someone provide her with some form of entertainment. On Earth, there wasn't much to do besides fight evil since every really fun cost money that she didn't have on her person.

She had blown the last major chunk of money she had on a purse. Fabulous as it was, it didn't serve as much entertainment for her energetic mind. In attempt to find some sort of amusement, the alien princess began to play with the collar of her blouse and failed to hear the sound of doors swooshing open. Even as the footsteps drew closer, Serena remained oblivious to all of this as she felt an itch just above her breast which she began to scratch at.

"Is there anything I can help you with, my princess?"

Hit with a startling bolt, Serena nearly dropped from the chair she was sitting on. Instead though, she turned around to where Cid could see her with her hand halfway down her shirt. The embarrassing sight caused the both of them to blush, Cid especially as he quickly turned away from this improper sight.

"Forgive me, princess!" Cid said, choking as his face grew red. "I didn't know you were…um…busy."

Serena pulled her hand from her shirt as she felt wickedly embarrassed by this. She really should've pay a lot more attention to her surroundings in order to prevent this embarrassing mess. "I'm sorry, Cid!" she said, covering her face. "This was all my fault. I should've been a little more discrete with my lunch."

"No, it is mine," said Cid. "I should've announced my presence, my princess."

"Enough of that princess crap, Cid!" Serena said, finding herself royally annoyed. She grabbed onto one of Cid's sleeved arms and spun him around so he could face her. His face was still a bright shade of red, which really didn't help Serena's cause a bit. "Let's just pretend that never happened. And stop calling me princess, we're on Earth now. You can just call me by my real name."

"That would be a disgrace, Princess Serena," said Cid. "I must show respect to the crown."

Grabbing him by both arms now, Serena began to shake him just partly out of her amusement and also to beat some sense to him. His head rocked back and forth until Serena had stopped the shake down. "Cid, you really need to turn that soldier brain off," said Serena. "You know how I feel about you and I know how you feel about me. Why are we going to continue with this royal formalities even after we've kissed like a million times. Then there was that one time where I let you fing−"

"Your Majesty!" Cid said, face still red. He stepped away from her even when that memory she implanted in his mind returned. That night only happened a few months before she left for Earth, it was one that he'd never forget. Serena had been very forceful and clear that she desired Cid, and he knew that he wanted her but they couldn't properly do what they both desired so they ended up doing something else. "I should have more self-control. I cannot allow my love for you cloud my better judgment."

The initial need for entertainment just vanished as Serena decided to deal with a persisting issue instead. It seemed like she'd have to clearly spell out to Cid how she felt about him even though it was clear as day that they both wanted each other. Well, it wasn't so much as just lust, but love was the overall theme between them.

"Really Cid?" asked Serena. "Can we just cut all of this crap? Why do we have to trap ourselves with all of this formality when we're both in love with each other? You know that I want nobody else but you. I'll never love or want somebody like how I want you."

"I'm a commoner," said Cid.

"So was my mother," argued Serena, "but that didn't stop my father from loving her. Even though she did evil things as Astronema, my father has been in love with her despite all of that. I don't care about labels or status, Cid. I'd gladly give up being a princess if I can be with you."

Cid paused as he had nothing else to say. He couldn't deny his feelings for her since they were so painfully clear to anyone with eyes. The entire military knew how Cid loved the princess, and his devotion to her was part of the reason why he attained such a high ranking. It was also why her parents entrusted Cid with her protection for so long. Everyone knew that Cid would do anything for the princess, he love for her was his greatest strength.

Serena had been in love with Cid since the day they met. She was only eight and he was ten. He had just joined the military academy when they met during a ceremony for her parents. Serena knew that Cid was her knight in shining armor since that day. It was a lot of work to beat that into Cid though who constantly tried to push her away out of these notions of decency.

There would be no more fighting though as Serena pressed herself against Cid to kiss him. Just like all of the previous kisses before then, Serena was the one to show the initiative. The princess surrendered herself to Cid who finally conceded to his feelings as he held her close.

The last of Cid's resistance was finally beginning to wear down to nothing at the worst possible moment.

All of the sirens in the Command Center began to go off, nearly startling the two to death. Cid had pulled away from Serena to check the monitors to discover an attack going on in the city. He turned his head back to Serena who only nodded her head as she realized that they would have to pick this up another time.

Cid didn't even bother to try and convince her to let him take her place as he had before. He finally learned that Serena was devoted to her duties as a Ranger and would not allow him to take her place as a Ranger. The young soldier could only pray that his princess would be safe as he contacted the other Rangers to notify them of the danger.

* * *

><p>A building was on the verge of collapsing as fire and devastation rained down upon it. The underground garage was the only place safe enough for people to escape, despite the constant rocking of the building to it become highly unstable. People were taking their chances underground because what was within the building was far more frightening then having a building fall on top of them.<p>

That death would be far more merciful then what this monster had in store for them.

Inside the building, another life was taken by the snapping of his frail neck. Lifeless now, he slumped down to the ground as the monster continued his assault on the aflame building.

The Rangers arrived in the underground garage to see just how frightening the scene was. Their presence was able to inspire a little more confidence for survivors as they continued to flee away from this future battleground. The Rangers ushered people out of the building, while pushing in deeper to find out the source of the attack.

The garage had been virtually cleared out when the crackle of lightning began to strike at each Ranger. A horrid shriek escaped each of them as they were flung against the unstable walls, unable to see just who it was that attacked them.

Red Ranger picked his head up from the ground first as he felt a bit of blood in his mouth. He drew his Angel Sword out when he felt a hand latch onto his throat and hoist him up into the air. What the Ranger saw was not a monster, but what appeared to be an ordinary human being, except for the remarkable strength.

The man was over six feet tall with rippling muscles that were covered behind form-fitting, black clothing. He looked more like an executioner as he stood with his nearly borderline pale-tanned skin. His black hair was cropped short and was naturally spiked into several directions. As for those brown eyes, there was nothing warm about them at all. Those eyes spoke of a man who was willing to kill anything and everyone.

"Hello Red Ranger," said Daemon. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Daemon, the Dark Lord of Wrath."

Showing no more mercy, Daemon hurled Red Ranger back against the wall to the point where the impact actually broke the concrete. The force unleashed by the Dark Lord was what did most of the damage, but the impact still knocked Red Ranger out from the fight.

With one Ranger down, only seven more stood in his way, and they didn't stand a chance against this ruthless creature.

Daemon spun his body around with his hands up in the air to catch Blue Ranger's Glory Hammer and Pink Ranger's Sacred Claws. He easily sensed the presence of the two Rangers and was able to successfully stop them from attacking him. He clucked with his tongue at the roof of his mouth at them before he hurled a remarkable wave of energy that sent them in the opposite direction. The two Rangers crashed into a nearby truck with their backs denting the metal doors as well as cracked the glass windows.

Daemon couldn't believe how easy it was to dispose of Rangers. He couldn't see how Leviathan had so much trouble with them, but he had to remember that their mission wasn't necessarily to kill the young heroes. The Power Rangers still needed to serve their purpose in unleashing the Apocalypse upon the universe, but that didn't mean that Daemon couldn't fuck them up a little bit.

As that though crossed his mind, a grin formed on Daemon's lips as he felt another attack coming in after him. He felt a bit of a buzz flickering around his head then the tip of lance was heading straight towards him. The Dark Lord spun around in a circular arc thus avoiding being impaled when a pair of arrows, bullets, and stars began to crash into his being. A soft grunt escaped his throat as he was pushed back by the sudden barrage, but he appeared to be unphased as not a single scratch could be seen on his tight clothes.

The Dark Lord's eyes flashed red as he turned his sight to the four Rangers that had dared to attack him. Orange Ranger was standing in front of Black Ranger, Violet Ranger, and Yellow Ranger. The pitiful defense that was put up by the force field would do nothing to deter Daemon from getting the blood that he sought.

Crackling electricity began to surge throughout Daemon's body as he hurled that blast of electrical energy after Orange Ranger. The attack was powerful enough to shatter the force field and to send the Ranger into a whole up in the ceiling. With him gone for, Daemon turned to the other three who prepared to attack him again. That could not be allowed so Daemon flicked his wrist to crush the three of them down with a gravitational force that kept them pinned down to the ground.

Throwing his fist up into the air, the gravity became under Daemon's control as he slammed the Rangers into the ceiling. The foundation of the building began to further collapse through the wicked assault that was Daemon.

A very wicked laugh escaped the Dark Lord until he sensed another attack coming. He released the three of them from his spell before turning his body around to catch a sword that was bathed in light. The holy light was powerful enough to actually do some damage to Daemon as his fingers tightened around the burning light of the blade as he gazed into White Ranger's covered eyes.

"I will not be made a fool of!" howled Daemon.

Pushing the pain aside, Daemon hurled White Ranger away from him before flinging a block of chilling ice after the Ranger. The block was powerful enough to damage a few bones and to leave him with a nasty chill that left the Ranger shivering in its wake.

Daemon gazed at the badly beaten Rangers with a laugh burning his throat. The Dark Lord's body slowly began to be consumed by fire as he felt the real fun should begin. The flames escaped his body then began to consume the entire building until the entire place was about to collapse. Daemon vanished from sight, leaving the Rangers and everyone inside the building to either perish in flames or be buried alive.

However, the Rangers were able to escape. The Command Center was watching and immediately got to work to teleport the Rangers out of the danger zone. Quickly though, the building was crumbling apart as the stability of the building shattered and lives were soon about to be lost.

Alpha tried to teleport as many civilians out of the building as he could, but not even the Command Center was able to accomplish such a feet. By the time that the Alpha bot had gotten around to reestablish a teleportation link, for many people, that help came all too late.

The building fell and many lives were lost in its wake.

* * *

><p>Frustrated to the point of no return, Alice practically slammed her forehead against the keyboard.<p>

The Rangers had returned from the battle against a Dark Lord as the clear losers. This has been a usual routine for the Rangers, but it was still painfully considering just how much damage that Daemon had done to them and the city. An entire building that was full of people was gone for, there was an estimate of two hundred lives lost and three hundred injured. It was that bit of guilt that made it all the more pressing for the young heroes that something was done about the Dark Lord and quickly.

It's also why they were a little more dependent on Alice uncovering just who Daemon was. Hence why Alice had a face full of keyboard, she was doing a search on Daemon and his angelic counterpart in hopes of uncovering some of the Dark Lord's secrets. However, it seemed that her search wasn't yielding any satisfactory results.

Trying to alleviate some of that pressure, Landon sauntered over towards his partner with his hands on her shoulders. Even though he was sporting plenty of injuries of his own that didn't stop him from attempting to comfort her. Alice seemed to appreciate the effort as she turned back to the others to give her very short report.

Adam, Cid, and Alpha 8 were present with the Rangers as well as they awaited the news.

"I can't find a damn thing on Daemon," said Alice, "at least nothing clear cut. Some of the lore state that Daemon is supposed to be Satan who is sometimes identified as a being separate from Lucifer. There's a Fallen Angel called Satanail, but that's about all of the information that I could uncover. Nothing more detailed like with Leviathan, Lilith, or Beelzebub."

"How lovely," said Haley. "We're going up against a monster with no background information. That's gonna make our job so much easier."

"Are you sure that there's nothing at all, Alice?" Landon asked, gently. "Not even a small clue at a weakness or just a listen of strengths?'

"Nada," Alice said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, guys, but I think we've expended my research abilities to their limits."

It was upsetting, but it was to be expected at some point.

Landon decided that it would be best to dismiss the Rangers for the remainder of the day. When considering the beating that they had just taken from Daemon, it would be wise for them to all rest before the next attack. They couldn't afford to be caught off their guard like they had been today.

The city couldn't afford another failure from the Rangers.

* * *

><p>Tommy was sitting on the edge of his seat as his curiosity began to get the better of him. He was in the large apartment that he lived with his dad in, going through a series of files while Adam was busy in the Command Center. Many of the files were a hardcopy since Adam had never got around to putting them into the computer.<p>

Granted, he wasn't really following Landon's orders but there was some rest being applied. At least he was sitting in a comfortable chair as he did his mini investigation.

Sitting on lap was a stack of semi-small folders, while two other piles sat beside him. One was a bunch of folders he had yet to go through and the smaller stack was those he already did. What Tommy was attempting to uncover was discovering more information about the man who was responsible for his existence.

There wasn't much that he knew about the person behind the legend. Tommy knew that his true self, Tommy Oliver, was the greatest Power Ranger to ever walk the Earth. Tommy Oliver was responsible for saving the world on countless occasions as he led the Rangers to victory over the forces of evil. But the person himself or even how he came to be was a complete mystery to the young clone.

Plus, Tommy Oliver was a doctor in archeology.

A few months ago, Tommy had thought he had moved on from this nagging curiosity. Well, there needed to be a correction there since Tommy never sought out the truth about Tommy Oliver. The young clone really hadn't the desire to do much searching on the subject, but since things between him and Haley have been heating up. Well, that just changed some things for Tommy as he desired some answers that he wasn't certain that Adam would just give to him.

When he held up one of the files, a grim expression took hold of Tommy. He read about half of the document when he felt his heart beginning to quiver and shake. The things he saw made him want to hurl, he wanted to just die right then and there.

Lifting his head up, Tommy looked at a picture of him and Adam on the coffee table. The perfect, noble father that he thought he had was far from that. The papers in his hands was proof enough that Adam had done something truly unspeakable. But most importantly, Tommy felt sick with himself as he saw what he really was.

His worst fears had been realized as he saw for himself that he was just a replacement for the original. He was never really meant to be a real person, which made him lose all hope in himself as he dropped the folder to the ground. Fighting the ache of his body, Tommy stormed out of the apartment to parts unknown.

What was written in the contents of the folder spoke of a project that was called Revival. Half of the words had been encrypted, but the opening statement was all that Tommy needed to know to be outraged.

Tommy learned that he was not the first clone made of Tommy Oliver. He was just the only one that was a _successful_ copy.

* * *

><p>In the wake of the "truth" being uncovered, the next day was filled with worry as Adam gathered the Rangers into the Command Center. He knew that they didn't have the luxury for him to beat around the bush so the mentor had no option but to announce it. Tommy disappeared, their fellow Ranger left without any clue as to where he was hiding.<p>

Adam excluded the state that he found the apartment in. If there hadn't been so many files and folders thrown all over the room then Adam would've been suspicious of foul play. Now though, Adam knew that it was because of the secrets that he had been keeping from the young man. The truth had finally surfaced and it had come to bite him in the ass, part of him wished that he destroyed those files years ago to save himself from this trouble.

The Rangers took Tommy's disappearance hard, particularly Haley who was on the verge of tears. They were all suspicious that Daemon could've been behind this, but Adam kept going on about a lack of evidence. Considering what they had went through against Daemon yesterday then it was clear that the Dark Lord was not subtle. The Dark Lord of Wrath was all about leaving his name out there so his involvement was pushed aside for the moment.

"There was no note or anything?" Haley asked. "Are you sure that you might have just overlooked something?"

"I'm afraid there was nothing," said Adam. "I already have Alpha tracking him down, but it will take a little time for Alpha to align when Tommy's energy signature. Due to all of this negative energy in the air, Tommy's signal would be blocked."

"Plus with the Dark Lords running around all over the city," added Ric, "that just makes things even more difficult. We just have to trust that Tommy took off on his own freewill and will comeback very soon."

"Tommy wouldn't just abandon us without a good reason," said Eric. "There must be something pretty serious that's bothering him. We have to work together if we're going to find him. The only way we might be able to help Tommy is we pull our strengths together."

"Good idea," said Alice. "We don't have much time until Daemon decides he wants to attack the city again."

"Then we'll have to move fast," said Connor. "Daemon can strike at any moment, which means that we need Tommy like right now."

"So let's get to moving!" cheered Serena. "We have a friend to find before the end of the world, people."

"Let's make this quick, Rangers," said Landon. "Tommy needs to be brought back here as soon as possible."

The Rangers were all in agreement to work hard in order to find their missing friend. They gathered together as they shot around ideas and assisted Alpha in the scan of the city. There were mini lists forming about possible places that Tommy might have gone off to hide.

Cid was remarkably surprised by the dedication of the Rangers. He had heard stories back on KO-35 about the camaraderie between the Rangers, but never did he imagined those bonds to be so strong. They were all so absolutely willing to go above and beyond for a friend that it was downright astonishing to the young soldier.

But as things were really getting moving, the sirens began to go off all at once. The monitors pulled up images of the demonic looking Daemon walking along the city streets. The Dark Lord struck at every corner, lashing out at the people of Angel Grove like a wild beast. As far as the Rangers were concerned with was that Daemon was a rapid dog that needed to be put down.

But they couldn't very well be at two places at once. They couldn't search for Tommy and fight Daemon to keep the city safe. This dilemma was beginning to cause a problem into what the Rangers should do. They couldn't afford to fight without Tommy, yet they couldn't afford to allow Daemon to entertain himself for much longer.

"I'll go," said Cid. "I'll find Tommy just give me a list of possible locations. I will bring him back safely."

"No," Haley said, being the one who stepped forward. This wasn't the first time that the young brunet asserted dominance over Cid. However, during the Lilith situation, Haley had been on Cid's team, while this time around that wasn't the case. "I'll go after Tommy, it'll work out better this way. He'll listen to me and I know how to listen to him. The best chance we have at getting Tommy to return is if I go after him."

Landon nodded his head as he agreed with Haley's determination. He turned to Adam, Alpha, and Cid as he urged them to keep up with the search for Tommy. If Haley was going to have any hope at bringing Tommy back then she was going to need to know where to start looking.

As for the others, they powered up as they prepared to take on Daemon for a round two.

* * *

><p>Far away, at least, as far away as he could possibly get without being caught was Angel Grove Beach.<p>

Tommy sat on the sand with his legs pulled up until they were nearly touching his chest. His dark, brown hair was being blown around by the ocean breeze as the salt water was kicked up by the air and began to kiss his skin. It was a usually pleasant scene that helped him to relax and pick himself back up, but the truth was difficult for him to stomach.

How could he figure out how to deal with the fact that there were so many other clones made before and after him? The ones before him were deemed as failures by Adam and the rest of the team he had working on Project Revival. The young clone was the only one that was a success, a survivor in the wake of a dozen failures.

But it made Tommy wonder who those failed clones were and if was possible that there were more clones out there. Could it be that Adam and his friends made an army of Tommy clones to combat against the Dark Lords? It was upsetting because Tommy couldn't help but to think that these people were playing God.

Sure, he always assumed that he was the first and only clone to be made. He was able to handle and accept that because it was so much nicer than the alternative, which turned out to be the absolute truth.

It sickened him into the very depths of his soul, which he wasn't even sure that he owned.

If everything else was just a copy of Tommy Oliver then could it even be possible that a clone could own a soul? Tommy had the feelings of any other human, but who is to say that those feelings are scientifically engineered. He was no better than an android, he was just an abomination on what a human life should be.

Tommy felt emptier then he ever felt before in his life as he collapsed flat on his back. The setting sun was hovering above him in the sky like a giant ball of light. Only the light could never truly shine down on him. He was barely even a real person. He was just a cheap imitation, there was nothing that was truly his to own.

He heard numerous arguments about kids saying that they're being molded by their parents to be just like them. Even if the kids are so much like their parents, at least they have the ability to adapt and become something different. He would never have that opportunity to change. He was doomed to be set in this existence, the existence of a clone.

Tommy closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. This was the one time he felt absolute peace, but reality soon caught up to the clone as he felt something blocking the sun from his skin.

"We need you, Tommy. The city is in danger."

Haley's voice was spoken with concern, partly for the people of the city and the other part for Tommy. The clone barely cracked one eye open as he noticed the painful expression on her face with what appeared to be a bruise forming on her cheek, probably from the fight against Daemon.

Tommy couldn't move an inch though as he dropped his head flat on the sand. He made no effort to budge as he closed his eyes once more and gave up.

* * *

><p>No time was wasted for the Rangers as they immediately arrived to the city in their Job Class Forms. They six of them stormed the city to where it was that Daemon was attacking, only to discover that the Dark Lord remained remarkably still. However, that malevolent presence was enough to provoke severe panic as he did stand on top of the ruins of the building that he destroyed.<p>

A grim smile formed on the face of Daemon as he turned his attention to the Rangers. He saw them in their shinny, new outfits that did provide them with a "serious" power boost. Now, if that was the game that they would like to play then two could play that game.

"Since you decided to change for the fight," said Daemon, "I suppose it is fair that I do the same. Now, prepare to see something utterly terrifying!"

Darkness began to surge all around Daemon's body as he invoked his true form. A pair of devilish wings began to sprout out from his back as the first sign of the transformation. The darkness wormed its way inside of the Dark Lord with the next sign of change coming from his eyes turning pure red. The darkness smothered the rest of him out until it finally erupted in a wave that nearly dropped the Rangers down to their knees.

In his true, demonic form, Daemon stood as a beast and not a man. The Fallen Celestial was a giant demon that was covered in black fur with purple skin on the areas that were covered up. His face turned into something far more demonic as he also bare a pair of horns that pointed upward. His hands became vicious claws with his feet growing to a thicker size as well. His entire body was just rippling with pure, violent energy that it only served to make this experience all the more frightening.

But fear could not be allowed to slow them down. The Rangers pushed all of that aside as they charged in for the battle.

Red Warrior Ranger led Blue Gladiator Ranger and Orange Dragoon Ranger for the direct showdown. Yellow Machinist Ranger had Black Archer Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger in the back for cover fire. The guys that took no Daemon head on were using their weapons and skills to hopefully provide them with an edge.

Yellow Machinist Ranger raced down the one side where the guys weren't fighting the Dark Lord. She pulled down on the triggers for her Holy Pistols to fire a serious of bullets after the Dark Lord, which managed to pierce the beastly flesh. It didn't slow him down yet, but the injury would eventually catch up to him.

A similar notion came to Violet Sage Ranger as she flew off towards another side to fling a shower of stars. Her Divine Wand radiated with energy as she hurled seven stars after the Dark Lord, which managed to slice into his being. The Dark Lord showed no signs of even feeling the slightest bit of pain, which served to freak her out all the more.

For Black Archer Ranger, he jumped above the Dark Lord's head with his Heaven Bow pulled out. The other Rangers stepped aside to give him space as he unleashed a rainfall of arrows. Each of his arrows began to erupt as soon as it got close to the Dark Lord, causing him to stumble around a bit just as he landed on the ground.

The long-range trio thought that they had provided their close-range comrades a chance to fight against the Dark Lord. However, they were proven false as Daemon ignored the warriors to go after the sharpshooters at that moment. Daemon swung one of his wings around to unleash a chaotic slash of energy that ripped into the three of them, flinging them up into the air.

Daemon returned his sights on the others who attempted to strike him from all corners. He avoided Red Warrior Ranger's flaming Aurora Sword and Orange Dragoon Ranger's sunlight Celestial Lance. Blue Gladiator Ranger's Glory Hammer was covered in its usual gust of wind, which was even easier for Daemon to worm his way around.

The three weapons connected together instead, which caused a bit of a distraction on their part. It went ignored by Daemon, however, as he grabbed onto Blue Gladiator Ranger. Wrath tossed the Ranger into the other two with the force of the attack causing them to fly towards their other injured companions.

The Dark Lord huffed as he flew up into the air once more. He slammed his beastly paws together as he called forth lightning down from the chaotic heavens. He absorbed the attack into his mouth before spewing out lightning from his mouth after the already injured Rangers.

A chaotic explosion went off on the ruined building, flinging the Rangers all over the place. Each one was on the verge of defeat from Daemon's particularly vicious attack.

Landing on the ground, Daemon couldn't help but to feel amused with himself. He began to approach the injured Rangers who were all pretty much glued to the ground at this point. His beastly foot kicked into Yellow Machinist Ranger as she was closest to him. Once he was finished with her, he looked over at the others to see that none amongst them were even close to worth his time.

That's what he thought, at least, until he turned towards Black Archer Ranger. What caught the Dark Lord's attention was the buzzing in the air as well as the chaotic aura that began to take form around the youngest Ranger.

"What in the Creator's name−" Daemon said, but found himself cut off.

A rippling surge of energy erupted from Black Archer Ranger's body, one that he had no control over. The boy cried out in pain as the lightning that Daemon had summoned earlier began to wound its way around his entire body. This time though, it seemed that the electrifying attack was bent to his will.

Black Archer Ranger was forced onto his feet by a power that was absolutely foreign to him. It was burning his mind with a vicious intensity, while his heart felt like it was about ready to burst as he clenched onto his chest.

"The pain!" cried the young Ranger. "It's too much. I can taste the death on the tip of my tongue. It…it needs to breathe!"

The energy began to spread throughout the fallen building. Between the rubble that was blown away, the Rangers were victims as well, and even Daemon couldn't help but to submit by this alien power. It was a force unlike any of them had ever seen before as a dome of darkness began to form around the young Ranger with so much power gathered within it.

Black Archer Ranger was down on his knees with a painfully ringing that was going off in his head. He could see images flashing across his mind that all involved the two people that he's been dreaming about. Most of the images though were focused on his counterpart, not on Zodiark's though, which was strange.

It got stranger when he saw that other him using this similar dome. He called it the Aura of Destruction, a power that could destroy an entire country within a single moment.

The boy felt his stomach tightening as this was the power that he had somehow accidently invoked. He had no idea why this was happening or how, but somehow Daemon must've triggered this to happen. He couldn't understand why this was happening to him, all he knew was that the pain was just too severe for him to handle that he ended up losing consciousness.

Even with its wielder unconscious, the Aura of Destruction continued to radiate. This attack was similar to Daemon as he recognized it and the true summoner of such a power. But that was impossible, thought the Dark Lord. Daemon could not understand how this boy could wield a power from one of the strongest beings in Creation.

Any possible theory that Daemon might have had were silence when he felt a dark corridor opening up within the aura. At that moment, Zodiark could be seen within the dome, which was a remarkable scene to behold as well.

Daemon knew of only one other person who could penetrate the Aura of Destruction. It seemed that Leviathan was right about Zodiark after all. Even as annoying as that was, Zodiark would be needed to stop the aura. Daemon did not wish to die just yet, especially if the aura was as powerful as the one that its original wielder could summon.

Zodiark merely touched the unconscious Ranger to cause the aura to finally dissipate. The surge of chaotic energy faded away into the ether, trapped within the very depths of that mysterious soul.

"It is time that we have a little talk, Connor," Zodiark whispered to his unconscious form. He easily lifted the boy up into his arms, flinging the Ranger over his shoulder. The Dark Prince said nothing else, especially not to Daemon or the other Rangers as he vanished within a corridor of darkness.

The other Rangers saw this as they began to stand up to see what Zodiark was doing. They couldn't stop him though as he disappeared with Black Archer Ranger, yet again.

And this time, they couldn't rush off to his aid. Almost the exact moment when Zodiark disappeared, Daemon renewed his attack with that same ferocity.

* * *

><p>Haley laid on her back beside Tommy, staring up to the semi-cloudy sky with sad expression on her face. She tried to reach out to Tommy, but he was making no effort on his part as he stayed within drawn into this shell that he was casting himself into. It hurt Haley to see Tommy so devastated, but what made it worse was that she had no idea what was responsible for this or how to help him.<p>

Tommy was refusing to speak to her, which wasn't making any of this helpful.

"Please tell me what's wrong, Tommy," begged Haley. "Let me help you through this. Is it because of the fight with Daemon? Do you not feel strong enough to help us defeat him?"

Only silence was her response, but it wasn't the helpful silence. Haley could tell that being strong enough wasn't the issue for Tommy in this situation. She had to dig a little deeper in order to figure out just what was going on with him. She closed her eyes as she tried to picture just what this might be as she dug deep for the answers.

If she could just pick up something that was a constant bother for Tommy then maybe she could figure out the problem. But it was difficult to find something since Tommy was such an optimist, he was always the most cheerful and most dedicated out of all the Rangers. He really was the exact copy of Tommy Oliver, at least from what her parents and Adam had told her.

But that's what it was that hit her. Opening her eyes, she thought she had the perfect answer to what it was that plagued Tommy.

"It's because you're a clone of Tommy Oliver, isn't it?" asked Haley. "Is that what's bothering you? You're questioning yourself because you weren't born through any of the conventional means."

Haley hit the nail on the hammer so there was no point in keeping this a secret any longer. Tommy started to squirm a bit as he felt truly uneasy about even opening his mouth up about all of this. "It's worse than that," Tommy said, finally speaking up to her. "I found some files that belong to Adam. I learned that I wasn't the first clone to be made nor the last."

There was a pause in his words, which caused Haley's heart to sink a bit. She couldn't exactly picture what it was that he meant until he started to speak again.

"Adam made four clones before me that he deemed failures," said Tommy. "They didn't survive the cloning process. I was the fifth one, the first one to actually survive so I was deemed a success. The notes become blurry after that, but some say that Adam was going to try and make more clones for something called Project Revival."

If looks could kill then Adam would quite possibly drop dead even from the safety of the Command Center. Haley felt a remarkable pain building up in her chest as she tried to even figure out a means of how Adam could justify this actions. She wasn't a big support for cloning, but she had known Tommy for so long and she was in love with him so she couldn't imagine life without him.

But what Tommy had discovered, it was so upsetting that she couldn't help but to weep a little for him. Even Tommy didn't hesitate to shed a couple of tears as he stared off into the ocean.

"Now, I just don't know anything about me," said Tommy. "What is a clone? Am I a real person? Was I even created with a soul? I never questioned myself before like this, but after finding out Adam's secrets, I just can't help but to. I just have no idea who I am any longer. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm the most successful clone out of five, but that's not very reassuring."

Haley shook her head as she finally pulled herself together. She knew that she couldn't justify Adam's actions, but she knew that she could reassure Tommy if she just tried.

And self-pity was something that she could never stand. Even when Connor had been freshly dumped by Ric, she could only tolerate so much moping before slapping him out of it. Of course, this was after she attacked Ric in the Command Center though.

Pulling herself up from the sand, Haley twisted herself around so that she was on her knees. She wrapped on arm around Tommy's shoulder with the other taking hold of one of his hands. "You are a real person, Tommy," said Haley. "I can promise you that much. You wouldn't have any emotions if you were completely artificial. You are strong, you are loyal, you are caring, and you are remarkably friendly to everyone."

Lifting up his hand, Haley placed it against her heart. The hammering of her chest came as a surprise to Tommy as she looked into his eyes with tears. "This is what you make me feel every time I'm around you," she said, softly. "I love you so much, Tommy. I believe more than anyone else that you are a real person because who else could I love someone so much?"

She moved the hand away from her chest as she twisted the order around. She had both of their hands touching his heart now, feeling the pulse pounding beat that came from his heart. "Is this proof enough that you're real?" she asked him. "Do you feel your heart beating? It functions just like any other heart would, just like mine. You are real, Tommy, the beat of your heart is the writing on the stone. Tommy Park is real."

A smile began to slowly creep onto Tommy's face as he gazed back into Haley's eyes. His larger hand engulfed her smaller hand as he continued to lock their eye contact together, refusing to even look a centimeter off to the side.

"I believe you, Haley," said Tommy, "you are the one thing that I'm certain of. The love I have for you is the only piece of evidence that I have to prove I'm human."

Haley smiled back at him as she lightly kissed him on the lips. Tommy returned the gesture with gentle pressure before breaking the contact.

Tommy jumped back onto his feet with the white bracelet on his wrist shinning with energy. Haley took this as a good sign as she asked him if he was ready to fight alongside them again. He simply nodded his head as he stripped the bracelet off his wrist, becoming his Crystal Morpher.

The duo turned to the side and raised their Crystal Morphers up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" they shouted in unison.

Colorful feathers surged around them as they transformed into White Ranger and Pink Ranger. They quickly teleported across town in order to assist their friends in the battle against Daemon before the Dark Lord could destroy everything.

* * *

><p>A band of fire escaped from Red Warrior Ranger's sword as he attempted to scorch the Dark Lord. Blue Gladiator Ranger attempted to kick up the flames by making them spread with his wind-based powers. The intense flames grew stronger in light of their combination of the elements, but Daemon simply stood his ground as the flames touched his beastly body.<p>

In this demonic form, Daemon didn't seem to care as he felt virtually nothing from the fire that touched his flesh. If anything, the only thing that Daemon was suffering from was boredom, which he showed by yawning at the Rangers. He clenched his clawed fist to dismiss the pathetic flames before holding up a ball of dark energy up into the air.

The energy began to crackle as Daemon held it up to his lips then began to blow at it. His attack transformed into a chaotic surge of energy that ripped through the air and easily began to assault the already weakened Rangers.

The five Rangers quickly collapsed to the ground from the attack and found it difficult to keep on fighting against Daemon much longer. They were already weaker than the Dark Lord of Wrath, but the fact that they were short three Rangers was making things all the more difficult on them.

Orange Dragoon Ranger gave out a broken sigh as he attempted to kick up a force field. But he was finding it way too difficult for him since Daemon had broken part of his armor after Black Ranger's kidnapping. He could barely even pick himself up by the lance as he turned his head over in the direction of the Dark Lord.

Yellow Machinist Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger didn't even have the strength to throw something at Daemon. It required too much effort on their part, which was something they couldn't afford to waste if they wished to continue breathing.

It was downright hilarious for Daemon as he continued to approach the defeated Rangers. His energy began to crackle as the Dark Lord was about to issue another attack against them.

However, a rapid slash of energy caught his attention first. Daemon covered his muscular, furred torso with his beastly arms to avoid the sharp claws that attempted to slash him apart. The Dark Lord's red eyes began to glare as he took sight of his attacker as Pink Ninja Ranger.

She briefly chuckled as she used her agility to throw herself back into the air. She kicked at Daemon's guarded chest to fling herself further back to the rest of her friends. The Sacred Claws dug into the concrete in the process as she flung her head back with a smile underneath her helmet.

The others were glad to see her here, but couldn't make much effort to show it. They slowly began to stir when footsteps alerted them that someone else was here. White Paladin Ranger stepped forward with his Solar Blade already in hand as he began to step closer towards Daemon.

"Rest my friends," said White Paladin Ranger, "this is my fight. Haley, help the others recover because I may need their help in the end."

No argument was made as Pink Ninja Ranger turned to assist her beaten friends. She attempted to share some of her power with them so that it could help speed up the recovery process for them.

Meanwhile, White Paladin Ranger stood merely a few yards away from Daemon. The Ranger in white clung onto his blade, while the Dark Lord of Wrath was growling with his vicious temper. It was that out of control behavior that White Paladin Ranger knew that he needed to exploit if he was going to come out of this victorious.

Now, that his mind was clearer, White Paladin Ranger felt a strength brewing within him. This must be the full power of his Angel Force powers that the others have been describing. It was the only weapon that they had against Daemon as White Paladin Ranger thought back to how his holy light was able to injure the Dark Lord.

Daemon didn't waste any time just like the Ranger knew he wouldn't. With claws and fangs drawn, Daemon lost himself in his wrathful temper with only a strong desire for blood being his only companion.

"You allow your anger to get the better of you, Daemon!" said White Paladin Ranger. "I will fight you with holy clarity!"

The Dark Lord ignored the Ranger's comment as he continued to attack. His vicious claws slashed at the armored Ranger, but the clone was able to avoid getting hit. White Paladin Ranger dove through all of the Dark Lord's blind spots before striking at him with his blade. The sting of his blade only served to infuriate Daemon even further, which would be a mistake for the Ranger if he wasn't cautious.

White Paladin Ranger leaped away from the Dark Lord just as fiery fangs were about to sink into his flesh. The Ranger landed across from Daemon with his Solar Blade already digging into the concrete ground. Extreme light began to radiate from the weapon as the Ranger knew that now was the time to issue the final strike.

Light coursed throughout the area as White Paladin Ranger drove his weapon into the ground. It happened so quickly that not even Daemon could've anticipated such an attack. The rippling wave of light escaped from the Ranger and his weapon was of the intense variety, leaving behind quite the impression.

Daemon howled with beastly agony as the holy light painfully burned against his flesh, sapping him of his strength.

* * *

><p>Feeling the overbearing rush of energy escaping his body, Black Ranger collapsed to his knees with his helmet falling from his head. The clatter of the helmet against the rooftop was the only sound to be made before it eventually scattered apart into feathers. Connor's powers were barely holding up at this point from all of that energy that had been released at once.<p>

It was a battle just to keep his eyes open and to keep himself conscious.

Zodiark walked around the boy, refusing to say a single word until the boy was ready. His actions during the battle had been startling enough as he was the only one who could penetrate the destructive aura. And he was able to do so simply because who he was, they were so deeply connected together and it was time for Connor to hear the truth.

Biting down on his lip, Connor finally began to stir as he pushed his shaky legs to keep him up. He was doing a better job at keeping himself up, but there was still the chance that he would fall, which he did. His strength faded from him once again and the boy nearly fell to the ground until Zodiark caught him by the arm.

"You mustn't overexert yourself, my love," said Zodiark. "You cannot afford to put yourself through such pain again."

Connor turned his head off to the side to look into those cold eyes. Connor wanted nothing more than to push the Dark Prince away from him, but the lack of strength to do so was the only thing that kept him from doing so. "You are a sick pervert, you know that!" spat Connor. "I'm sixteen and you're like what…forty? That's not legal."

"Who we both are transcends any law, Connor," said Zodiark. He steadied the boy with both of his hands as he held him with great care. It was like the way a lover would hold their precious, it was that feeling that brought frightening chills to Connor's body. "I can see the force that connects us together. The Dawn Shard has shown me truth, we are both bound together due to our relationship in a previous life."

"Dawn Shard?" asked Connor. "What in the world is that?"

Zodiark spoke of the crystal that he had used on the Rangers during the battle against Leviathan. That brought back a rush of memories as Connor remembered a bunch of other things that Leviathan said that day. One thing in particular stood out that he whispered out from underneath his breath.

The Edeonian Empire.

This caused a smile to form on Zodiark's face as he was glad to see that the boy remembered. He turned his attention out to the sea of buildings before them where an occasional explosion reminded them both of the battle going on against Daemon.

"We are connected to the Edeonian Emperor and his consort," said Zodiark. "The empire was the greatest that the universe has ever known. It was blessed by the Creator and His Celestials which allowed it to prosper for centuries. But the strife in Heaven caused it to collapse as the war between good and evil was spawned, disrupting its beauty as the Creator abandoned Creation as the result of the war. It was a tragic event that cost us both everything, including our lives."

"I think you're wrong," whispered Connor. "If such an empire existed then there would be more traces of it. You're just being used by the Dark Lords to fulfill their agenda."

Zodiark had to disagree with the naïve boy though as he forced the boy to look at the destruction that the city was undergoing. In a matter of moments, Daemon would lay waste to everything if something wasn't done to stop the Dark Lord.

"This is the truth, Connor," said Zodiark, "you need to accept it. I am the Emperor reborn and you are the consort reborn." Zodiark's pale lips drew dangerously close to the boy's ears as he whispered a pair of fatal words to him. "I know you've been having the dreams." Chills coursed down Connor's spine as he heard those words whispered into his ear.

Connor found his strength returning to him as he pushed Zodiark aside. He was able to stand up on his own now as Zodiark's words left their mark on him. Only, the boy knew that Zodiark's facts were greatly mistaken as he could see the truth behind their shared dreams.

"You understand nothing!" Connor shouted, drawing his Angel Sword out. The tip of the blade arrived to the base of Zodiark's neck with the boy able to kill Zodiark. His eyes were glazed over with furious outrage as the divine power that had awakened within the boy was stirring once again. "You cannot even see the truth, yet you spot lies that you know it all. You remember nothing about what happened!"

"Connor," Zodiark whispered, trying not to provoke the boy further.

The bitter words of a scarred soul began to surface as Connor burned with an essence that was not his. It was boiling up like acid in his throat as he spat out those words of vengeance. "You allowed me to die!" shouted Connor. "I died because of you! Yahweh was punished because of you. We all suffered because of you!" Tears began to stream down his face as the words left so much anguish. The foreign emotions were almost too much for him to bare as he spoke the last of the foreign words. "You turned your back on all of us!"

Zodiark felt his stomach drop as he tried to piece together what it was that Connor was saying. He knew that what he had said was the truth, the boy was just mistaken. The tragedy that took place in their past life must've devastated the soul that was currently within him.

But there was nothing more that he could do as Connor was holding the sword. If he so desired it then Zodiark would have his throat slit by the very boy who was connected to his being.

If only Zodiark knew that it wasn't his being or his soul that was connected to Connor to begin with. The force that was behind the curtain was what desired Connor's soul more than anything. Zodiark was just the puppet, while Connor was what was truly real in a universe full of chaos and destruction.

In the end though, Connor dropped the sword and returned it to his sheath. He continued to step away from Zodiark though with his eyes glazed over with a remarkable amount of pain. The boy's innocence grew in darkness as he stood towards the building's edge.

"You know nothing," whispered Connor, speaking on behalf of his soul. "The truth is still a mystery to you and will remain that way until you become worthy enough for _him_."

The cryptic warning that was spoken by Connor's soul was a mystery to even himself. But the words were almost forgotten within an instant as the surge of power began to die out and return Connor back to the way he was. However, the imprint was left which would forever blacken Connor's eyes with the ancient pain that was locked within his soul.

Connor powered up as he became Black Ranger and summoned his Sentinel Zord to join the others in battle.

Zodiark stood there though, paralyzed by the very words spoken to him. He had no idea what was wrong with Connor, but the entity that lurked off to the side understood too well. He remained oblivious to the truth of just who he was because the Dark Lords couldn't afford for him to learn his true purpose in the universe.

* * *

><p>The battle was far from over though as White Paladin Ranger's attack began to filter out.<p>

Daemon remained standing even if he was in a pitiful condition at the moment. Only silence hit the Rangers as they powered down from their Job Class Forms as the strain was beginning to get to them. All while Daemon kept painfully still and silent before his muscles began to twitch with the smallest signs of life.

A rippling surge of dark energy began to surround the Dark Lord before he ascended up into the sky. The Rangers knew where this was going as they immediately threw their fists up into the air to summon the Sentinel Zords. With the heroes preparing for war, Daemon returned but this time he was in gigantic proportions that left him all the more intimidating now than ever before.

But the crippling problem though was that the Rangers were virtually powerless. Without Black Ranger fighting alongside them, they would be unable to form the Ultrazord. That was their greatest weapon against the Dark Lords. So the Rangers knew that they had to make due for as long as possible as they prayed that their missing friend would be reunited with them soon.

Wing Zero Sentinel Zord led the charge for the Rangers. White Ranger made constant contact with his companions as he warned them that they needed to be constantly moving. Daemon was just too strong and fast to risk being stuck in a head on fight with him. Their ranged attacks would be their best friends during this fight.

Double beam rifles in hand, White Ranger pushed the trigger. Wing Zero Sentinel Zord unleashed the intense bursts of energy to strike into the chest of Daemon. This attack managed to slow down the Dark Lord enough to give Burning Sentinel Zord and Sandrock Sentinel Zord an opportunity to strike. The two Zords unleashed their machine gun fire, Burning Sentinel Zord's guns began to fire from the mount on its upper chest as Sandrock Sentinel Zord took fire from the machine gun in hand.

Maxter Sentinel Zord flew above their heads with his laser pistol in hand. A few scattered rounds began to rain down from above the Dark Lord's head, to keep him under attack from all angles. Dragon Sentinel Zord joined in on the fun as the dragon-faced mounts on its arms began to extend to fire a torrent of fire. The constant burn was able to cast a ring around the Dark Lord, further slowing him down a few second.

Rising Sentinel Zord pulled back an arrow on its energy bow. The arrow ripped through the air before exploding against the face of the Dark Lord. It was then that Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord went in with the big guns, quite literally. The full barrage of weapons that were strapped to its body began to go berserk as bullets and missiles began to rain down against the Dark Lord.

A crippling explosion was generated from all of their attack, which left the Rangers believing that they succeeded in slowing Daemon down. It was a pleasant thought that they knew better than to have, but under the circumstances some good news was a very good thing.

However, it could never be that easy.

Daemon emerged from the explosion with barely a scratch on his furry body. The Dark Lord laughed as he gathered a chaotic orb of energy in the very palm of his hands. "I cannot be defeated by mortals!" said Daemon. "I am all that there is! I am the eternal anger that can never be extinguished!" The Dark Lord released the attack he had been gathering as seven bursts of electrifying darkness. The assault struck each of the Sentinel Zords, causing a paralyzing reaction for the Rangers inside.

The Sentinel Zords came falling down from the sky, landing on the outskirts of Angel Grove in the process. This was all to Daemon's amusement as he flew in after them for what would certainly be the final blow.

"You will remember how eternal I am when I destroy you all!" growled Daemon.

"You need to sit down, dog!"

A slash of black energy coursed through the air before crashing into the Dark Lord. The sudden impact was powerful enough to cause Daemon to stop in his tracks. Wrath gave out a ferocious roar as he turned back to see who it was who dared to attack him.

Flying into view, Deathscythe Sentinel Zord came in with scythe in hand. Black Ranger piloted his Zord around the Dark Lord as he landed it in front of the other Zords.

"Sorry that I'm late," said Black Ranger. "I think it's time we put an end to this."

"Let's do it!" shouted White Ranger. "It's time to activate Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord!"

"Right!" shouted the remaining Rangers.

No time was wasted as the Rangers activated the full power of their Crystal Morphers. The Sentinel Zords followed the sequence of orders as they fused together to build the Ultrazord.

Daemon had tried to put a stop to this by raining fire down around them. But even then, the chaotic fireballs were not able to stop the Rangers from achieving their goal. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord came together with the fiery explosions erupting all around them.

Summoning the rifle that belonged to Wing Zero Sentinel Zord, the Ultrazord held up the weapon to unleash its power. The sudden burst of energy crashed into Daemon's chest once more, silencing the Dark Lord in the process. The Ultrazord took flight at that point, summoning the scythe that belonged to Deathscythe Sentinel Zord.

Rotating the weapon around in hand, the Rangers inside of the Ultrazord used it against Daemon as well. They slashed the scythe against the scarred chest of the Dark Lord, leaving behind a thick line that led from the lower corner of his left abdomen to his upper right pectoral.

A ferocious growl escaped Daemon as he landed in the desert. The Dark Lord refused to submit to defeat, but defeat was something that he was about to suffer from.

Calling forth on their final power, the Rangers summoned the Centennial Ultra Sword. It was time to end this battle, here and now, as the Ultrazord held up its greatsword up into the air. "Cosmic Heaven Annihilation!" shouted the eight Rangers. The explosion of heavenly light from the gems on the greatsword began to burn bright and true as a bolt of divine light merged with it.

Bringing the weapon down from the sky, Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord swung the Centennial Ultra Sword forward against Daemon. The pure blast of energy proved too much for the Dark Lord to bare at his current, repressed level. Pain began to strike the Dark Lord throughout his body as a piece of him perished in the heavenly explosion that came from the attack.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord dropped its arms to the side with the Rangers celebrating victory within the cockpit.

* * *

><p>It felt like he was sitting on the edge of the shore as Tommy took a seat across from Adam in the apartment. The place was still in the poor condition that the young clone had left it in once he uncovered the truth. Tommy had finally mustered up the courage to confront Adam about this, well, it was more along the lines that Adam put himself out there.<p>

Silence was their only companion for the first couple of moments until Tommy began to crack out some semblance of noise.

"You made four other clones before me," said Tommy, "and you deemed them failures. Why is it that I was so special that I could be called a success story? And I want the truth, Adam, are there any other clones like me that I should know about?"

Adam bit down on his lip as he knew that this would someday be a question that he needed to answer. He never expected it to come so soon though, but it needed to be dealt with if there was any chance that the young man could have closure. "The reason why the other four failed was because they didn't survive the cloning process," said Adam. "Think of it this way, the four clones before you died of infantile diseases. Their bodies just weren't strong enough to make it into childhood."

"So I'm a success because I have a stronger immune system?" said Tommy.

"In a sense," said Adam. "You were the only clone that was able to grow and survive. You're able to think independently. You're capable of remarkable intellect as well as posses control over your own emotions. That's what makes you so special."

Tommy nodded his head as he tried to think a little more rationally. He thought back to the olden days were children never made it pass infancy due to disease and malnourishment. He was the lucky infant that got to survive and continue to grow into childhood.

But there was still something else that was bothering him that Adam was ignoring.

"You still haven't told me if there are other clones," said Tommy. "I need to know if you tried to make any more like me."

The pause was the only answer that Tommy needed to hear. Without saying a single word, Adam made it quite clear that there might be others like him or at least the attempt was made.

Adam forced Tommy to continue sitting as he tried to explain himself again. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to justify these actions. "Yes, we did try to make another clone, but it's not what you think," urged Adam. "We realized just how severe of a threat that the Dark Lords could potentially be so we needed to create a second failsafe in case that you and the other Angel Force Rangers couldn't handle the threat."

"What do you mean?" asked Tommy. "Does this have anything to do with Project Revival?"

"It has everything to do with Project Revival," said Adam. "You see, Tommy, I've been working with previous generations of Rangers on this project. This isn't solely done by Rangers from Earth, I've made contact with Rangers from throughout the entire galaxy. Over thirty generations of Rangers have pooled their resources together in order to create this final measure in case the Dark Lords become too much for you to handle."

"I still don't understand," said Tommy. "Just what are you saying?"

"Project Revival is an attempt to repower every generation of Power Rangers," said Adam. "We're attempting to create an army of Power Rangers should you fail to stop the Dark Lords from starting the Apocalypse. If you cannot defeat the Dark Lords then every Ranger who has ever fought against evil will have their full powers restored and all of us will march into battle."

* * *

><p>In the depths of Castle Pandemonium, Zodiark walked down the lonely, dark corridors with his head hanging low. He could still feel the tip of steel against his neck from his memorable, but not for good reasons, encounter with Connor. The bloody vengeance in the boy's eyes spoke of much confusion and torment that had been burning for a millennia.<p>

There was no mistaking it, the Dark Prince was more certain that ever that his theory was right. But the words that escaped the boy's mouth did not belong to him. Connor's soul was speaking out to him, the reflection of torment that still marred the divine essence. It put a great deal of unease into Zodiark's being as he tried to piece together the ancient past life, but had no idea just where to find the answers that he so desperately sought.

At least that's what he believed until Leviathan emerged from one of the dark corners. The incarnation of Envy stood front and center with a curious smirk on his face as he began to circle around Zodiark in the darkness.

"Something is puzzling you, my friend," said Leviathan. "Do speak to me and perhaps I can help you understand this confusion that you feel."

Zodiark picked his head up upon coming into contact with the Dark Lord. He hadn't sensed the demonic presence, which was strange since the power of a Dark Lord was unmistakable. Never mind though, Zodiark stared into the wicked dark eyes to find a potential source of information for all of this confusion. Leviathan had steered him to the right direction once before, it was possible that the serpent could be of use to him now.

"The Edeonian Empire," said Zodiark, "I had a very detailed vision about it upon touching the Dawn Shard. I saw myself and the Black Ranger as the Emperor and consort. This was our past life that we've been both sharing visions about for the past couple of months, I am certain of this. But he doesn't believe me and he claims that I was responsible for the collapse of the empire as well as his death. What can you tell me about the empire, Leviathan?"

Leviathan began to walk around the Dark Prince before taking a spot on the corner. He leant against the wall with his head tilted back as he worked upon processing Zodiark's deep curiosity. "I cannot tell you much, Zodiark," said Leviathan. "If I tell you the secrets of your past life then I risk damaging your soul with the sudden information. That is possibly why Black Ranger turned his blade against you, the shock that you threatening his soul with was too much for him to withstand. In order for you two to come to a peaceful transition is if you seek the answers out for yourselves."

"Where do I find these answers then?" Zodiark asked, almost growling.

"If you wish to learn of the Edeonian Empire then you must go to the heart of the former empire," said Leviathan. "You must seek out Eden, itself. The very Garden that humanity had been expelled from at the Genesis of Creation was where the heart of the empire resided. It's ancient ruins will hold the answers that you seek."

"Do you know where Eden is?" asked Zodiark.

"That I cannot tell you," said Leviathan. "The location of Eden has been stripped from my since the Fall. You will be on your own for this journey, Zodiark. The only chance you have at uncovering the capital is if you look within your soul to find the hidden truth."

The Dark Lord ended the conversation there as he walked away from Zodiark. The Dark Prince uttered his appreciation before vanishing into the opposite corner to his bedroom.

Leviathan continued to walk along the darken corridor before entering a small room off in the corner of the castle. The room wasn't much, it was just enough for two people to stand comfortably in.

It was so amazing how easy it was to manipulate Zodiark into walking down the path he desired. Leviathan knew exactly Zodiark's role in all of this was, but the serpent needed to keep his hand to himself for fear of Beelzebub finding out. Even their King of Pride wouldn't be very pleased if he learnt where his true loyalty lied with.

But just as Leviathan lost himself in thought, a surge of darkness caught his attention as Daemon stepped into the room. The beaten Dark Lord was an angry sight that was less than pleased about the battle he suffered from. He didn't' appear too badly injured, but the Rangers had left their mark on him, nonetheless.

A light laugh escaped Leviathan's throat as he craned his neck to the side to where Daemon was. He waited for Wrath to speak since he didn't want to do anything that might provoke his wrath. It wasn't fun to be on the receiving end of, well, some of those times it wasn't.

"Black Ranger," Daemon said, angrily. "Why is it that he smells so much like the Youngest of the Four Sons? Did you know of this when you fought against the boy?"

"Not at first," said Leviathan. "I had my suspicions when Lilith told me about him. When I fought against him, I sensed that there was something a little off about him. But your suspicions have provoked my curiosity."

"You think that the boy is like Zodiark and Dark Knight?"

Leviathan shook his head as he uttered at Daemon to perish the thought. No, what Leviathan had in mind was far more gruesome to even think about. "Black Ranger is nowhere near that insignificant," said Envy. "I'm afraid that the boy is far more than that. Let us just think about our eldest brothers and where they are."

"Well, it is obvious that the Sage, Adam, is still up there in Paradise," growled Daemon. "He is no doubt going through Father's library for the infinite well of knowledge that he is so obsessed with."

"Correct, then there is the First," said Leviathan. "Orphan is Father's firstborn. We know very well where he is at. There is no mistaking his presence. But then there is the Second Son, Yahweh, and we have Beelzebub to thank for freeing him from the Fade. Then there is the Youngest, Heaven's precious son, Samael. Do you remember what happened to him after our Fall?"

"Killed by Father," Daemon said, softly. "You don't think that the boy is−"

"The connection that Black Ranger has is too unmistakable," said Leviathan. "Even from being the victim of Father's infinite wrath, Samael has found a way keep a piece of himself in the universe, for what reasons that I'm uncertain of."

"Then we must be cautious," said Daemon. "If a part of Samael still exists and is part of the boy then he contains within him Destruction in its purest form."

"It changes nothing," said Leviathan. "We will follow the orders given to us by Orphan. Even if it means turning on the others and Pride then so be it. I'd rather please the First then our so-called King of Pride."

"So let it be," said Daemon. "Then we continue everything as planned."

Leviathan nodded his head one final time before leaving the small room behind him. Daemon soon left no long after that with nobody in the castle being the wiser to all of their plans.

Only there was one exception to all of that.

Hidden so well by the shadows so that none knew he was there, Umbra began to step aside. The organic suit that he wore was able to allow him to blend without any detection. The Dark Lords failed to realize his presence, which greatly amusing to him.

Umbra carried his sword in hand as part of his sanity continued to crack under the pressure. His eyes glowed red as he saw just how pathetic all of these rebels were.

The Dark Lords were unaware of just how they were being betrayed by two of their own, but they were also oblivious to what their King of Pride truly desired. Then there was Zodiark who was easily being manipulated by forces he couldn't comprehend while claiming a partnership of convenience with Leviathan and Daemon. Then Thrax was unaware of the vessel that worked for him, but would prove to be the greatest betrayer.

And now, someone who he thought he was rid of was still in the picture. Umbra knew that he didn't have quite the power to deal with his problem just yet. Correction, the entity that was residing within Umbra knew that his time would yet to come.

So vanishing into the darkness, Umbra took off to further his own plans for everyone. The Rangers, the Celestials, and the universe would know the true meaning of fear when he was ready to let loose the final gears.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, Beelzebub goes up against the Rangers yet again as the time for the King of the Dark Lord's revival is drawing near. All while Zodiark plots with Leviathan and Daemon in the shadows. Meanwhile, Haley prepares for her future as college is waits for her at the end of summer. But Haley receives the opportunity to leave sooner for an internship that is too good of a chance to pass up. And like her mother before her, Haley will have to choose between continuing her journey as a Ranger or pursue her future career. Find out what happens in **Dark Lord of Gluttony!**


	33. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: Alright, so I had like only one reviewer for the last chapter. I'm a little disappointed, considering that I did check how my traffic that the chapter got and saw that over a 100 people read it. I've decided that when I start posting season 2 that I'm gonna require a minimum amount of reviews before I update. I get a million and a half alerts for the story, but not a single review. That's a little disappointing. So if you wish to redeem yourselves than I suggest that you start leaving some reviews. And thank you to Brankel1 for being my faithful reviewer, this chapter is for you. Now, read and review.  
><strong>

**Dark Lord of Gluttony: **

Once more, an assembly was called in Castle Pandemonium for the Dark Lords. The six, Fallen Celestials returned to the throne room for one of their final gatherings. They all knew that the end was rapidly approaching as the time to free their King of Pride was nearly upon them. Everything that they had been working so hard to accomplish in the millennia that followed their fall was about to become worth it.

Creation would be eradicated and vengeance would be theirs.

At least that was Beelzebub's number one priority. He bore vengeance in the very depths of what was left of his fragmented being. Not even the King of Pride could comprehend the amount of agony that had been locked away inside of Beelzebub. The thirst for vengeance, the cravings for death, it was about to be finally sedated in the coming days.

For Leviathan and Daemon, their motives were kept from everyone but themselves. The two Dark Lords kept close to one another as they kept their true intentions even closer as they plotted from the shadows.

The others, well, the other Dark Lords were fairly oblivious to all of this scheming. The only one who was remotely smart enough to know that there was a problem brewing was Lilith. She could see that they were all scheming against each other, but for what purpose and the end results were a mystery to her.

Not that she cared about it, much, since her role in all of this would keep her rather inactive when the fireworks went off. It was such a pity too since she was coming to enjoy all of this fun that she was having. Oh well, it would all be done in the name of her true king. She owed much to Pride, and she'd do anything for him.

"The End of Days is nearly upon us," said Beelzebub. "I can feel the seals around the cage weakening from all of our efforts. The final two seals must be broken in order for our king to rise up from the deepest depths of the Underworld."

"Really?" questioned Lilith. "All we need is two more. Well then, I already know that I'm involved with one of those seals, but which one is the other seal?"

"Myself," said Beelzebub. "I must challenge the Rangers in combat in order to bring about a power that is 'equal' to my own. Just as the rest of you have, I must do the same."

Barbatos, the old wizard, began to cackle as he held up his demonic staff. The skull head's eyes began to emanate a soft glow. "Didn't you already have your chance with the Rangers?" said Greed. "Why didn't you just provoke them to break the seal back then?"

"It's because they weren't strong enough yet," said Beelzebub. "Their power was not strong enough at the time to break the seal, but now they are. Since they have defeated the rest of you, I can finally have my chance to test the Rangers once more."

"Then what happens?" yawned Belphagor. "I'm bored with all of these tests."

"We free Luther from his cage, of course," said Leviathan. The words that escaped his lips had invoked the true name of their King of Pride. Their true leader and the first of the Fallen, Luther, had finally been named by the Dark Lords. "The cage will shatter then the vessel will be forced into submission so that Luther may walk the mortal world once more."

"And then the real fun begins," laughed Daemon. "Fire and destruction shall rain down from the sky until the universe falls into total anarchy. Then, the universe will collapse into oblivion as our power completely devastates the balance between the Grids."

Beelzebub nodded his head as they were now all caught up and on the same page. He smiled, softly, as he stared at each of his associates. Even the two traitors, who he was well aware that would come to stab him in the back. None of that mattered now as they were on the threshold to the point of no return.

"To our King Luther!" shouted Beelzebub. "May he enter this world and become the great Morningstar that he is."

"For King Luther!" shouted the other Dark Lords.

Beelzebub turned aside from them all as he slipped into the darkness. Now, it was time for him to unleash his attack on the Earth for the final time.

* * *

><p>There was so much for her to do and so little time to do so.<p>

Haley stared at the recommended checklist that she had printed out from the freshman catalog. It had a long list of things she should prepare herself for when entering the university as well as some much needed supplies. The main thing she concerned herself with was all the dorm related supplies since she'd be living on the UCLA campus.

It would be strange leaving Angel Grove to go to school in LA, but they had one of the best Communications departments in the state. She couldn't afford to go anywhere else not when one as excellent as UCLA was right in her backyard.

When school started up in the fall, she would be taking off. Her future was waiting for her outside of the city. Hopefully, the Dark Lord drama would pass one way or the other. If they defeated the Dark Lords then she could continue on with her life, but if they failed then she wouldn't have a life to live because the Dark Lords would destroy everything. So there wasn't too much stress involved with that part, at least.

Still though, it would suck to leave all her family and friends. Being away from her parents would suck and since she has gotten so close to Connor that would make the absence all the more painful for her. Then there were the rest of her friends to consider. She wasn't so concerned with her high school friends, she was thinking about her fellow Rangers. She'd miss everything since they would still be here with the exception of maybe Serena who'll probably return to KO-35 after the Dark Lords threat has past.

But still, it was enough to make her feel guilty about even thinking about taking off. This was college though and she'd eventually need to get away.

That didn't make things any easier though.

Haley fell face first onto her bed as the long checklist began to assault her mind. She knew that this would get very experience very fast. It is impossible to pay for school without some form of government assistance, but even the loan she got would still barely enough to cover these basic expenses. She would still have to rely on her parents a lot, plus she would need a part-time job which meant a serious job hunt.

So long as she didn't have to turn to stripping, prostitution, or selling drugs then that would be fine.

The long list was only a reminder to her that the real world was rapidly approaching on her. She wouldn't be in this protective high school, my parents' roof bubble that she had come so accustomed to. Hell, even being a Ranger who was still in high school still had some hindrances to it. She still had a curfew for starters, which lasted until April when she finally reached the legal age.

But back to this damn list. Haley stared at it with her jaw dropped as she read over twice everything that they recommended you to bring. She already did the math in her head and saw that at best all of this stuff would come out to five hundred dollars. At worst, she'd send another thousand down the financial drain.

"Why must college be so expensive!" Haley shouted at the top of her lungs.

"You're a mess."

Haley turned her head to the side to see that her bedroom door was opened with Connor standing at the doorway. Her adopted brother had finally changed his hair color from that faded, bleach blond to a light brown that really made his skin sparkle nicely. Connor brushed his shorten bangs off to the side before racing inside of the room and jumped on top of the bed.

The boy let out an exaggerated sigh as he threw his legs over her chest. Haley grunted as she pushed his skinny legs off of her.

"So college," said Connor. "You excited about leaving town?"

"Excited, terrified, anxious, guilty," said Haley. "It's a mixture of all the above. I just don't want to ditch you guys if we're still fighting the Dark Lords. That just seems so awful of me to do since we've made it this far together."

"You really don't have to worry about that, Haley," said Connor. "At the rate that we've been attacked, I can guarantee you that this Dark Lord problem will pass before July starts. It's already the second week of June and we have two out of seven Dark Lords left to fight. I think that you'll be in the clear by the time that August shows up."

That was a good point. The Dark Lord attacks had been increasing a lot since they took on Lilith. The breaks between battles had shorten down to virtually nothing. It had been three days since they fought Daemon, which was far from being an easy battle.

One thing that hadn't been discussed though is what Zodiark did with Connor. The Rangers asked if Zodiark had hurt the boy, but Connor insisted that he did more of the hurting plus the two only talked. Apparently, Zodiark had some things needed to talk to Connor about, but none of the Rangers were aware of just what that was.

Connor was keeping that encounter all to himself, which was something that they'd have to respect.

Haley, for one, didn't like these secrets, but there wasn't much she could do. The one thing that she could do though was crawl on top of him with her head laying against his scrawny chest. "Will you miss me when I go away for college?" asked Haley. "Will you cry every night because I'm not around to drop off some milk and cookies at your door while you're asleep?"

"You're the one who does that?" Connor said, picking his head up from her pillow. His movement caused Haley to roll around a little uncomfortably, but they both regained their positions on the mattress. "I thought that was your mom or dad. Huh, well then, maybe I will cry now if you take off. I was already going to miss you because you're the closest thing I've ever had to having a sister."

"Do you know if your parents ever wanted to have more kids?" Haley asked, digging up the past.

A light sigh escaped Connor's mouth as he stared up to her ceiling. The blades of the fan were rotating around, rapidly, as if to jog those long buried memories. "I was still little when they died so I don't remember much," said Connor. "But I do remember my mom telling me that they had tried hard to have kids and for a long time before they managed to get me. As for any extra kids, I'm not sure. It was so hard for my mom to get pregnant with me, they might have given up on having anymore kids because of that."

"That's sad," Haley said, softly. "I know I want a few kids, but that'll wait until after I get my degree."

"And do you think that Tommy will be the babies' daddy?"

Haley blushed as she nodded her head a little. She couldn't deny that when she thought that far into the future, she always did see Tommy there with her. "And what about you, Connor?" asked Haley. "Who do you plan on having your adopted and/or surrogate children with? Hmm?"

"I don't know," said Connor. "I want kids, but I'm not sure how that'll happen."

To be honest, Connor didn't believe he'd even live that long to have the chance to think about that. When he saw his future, all he could see was tragedy. Even if he chose to spend the rest of his life with Ric or Eric, things would always end in misfortune for Connor and everyone who was connected to him.

They said nothing else about the subject as the two just continued to lie on the bed, comfortably.

Ending the silence, Connor turned his head a little bit to face his curly-headed, adopted sister. He had a sorrowful grin as he reached out for her hand. "I'm gonna miss you when you leave," said Connor.

A smile graced Haley's face as she squeezed onto Connor's hand. The gesture was enough to reassure them both that things would be fine. "I'll miss you too, little brother," said Haley. And she meant that.

No matter what happened in the future, Haley would always see Connor as her brother.

* * *

><p>A meeting was called for by Tommy to his fellow Rangers. He had asked them to call come over to his apartment, which was soon filled up as the others began to file in one by one. The seven Rangers looked at their fellow Ranger with a great deal of curiosity as they each took a seat, learning that Adam wasn't home.<p>

There was a lot of silence in the apartment as the Rangers tried to figure out what had provoked this meeting. Everyone looked at Tommy and knew one possible direction that this could do. They were aware of the reasons why Tommy had abandon them the other day during the fight against Daemon. Hearing what Adam had done in making the clone was something that wasn't exactly easy for them to stomach.

But that was only part of the reason for why Tommy had asked them all to come. He looked at his friends with a small knot forming in his chest as he found himself almost unable to speak. Those thoughts needed to be pushed aside though. They had a right to know what they were getting dragged into, it was important.

"So what's up, Tommy?" asked Ric. "You called us all here but we got no explanation."

"Is it about the other day?" asked Landon. "We understand why you had to leave us, Tommy. None of us are holding anything against you."

Tommy shook his head at their leader as he ran a hand back to scratch his head. He sighed as he thought back to what Adam had told him, which only made things all the more difficult to say. "It's not that," said Tommy. "I just have to tell you something very important. It concerns our battle against the Dark Lords and something called Project Revival."

"Project what?" asked Eric.

"Project Revival," said Tommy. "It's a failsafe project created by Adam and numerous other Rangers. They designed the project as a means to combat against the Dark Lords."

"That's a good thing then," said Haley.

"What is the project supposed to do exactly?" Alice asked, her scientific mind being peaked.

Another pause from Tommy was not a good sign at all. The others were beginning to grow a little anxious as they tried to figure out what was going on in that head of his.

Tommy held up a file that he had retrieved from Adam's private collection. Well, it had been given to him by Adam so that the others could be filled in on the situation. "Project Revival's purpose is to be a failsafe should we fail to defeat the Dark Lords," said Tommy. Those fatal words had been spoken, which was like a knife to his friends. All of the confidence in the room had been sucked out as each of the Rangers now had their full attention to Tommy.

"Adam thinks that we'll fail?" said Connor.

"It's just a precaution," said Tommy. "Adam has united with Rangers from throughout the galaxy to create a solution if the Dark Lords defeat us. The Rangers from Earth and the rest of the galaxy, over thirty generations, will gather together to battle against the Dark Lords. All of the Power Rangers will unite together for the first time in Ranger History since the final battle against the United Alliance of Evil."

"Everyone knows about this?" Serena asked, softly. "Does that mean…my parents know about this?"

"I'm pretty sure that they do," said Tommy. "Your parents are highly respected Rangers. It was your father and uncle who discovered our powers on the ruins of Eltar. They probably know more about what's going on than anyone else."

Serena paused as she reflected on this information.

The others appeared to be equally at a loss as they replayed what Tommy had told them. A plan had already been made in the likely event that they could defeat the seven Dark Lords. The Rangers already knew that the End of the World would be inevitable if they failed, but to provoke such a threat that would unite all Rangers together just seemed so unreal.

And this had been put into works years ago. Tommy was living proof of the project that he had taken the time to explain. His very existence was the first sign that Project Revival was very much a real thing.

It pained them all to hear how their predecessors had plotted all of this out and kept it a secret for so long. None of them would've even heard of the project had Tommy not uncovered those secrets through his investigative skills. They would've died, failing to project the universe from evil, then the Veteran Rangers would've all assembled to finish what the Angel Force Rangers could not.

"This is downright insulting!" Ric shouted, jumping to his feet. "They were planning our funerals before we even accepted the mantel!"

"How can we trust Adam or any of the other Rangers for that matter?" asked Alice.

"The Samurai Rangers, the RPM Rangers, and the Jungle Fury Rangers all said that they would be there to help us," said Eric. "They were trying to drop hints of the project."

"It doesn't make any of this better," whispered Connor. "They've kept us all in the dark for so long. Nobody could've told us that they were coming up with something that might help? Their confidence is so inspiring."

"Let's not be too hasty, guys," Haley said, trying to reclaim control.

"That's right," Landon said, joining the cause. "Yes, we've been lied to, but that shouldn't be used to destroy us. If anything, we should be relieved. We know now that the world might not have to end if we fail. The other Rangers will do everything in their power to finish what we started, if it comes down to it."

"So we should stay strong," said Haley. "We fight hard and we give the Dark Lords everything that we have. If we just give up now then all hope is as good as lost."

The others mumbled about before agreeing to try and keep it together. None of them would be any good in battle if they lost faith in themselves now.

They had all made it this far together, they would all make it through when the smoke clears. They just had to believe that it was possible to weather this coming storm.

Hope was the one thing that they truly had.

* * *

><p>Cid was forced to sit down on a chair in the Astro Megaship as Serena was busy working on establishing a transmission link. The young princess was spewing out a few silent curses, while Cid was watching on at his princess. She wasn't pleased that her parents had kept Project Revival away from her for so long, even Cid felt a little ashamed once she explained the finer details to him.<p>

The static screen pushed for a galactic link was forming.

Serena took her place in a chair that was beside Cid with her fingers knotting in her hair. She looked at Cid for a second with a deathly look on her face that frightened him a bit. The attention was returned back to the screen as something finally began to happen as the royal seal for the Karoven Kingdom appeared.

"I am Princess Serena," announced the young woman, "I demand to speak with the King and Queen."

Another image appeared on the screen that looked more like a pause. The screen shifted once more as Zhane and Karone finally appeared in the transmission.

"Hello darling," said Karone.

"Hello my parents," Serena said with a slightly bitter tone. She straightened herself out with Cid shrinking uncomfortably a bit in his chair as he would face the full blunt of the princess's anger. And he would certainly hear it from the King and Queen after this.

"Is there something wrong, Serena?" asked Zhane.

"Yes," said Serena, "Project Revival. I know about it. What was your role in all of this? Dad, I know that you and Uncle Andros discovered the Angel Force powers, but how deeply involve are you in this? Do you know about Adam's plan?"

Zhane started to bite on his bottom lip, which was proof enough to Serena that her suspicions were correct. She now just had to sit back and watch the egg crack before her. Even her mom looked a little nervous as she shrunk away from the screen.

The King of KO-35 let out a soft sigh as he stared into the face of his daughter. He felt uneasy about all of this, but knew that he couldn't leave her in the dark. "Listen, Serena," said Zhane, "it's not what you think. We just know that this threat is too great to take any chances with. The lack of information that we had on the Dark Lords plus the importance of Zordon's warning was something we couldn't risk. Andros, your mother, and I helped restore Ranger powers that had been exhausted from battle. Every Ranger is ready to do their part in case you need our assistance for this battle."

"I'm sorry that we kept this hidden for so long, Serena," said her mother. "But there just wasn't an easy way to tell you this. We couldn't tell you without making it sound like we didn't have any faith in you."

"It was too much of a gamble for us to break your spirit," said Zhane. "That's part of the reason why we sent Cid there to Earth. We had to show you just how much we believed in you and the other Angel Force Rangers."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you've been lying to us all," said Serena. "I get the reasons, but it's still upsetting."

"We're sorry, sweetheart," said Karone.

Serena muttered something under her breath before saying goodbye. She ended the transmission with a sharp chill running down her spine as she wondered what else the other Rangers were hiding from them. There was so much that they had already been left in the dark, what else was stopping them from lying in other things.

With his eyes on the young princess, Cid tried to think of a way to consol her. He had no idea just how he could though as he reached out to touch her shaky hand.

* * *

><p>Raw fury was seeped into the throne room of the castle as Thrax stormed in. The mutant villain spewed furious words into the air as he searched every corner for the Dark Lords. Bolts of lightning crackled all around his beings now that the information of what had happened to his Dark Knight was known to him.<p>

It was downright insulting to Thrax that the Dark Lords would continue to shame him in his own home. Being tossed aside was horrid, but hearing that his own warrior had been locked away like a misbehaving child was just ridiculous. He couldn't tolerate such behavior under his roof a moment longer as he shouted at the Dark Lords to gain their attention.

Leviathan and Daemon were the ones who heard the call. Beelzebub had already left to begin the attack, while the others just didn't want to put up with the mutant. Besides, the two of them were better suited at the job when it came to dealing with unruly mutants who didn't know their place.

"Can we help you with something, Thrax?" Leviathan asked, mockingly.

"Hand him back, serpent!" spat Thrax. "You will release my Dark Knight immediately or else−"

"Or else what?" Daemon said, cutting in. "You'll cry to your human parents or your granddaddy?" The Dark Lord began to laugh as he stepped away from Leviathan as his dark eyes set their sights on Thrax. His gaze caused the mutant to tense up, which was amusing to Wrath as he saw just how pathetic this creature really was. "I don't think that will be possible. You see, we need Dark Knight to further our plans."

Thrax fought through the chill that Daemon's presence brought to him, but it wasn't without difficulty. The mutated villain wasn't sure which of the Dark Lords were more frightening, right now though, it was Daemon. "Like I give a damn about what you want!" shouted Thrax. "You should all just crawl back into your holes in the Pit, where you belong! This world does not belong to you and neither does Dark Knight. He is my loyal servant, and you shall relinquish him since you are in my domain."

Leviathan cocked his head to the side with a small laugh escaping from his chest. He began to join in with Daemon in the fun that they were about to have with this one. "You really think that you matter, Thrax?" said Envy. He began to cross his arms over his chest as he started to walk circles around the mutant. His eyes stared into the very essence of Thrax, seeing something that was barely even worth their time. "Are you even aware of why you're here? The Power Rangers killed you, but here you are, still alive. Why is that?"

Striking the ground with his Z-Staff, Thrax unleashed a deep growl from his chest. He attempted to reclaim control by sparking off his might in front of the two Dark Lords. "Because my will cannot be extinguished!" shouted Thrax. "I was brought back through my own power over the chaos that is the universe."

"Wrong," laughed Daemon. "You have no idea how wrong you are, boy."

As Wrath left out the taunt, Envy became ready to drop the bomb. Leviathan stood in front of Thrax with his being towering over the mutant. "It is because of us that you were brought back from the dead," said Leviathan. "We needed someone to fuck up the balance between good and evil enough so that we could walk free from our seals." Thrax's eyes began to light up as the truth began to hit him like a ton of bricks. It was simply delicious, thought Leviathan as he saw this pitiful creature at his weakest. "Beelzebub was the first to be freed so he invoked our powers to pull you up from the ground. So you are in our debt."

"Foolish mutant," Daemon said, stepping beside Leviathan. His own eyes looking at the shock on Thrax's face as the mutant's jaw was hanging off. It was simply marvelous to see someone so crushed. "You've been our puppet all of this time and you didn't even know it. Now, you should be grateful for the life we gave back to you. And as a fair compensation, we're taking Dark Knight to serve our purposes."

Daemon turned away with Leviathan joining him. Neither one said anything else about the subject as they vanished into the darkness, leaving their words behind.

The Z-Staff fell from his fingertips as Thrax did everything that he could to keep himself from falling to his knees. Such shame unlike any that he's ever felt before began to rip through his body as he stared down to the tiled ground. What the Dark Lords had said would forever leave its mark, but it also sewed the final seed of vengeance.

The day would come where Thrax would be able to make the Dark Lords pay for what they've done. He vowed to the very ends of Creation as he retrieved his staff from the ground with all his anger threatening to boil up into the surface.

Meanwhile, another figure peaked out from the shadows as the truth was heard.

Lightning kept completely silent because of what she had just heard. To hear that the Dark Lords were orchestrating so much even during their lengthy period of inactivity was frightening to think about. The reach of their power was virtually limitless than if what Leviathan and Daemon said was true.

But oddly enough, what considered her most was what Fate had in store for Dark Knight. Lightning grabbed onto the handle of her Gunblade as she thought back to the fellow warrior whom she betrayed months ago. That didn't erase all the time that the two had spent together in the past few years. It only made the betrayal all the more painful on the both of them as she thought back to it.

Dark Knight had brought Lightning in when she was at her most vulnerable. It was years after her parents had been destroyed by the Energy Wave, she was a grown woman at that point. But still, she was still a weak warrior due to the time she spent alone in the chaos. When he brought her in, Dark Knight had nursed her back to full health and strengthened her training under the blade.

Lightning knew that it was up to her to do something about Dark Knight. She might have struck him down once before, but she won't allow the Dark Lords to get away with what they had in store for him. Her own sense of honor wouldn't allow her to let this go away without even at least trying to make things right.

* * *

><p>In the nightfall, Angel Grove was about to undergo some serious change.<p>

Beelzebub had a smile on his face as he tasted the blood at the tip of his tongue. His lust for destruction was almost as extreme as Daemon or even as high as Lilith's sex drive. That thought was a little amusing as his gluttonous mind was beginning to shake with all the ideas he had for unleashing horror upon the Earthlings.

The Dark Lord couldn't wait to unleash his attack upon the city. He didn't think about going to such severe extremes as Daemon had by taking down a building full of people. Well, Beelzebub didn't feel that was necessary just yet. No, he decided that just a little mayhem was in order so that he could lure the Rangers out.

Then the Rangers would face his fury as he fought against them once more. Beelzebub touched a scar on his upper torso which wasn't too far from where his neck was. It was what was left from the Angel Force Megazord's attack on him.

Not the first scar he had received from battle, but it was one that deserved retribution. As for the reason why he wore a mask wasn't for the fashion statement. The War in Paradise had left him with a disfigured face from a battle he had against a high-ranking Celestial.

The Dark Lord turned aside from the dark city as he waited for morning to come.

* * *

><p>It was midday when Haley finally returned from the first of her many college-related errands. She marched into the house with bags full of stuff that would be greatly needed. Today was spent searching for bedroom supplies like bedding and storage supplies. She would have to do a hunt for some other things later on that week, but she wasn't rushing it too much.<p>

The only reason she even got her current selection was because they were on clearance.

A smile cracked on Haley's face as she threw all of the junk in her bedroom with a light sigh escaping her lips. She turned back around to realize that she had the entire house all to herself, which she found a little creepy. She hadn't realized her parents were out until she looked back out the window to see that both cars were gone, she had parked on the curb.

As for Connor, well, only God knew where that boy ran off to. Haley figured he was probably out with Eric, which was a little weird since they weren't dating any longer. She just shrugged her shoulders as she realized that it was a good thing that the two were still friends since she considered how Connor had it with Ric.

Yeah, this was a much better alternative. Haley could only pray that her adopted brother wouldn't develop a weird, friends with benefits relationship with Eric. That would be sick and disgusting and greatly disappointing since she knew that Connor was so much better than that.

However, with all those thoughts pushed aside, Haley went back outside the house to retrieve the rest of the stuff from her car. She was just about to open the door to the backseat when she noticed the mail truck coming to her house. The focus was broken as she ran up to the mailbox to retrieve the mail from the nice postman.

"Thanks," Haley said as she grabbed the mail.

"Have a good day, miss," said the postman.

The truck went back down the road as Haley stuffed the mail under her pits. She turned back to get the last of her bags from the car before dancing back inside of her home.

Kicking the door to a close, Haley placed the rest of her bags in the living room as she began to sort through the mail. Since college was coming up, she was keeping her eye out for anything majorly important. So her eyes quickly scanned through stack of bills, junk mail, and credit card offers until she found something with her name on it.

Only her name was worth looking at from the first glance. Then she realized that the letter was in a big envelope that had a strangely, familiar logo on the upper, left-hand corner.

"What the hell," said Haley. Scanning the name besides the logo, she recognized the organization that had sent this to her. It was from a while back during her pre-Ranger days if she wasn't mistaken. "I already got the rejection letter though. I don't know why these people are sending me another one of these."

Haley crashed down on the nearby chair though to see what was in store for her. She remembered the internship that she had applied for back in early August. It was for high school seniors to spend their graduation summer at the UCLA campus for an internship at one of the major corporations in the city.

It was a rather simple and common internship that would've mainly had her doing coffee runs, but it would've also helped her to network with some rather important people. The internship would have her being an intern for one of the higher ranking members of the corporation so that was the big appeal of it.

But Haley had gotten the rejection letter back in January that she didn't make it. Even though getting turned down sucked, Haley didn't think twice about it because of her responsibilities as a Ranger. So she tried to figure out why she was getting this letter now unless they were going to notify her of some other opportunities that may come up in the near future.

That didn't seem like a bad idea, which helped her tear the paper apart with gusto.

When Haley retrieved the main paper that held all of the information, she had to rub her eyes for they were deceiving her. She shook her head three times before going over what the letter said once more in order to confirm her suspicions of what just happened.

Apparently, there was an opening for the internship she had applied to. One of the selected students had become unable to attend. Haley had been one of the runner ups for the internship so that was why she was getting the letter right now.

There was almost no hesitation in Haley's part as she jumped up from her chair, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her excitement got the better of her as she cheered herself on for getting this wonderful opportunity. She was so thrilled that she even began to do her happy dance, which really did make her look like an absolute fool.

But the euphoria was killed when Haley remembered the date. She glanced back at the letter to reaffirm what she had already thought about this. There was a tight ball forming in the back of her throat as she saw this.

"I'd have to leave in two weeks until school starts," Haley whispered to herself. "This is just too good of a chance to blow. I can't leave now though, not when things are getting this bad."

Guilt began to bubble up to the surface as Haley dropped her letter and the rest of the papers that came along with it. She stood there, paralyzed as she tried to figure out just what she could do about this.

There was only two options for her, she could either stay or leave and quit being the Pink Ranger.

Haley knew that this was for certain even as her communicator began to go off, which she ignored as her thoughts got the best of her.

* * *

><p>A few scattered explosions went off down the road, causing a massive wave of hysteria. The people that were in the streets did their best to evacuate, getting out of harm's way as the Dark Lord laid his attack out. Beelzebub laughed viciously as he unleashed his power upon the city with his gluttony for destruction beginning to overtake him.<p>

The explosive chains had provoked the sensors in the Command Center which forced necessary action to be taken.

Landon ran on the empty road with the other Rangers, minus Haley, following his lead. They charged into the fray as they found themselves facing Beelzebub once more. Ric, Alice, and Connor shared an equally frustrated look with Landon since they remembered taking this Dark Lord on months before. They were kind of hoping that they could skip this battle, but it seems that would be impossible for them to accomplish.

Another explosion went off, which nearly caused the Rangers to get knocked off their balance. The young heroes stood their ground though as they removed their colored bracelets from their wrists, breathing life into their Crystal Morphers.

"You're going down, Beelzebub!" shouted Landon. "Let's do this, Rangers!"

"Right!" shouted the other six heroes.

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the seven Rangers, "Job Class Forms Activate!"

No risk was being taken in this battle as the Rangers knew that they would have to go all out. The Crystal Morphers were flung up into the air as the colorful feathers began to swirl around their bodies with their uniforms covering their flesh. Then another burst of light came forth as the Rangers transformed into their Job Class Forms.

The added layer of armor would be all the extra protection that they needed for this fight. The Rangers landed on the ground, ready to take the Dark lord on in battle.

Even though they were still one Ranger short, they knew that they could handle this.

Beelzebub bore no love for the Rangers as they came charging in after him. He simply thought nothing at all of them as he held up his right arm to create his new weapon. The full blunt of his power would come from his mighty, Celestial cannon. The weapon was powerful enough to destroy the Nexus, which he would use now to defeat the Power Rangers.

The metal was heavy, but Beelzebub didn't give a damn about it as he steadied himself with his left hand. He grinned with a sneer, his lips cocking up to one corner, before pulling down on the destructive trigger.

Gluttony began to boil in its purest state as the sin was channeled into the weapon. Beelzebub unleashed the destructive, violet bolt of energy that flew across the road towards the Rangers.

A massive explosion was generated when the attack blew up right in front of the Rangers. The young heroes gave out a heavy cry of pain as they were thrown up into the air before unceremoniously landing scattered all over the place. The Rangers rolled around on the ground as they felt the pain really eat away at them again as Beelzebub dismissed his cannon.

"Well, that was hardly any fun," said Beelzebub. "Get on your feet, Rangers! I want this rematch to be entertaining."

"Then so be it!" spat Red Warrior Ranger.

The Rangers pushed themselves back onto their feet as they took charge after the Dark Lord. A rush of adrenaline hit the heroes to motivate them back into battle. Beelzebub felt a similar sensation as he rushed in with his sharp claws itching for their flesh.

Their powers collided once more, causing sparks to fly up into the air.

Red Warrior Ranger slashed the Dark Lord with his Aurora Sword as White Paladin Ranger backed him up with the Solar Blade. Their enchanted swords weren't enough to dent the Dark Lord though as Beelzebub continued to worm his way out of getting scratched.

A couple of bullets began to ran down around him as Yellow Machinist Ranger charged in. She got real trigger happy with her Holy Pistols, which only provoked Beelzebub to brandish his twin shotgun. With his weapons in hand, Beelzebub sent out a couple of rounds after the Ranger, causing her to go down like a kite before turning his aim on the other two.

Orange Dragoon Ranger came in for the interference as he pulled up his force field. His shield managed to provoke the guys before he flung his Celestial Lance after the Dark Lord. Beelzebub ducked out of the way of the projectile and began to pull his triggers a few more times. This time, the bullet made its mark as it took down all three Rangers at once.

Stars and arrows flew in from behind, which Beelzebub only had a second to avoid. The Dark Lord leaped into the air where he landed on top of a ruined truck with a sly grin on his face. Violet Sage Ranger and Black Archer Ranger groaned with frustration as their attacks had missed their target. Waving the Divine Wand and pulling the string of the Heaven Bow, the Rangers tried to take fire again when Beelzebub struck back.

A wave of dark energy escaped the Dark Lord as he slashed the air, venomously, with his claws. There was a sonic screech before the attack lashed out against the Rangers, causing the two of them to crash down to the ground.

Blue Gladiator Ranger showed up behind the Dark Lord, swinging the Glory Hammer at his head. The Ranger was in for a surprise though as Beelzebub vanished before the attack could make its mark. He ended up stumbling off the roof of the truck, barely managing from falling on his face when he felt a hand wrap around his neck.

Without even the slightest effort, Beelzebub was able to pull the Ranger up into the air. The Dark Lord of Gluttony began to prove his point of superiority by squeezing the air out from the Ranger. Blue Gladiator Ranger attempted to fight for his freedom, but he was quickly dismissed as Gluttony threw him against a nearby wall.

"Still pathetic," sighed Beelzebub. "Come on, Rangers! Do something fun."

It was a struggle but Red Warrior Ranger fought to get back on his feet. He retrieved his fallen Aurora Sword then used it to take arms up against the Dark Lord once more.

Beelzebub continued to smirk as he went in after the Ranger.

* * *

><p>Unmoving, Haley remained sitting in the chair with the letter dangling from her fingertips. She had ignored the constant ringing of her communicator as she stared off into complete space as she thought about her news.<p>

This was everything that she could've ever wanted, but it couldn't have come at a worse time. It figured that The Power That Be would throw this opportunity in her face when she couldn't even reach out to take it. This was so unfair, this couldn't be happening now of all times. She just couldn't deal with the facts and she couldn't find the strength to get up from the chair.

Even though she was lifeless that didn't mean that life didn't continue to go on around her. The other Rangers were fighting for their lives and the safety of the city as she did nothing but pity herself. She was well aware of how things were, to an extent, but that still couldn't help her pull herself out from this funk.

It wasn't until the front door flew open that she showed even the slightest bit of signs of life. Haley cocked her head to the side a bit to see that it was her mother who was coming inside of the house.

Kimberly looked frantic before she took one look at her daughter. When she caught a glimpse of the young woman, a breath of relief came from the mother as she ran to her side. "Haley, what is the matter with you?" asked her mother. "I got a call from Adam, you're ignoring your communicator. The other Rangers are in trouble and they need your help."

No words were spoken as Haley simply held the letter up to her mother. Kimberly took the piece of paper and began to go over it until she instantly understood the problem here.

It was something that she was all too well familiar with.

Kimberly gave out a soft sigh as she placed the paper on the coffee table. She got up on her feet and pulled Haley from her chair without mercy. Slowly, she helped her daughter walk over to the sofa so that the two of them could have a little talk.

"I understand what you're going through, sweetheart," said Kimberly. "I know exactly what you're thinking. I had to make this decision when I was your age too." Closing her eyes, Kimberly began to think back to all of those years ago. The battles she had against Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa were all too fresh in her mind. "You know I had to make this same decision: following my dream or continuing being a Ranger."

"That was different though," whispered Haley. "Your life was in danger. Being a Power Ranger was slowly killing you."

"Zordon and the other Rangers would've found a way to save me if I asked," corrected Kimberly. "There was nothing that we couldn't accomplish when we put our minds to it. If only I could tell you all the brilliant creations that Billy made, he was responsible for creating the Turbo Ranger powers."

It would've been too much effort to crack a smile so Haley merely nodded her head.

Kimberly continued to tell her story as she reached out to take her daughter's hand. It was time for her to fulfill her motherly responsibility by guiding her daughter to the path that she would walk. "I chose to follow my dreams," said Kimberly. "The day I gave up my Pink Ranger powers to Kat, I sealed my fate. There was no turning back and I would have to face all the consequences that came with my decision." A heartfelt smile formed on her face as she squeezed her daughter's hand all the tighter. "I have no regrets though, I got to accomplish my dreams and I even managed to fulfill my most important wish which was raising an amazing child who could do anything that she put her mind to."

"You really have no regrets?" whispered Haley. "You don't wonder what things could've been like if you stayed a Ranger?"

"Kat's fate might have been mine," said Kimberly. "I might have became the Pink Zeo Ranger and the first Pink Turbo Ranger. Yeah, I won't lie that I did think about it at first, but that's all in the past though. But if I do have any regrets though, it would be abandoning my friends. I still feel a little guilty about leaving the team, but I knew that it was the right decision for me to make." Slowly beginning to move after she released her daughter's hand, Kimberly stepped aside as she wanted to leave her daughter with a final though. "Just like I made this decision and many other Rangers before you, it's time for you to choose which path you want to walk, sweetheart. Only you can decide if the benefits of stepping closer to achieving your personal dreams outweigh the sense of duty and fulfillment of being a Power Ranger."

Kimberly walked away from Haley, giving her daughter some time to think it over.

Haley watched her mother walk away from her as a heavy knot began to form in her stomach. She placed one hand over herself, which caused her to stare at the pink bracelet on her wrist. Then her gaze fell to the letter on the coffee table as she remembered every word that her mother had to say.

There was no getting around this, Haley knew that she had to make her decision right this moment. Whatever choice that she made there would be no turning back from it just like what had happened with her mother.

Only Haley had the power to decide what future she would take. She could continue being the Pink Ranger and constantly put her life in danger. She could quit being a Ranger and going off on that internship, letting someone else takeover for her. Those were the only options for her, one was pretty selfish and the other was selfless.

And Haley knew what type of person she wanted to be as she made her decision. She couldn't believe she even thought otherwise for even a second.

A smile began to show on Haley's face as she got up from the sofa and took off running towards the front door.

* * *

><p>Explosions continued to erupt from all around them as the Rangers were thrown viciously all over the place. Nothing that they could do seemed to be enough to deal with the Dark Lord as his power just couldn't be conquered by what any of them could muster up.<p>

Red Warrior Ranger collapsed to his knees with his sword striking the ground. He was gasping for breath as the other Rangers were in an equally, pitiful state. The powers of their Job Class Forms were dangerously waning, rapidly. In a matter of moments, he'd lose his power boost, which was the only thing that was keeping him from being killed at this point.

Lifting his head up two inches, the Ranger saw Beelzebub getting closer to him. He gulped as he attempted to draw his Aurora Sword up to defend himself with. But luck just wasn't on the Ranger's side as his Warrior powers abandoned him, leaving him with only half of his strength.

Beelzebub began to smirk much to the horror of the Red Ranger. The Dark Lord cracked his knuckles as he drew nearer towards the Ranger. Red Ranger attempted to cut the eerie silence by stepping forward to slash the Dark Lord only to have his attack avoided with the Dark Lord slamming his fist into the gut of the young man.

A gasp of air escaped from Red Ranger as he dropped to the ground, cowering in pain.

The moment that the Ranger touched the ground, Beelzebub couldn't help but to laugh. Gluttony straightened out his back before turning away to see that none of the other Rangers were even attempting to move to challenge him.

"Well, I can't say this was unexpected," said the Dark Lord of Gluttony. "I am, after all, a superior being. You, Power Rangers, never stood a chance against me. I am the embodiment of Gluttony, my cravings for destruction cannot be sated just like Daemon's wraith. Now that you have all fallen before me, it is time for me to end your misery."

A flicker of dark light formed in Beelzebub's hand as he prepared to unleash his final attack against the Rangers. It would be powerful enough to kill them all if he so desired it, which he did in fact.

But before Beelzebub could attempt to accomplish such a task, a surge of water lashed out against him. The tide of cleansing waters left a burn against his flesh as he dropped the attack and turned to see who dared to strike him.

There was a light yell into the air as Haley stepped out from the shadows with her Sacred Claws in her hands. She had summoned her weapons without even morphing and used them to stall the Dark Lord from doing any more damage to her friends.

"Hello Beelzebub," said Haley. "It's so good to see you again."

"You again," Beelzebub said, cocking his head to the side. "Well, I was wondering when you'd show up, Pink Ranger. I've been wanting to fight you more than any of your pathetic friends here. After all, you were the one who humiliated me in battle the last time."

A smirk formed on Haley's face as she dismissed her weapons. She removed the pink bracelet from her wrist to created her Crystal Morpher. "I'm sorry that I kept you waiting then," said the young woman. "I had to deal with some personal issues, but I'm back and better than ever now. Beelzebub, I hope you have a devil put aside for me." She raised her Crystal Morpher up into the air with a glow of pink light beginning to take form within the crystal. "Angel Force, Power Up!"

Pink feathers quickly circled around Haley as she transformed into Pink Ranger. But that wasn't all of it as Pink Ranger threw the crystal feather up into the air and chased after it. Another burst of pink light took form, transforming her this time into Pink Ninja Ranger.

Beelzebub pulled out one of his shotguns where he slowly lifted it over his shoulder with a dirty scowl forming on his face. He gazed at Pink Ninja Ranger, noticing the confidence that the young woman had underneath the helmet. She didn't seem even the least bit frightened by him, not like her friends had been when he squashed them.

Well, it seems that he'd have to teach her a lesson then.

"I challenge you to a duel, Beelzebub," said Pink Ninja Ranger. "Winner takes all. Do you accept?"

"And what are the rules?" said the Dark Lord.

"There are none."

Beelzebub grinned as he charged after the Ranger, knowing damn well that the girl was foolish for making such a request. He retrieved his second shotgun then leaped above the Ranger's head to fire a few scattered rounds all around her.

Pink Ninja Ranger didn't seem to even flinch as the bullets rained around her. In fact, she appeared to be standing perfectly still and not a single bullet marred her flesh as Beelzebub landed right behind her. However, what really happened was that the Ranger took advantage of her ninja skills to avoid getting show at.

Holding up her Sacred Claws, the bullets that Beelzebub had fired were all in hand. Pink Ninja Ranger turned her head back towards Beelzebub before dropping all of the useless bullets to the ground. She leaped backward, landing on top of a lamppost with one foot balancing her entire body as she held up her claws.

A growl was ripped out from Beelzebub's throat as he took charge after Pink Ninja Ranger. He attempted to slash her with his nails, only to have her jump away from the incoming attack. She landed perfectly against the side of a building and managed to keep herself from moving as the Dark Lord had torn the lamppost apart.

Pink Ninja Ranger pushed herself away from the building then extended one leg forward to kick the Dark Lord in the chest. Gluttony lost his breath for the moment as he fell down to the ground with his back crashing against the cement. A groan of pain was forced out of his throat, which further infuriated the Dark Lord as he leaped back to his feet.

Just in time too as Pink Ninja Ranger was coming in for the landing. She touched the ground not too far from where Beelzebub stood then extended her fully body forward to slash him with her Sacred Claws. Only this time, Beelzebub caught the attack with his hands and yanked the girl's arms back as he leaned his face closer towards her helmeted face.

"You won't shame me so easily this time," said Beelzebub.

"You have no idea who you're messing with," smirked Pink Ninja Ranger. "You might be a fallen Celestial, but being a Ranger runs in my blood. I'm so gonna kick your demonic ass back to your crib in the inferno!"

The cockiness that the Ranger boldly spoke out in was such an insult to Beelzebub. He released the Ranger from his grip and pushed her aside with his gloved fist. Pink Ninja Ranger slid across the ground with her boots dragging into the ground but she dug her claws into the ground to keep her from going much further.

Beelzebub held out one of his shotguns and began to fire after her, which was a reason to move quickly.

Pink Ninja Ranger leaped out of the way with her body constantly rotating in the air as she avoided getting shot at again. She flipped around as her heightened agility took effect, and she even made sure to stay away from the area that she knew her friends were at.

The graceful movement was deathly surprising to Beelzebub. If he hadn't known any better, he would argue that Celestial blood flows through her veins, which he knew to be completely impossible. However, that didn't mean that genetics weren't involved since the Dark Lord was well aware that both of her parents were former Power Rangers.

They might not actively be able to wield their powers, but traces of it still flow through their veins. The time that they had spent connected to the Morphing Grid could never be forgotten. Traces of that power that they accessed had, in fact, passed onto their daughter, making her a stronger fight then what a normal human being should be.

Pink Ninja Ranger was taping into that potential as she fought against the Dark Lord.

Landing on top of a overturn car, Pink Ninja Ranger straightened herself out just as Beelzebub was beginning to reload his guns. She knew that she wouldn't get a better opportunity than right now to strike for a long time. She had her chance so she needed to reach out and take it, just like how she had decided to spend her life being a Ranger.

Crossing her Sacred Claws over her chest, the Ranger took in a deep breath. She felt her muscles relaxing as her brain sent soothing chemicals throughout her body. "It is time for me to grow stronger," whispered Pink Ninja Ranger. "I am the sea and I shall fight like her." The small gems on her Sacred Claws began to glow as Pink Ninja Ranger accessed her full potential.

Awakening the power that was buried in the deep recesses of the Crystal Morpher, Pink Ninja Ranger prepared to unleash it all at once. She raised the Sacred Claws up as a wave of water appeared all around her before gathering above her head. Her arms moved almost on their own accord as she slashed the air a few times, which caused the wave to strike out on its own.

Beelzebub gave out a startled gulp as he saw the wave of water coming in after him. The Dark Lord stood his ground as he pulled up a shield to protect himself with only to have the wave shatter his defenses. Pink Ninja Ranger's ultimate power penetrated his shield then crashed into his very being with an icy malice that dug into his flesh like knives.

So much pain crippled his body as Beelzebub let out a painful yell before dropping to his knees. He was forced into accepting defeat and the duel ended in favor of Pink Ninja Ranger as he collapsed to the ground.

Pink Ninja Ranger turned away from her defeated foe with her claws hanging from her sides.

* * *

><p>Wandering into the hidden corridors of the castle, Lightning sought out her missing, former companion. She was silent as she moved through the halls without anyone detecting her presence. Now, she didn't know if she made it this far because she was actually good at being stealthy or if someone was just stringing her along. Either way, there was no damn to be given as Lightning continued her search.<p>

Her hand was on the handle of her Gunblade, ready to draw the weapon out should she have to use it. She was a trained warrior and she was in the middle of a potentially, hostile environment so there was no room for having your guard down. The warrior woman was well aware that she could potentially be killed by even being here.

Lightning continued onward in silence until she found a door in one of the deepest darkest of the corridors. This door peaked her curiosity as she began to walk up to it with her hand stretching out, purely out of instinct. Her ungloved fingertips touched the cold steel which caused a reaction to take effect as what appeared to be a rune seal fading away into oblivion.

Oblivious to the cause to all of this, the door opened to reveal something like a dungeon. Lightning found herself very much drawn to this place as she stepped inside with the door closing right behind her.

Removing her weapon, Lightning spun towards the door with her Gunblade at full sword point. There was nothing there, it was just the noise that had caused alarm. "Well," whispered Lightning, "it seems that there is no turning back. Nowhere to go but forward." The weapon was returned to its sheath as Lightning turned back to march onward.

In the depths of darkness was where Lightning found herself venturing onto. She stepped inside the dank dungeon to what looked like a medieval torture chamber. It was certainly something that the humans would've used in their more primitive times.

Lightning turned her attention away from some of the cruder instruments to what she sought more than anything else. Her eyes constantly shifted from wall to wall and table to table to see if there was any sign of him anyplace.

Hope was almost lost until Lightning heard faint breathing. She stepped off into a corner small pathway that had opened up in the dungeon to what looked like a prison cell. There was a faint torchlight that illuminated that path, which gave enough light to show her that a person was chained to the wall.

Armor was scattered all over the ground with a sword forgotten. Lightning closed her eyes as she tried to avoid looking at the disastrous state of her former companion and mentor.

Dark Knight looked horribly ragged without his armor on. There was an actual man underneath all of that armor, a muscular man who had certainly seen better days. His skin was frightfully pale like he had been under suffering from constant ailment, his hair was long and white that appeared completely dried out, and scars marred his physical form that were from old battles and some of which were from a new one. And the only thing that the fallen knight had to cover his body and keep him warm in this dark environment was a pair of torn shorts.

Lightning pulled her Gunblade out once more as she summoned the blade form. She slowly opened her eyes to see Dark Knight, watching as he barely even showed any sign of breathing.

The steel of the cage shattered as Lightning continued onward. She swung her Gunblade forward once more to break the chains that kept Dark Knight captive. The moment the Gunblade had left its mark, the exhausted, spellbound Dark Knight fell from his place against the wall to the surprisingly strong arms of Lightning.

"What have they done to you?" Lightning whispered as she supported his weight.

All of the broken armor began to stir as it rose up to only be absorbed into Dark Knight's flesh. Lightning hoisted him up to make it easier to support his weight as she reached out to retrieve his forgotten sword. A warrior should never be without his sword, it was an insult to the blade that had been forged for them.

Lightning carried the unarmored knight to someplace he'd be safe. Knowing damn well that her loyalty would be question the moment she was caught didn't appear to be a concern for her this time.

What mattered most was repaying a debt that she needed to satisfy to an old friend.

* * *

><p>Rising from defeat once more, Beelzebub returned in his giant form. The Dark Lord of Gluttony gave out a might roar as he embraced more of his hidden power to recreate what he had lost once before. The fabric of his leather jacket began to tare as a massive pair of black, angelic looking wings began to take form.<p>

A heavy sigh escaped Beelzebub's lips as he felt better than he had in centuries. The battle had proven to be rather fulfilling, even if he did lose that duel to Pink Ranger.

Those thoughts were pushed aside as the Dark Lord saw eight streaks of light flying cross from the sky. He lifted his head up slightly to see the Sentinel Zords coming into view. The Zords flew closer together before shifting around as they formed the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord.

With their ultimate weapon combined, the Rangers were ready for battle against the Dark Lord.

"This is where things will end, Rangers!" spat Beelzebub. "You will fall beneath my feet as I rip you apart Zord by Zord."

"I wouldn't get to cocky if I were you, Beelzebub!" shouted Pink Ranger.

"Yeah!" said Red Ranger. "We have the power to stop you like we've done to the other Dark Lords!"

If only the Rangers were aware of just how false that statement was. But Beelzebub didn't wish to crush their hopes just yet. He wanted to continue stringing them along so that when the End finally begun, everything that they ever believed would collapse at their feet.

It would be a glorious day, which was approaching very soon.

Beelzebub rushed after the Ultrazord with his claws lashing out. The sharp, metal-covered nails dug into the robotic flesh of the Ultrazord to leave a lasting impression on it. His attack were quick and merciless, exactly how Beelzebub liked to strike out against his opponents.

The Rangers were being shaken around in their own Ultrazord, which was somewhat embarrassing. The controls were quickly regained as Blue Ranger summoned the fists from his Maxter Sentinel Zord. The red, metal gloves were used to punch the Dark Lord against the chest to put a serious hurting into Beelzebub.

Gluttony groaned as he flew backward from the heavy fists that crushed into his chest. He landed across from the city, in the outskirts of the nearby desert. He got back on his feet as he growled angrily under his breath before brandishing his twin shotguns. With his wings flapping, Beelzebub took to the air with the Rangers soon chasing after him.

"Let's use our weapons, Eric!" said Pink Ranger.

"I'm with you, Haley!" said Orange Ranger.

As Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord flew into the sky, the two Rangers summoned their own weapons. The two-barreled, machine gun from Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord appeared in the right arm as the small, machine gun went to the left hand.

The Rangers steered their Ultrazord in close quarters to Beelzebub before taking fire at each other. Beelzebub fired his shotguns after the Rangers at once with the bullets cracking against the armor as the Rangers flew in closer. To back themselves out, Pink Ranger used her gun to return a few rounds of fire. Orange Ranger took control of the situation as he had used his gun against the Dark Lord to return the favor.

The constant barrage of gunfire was doing more harm to Beelzebub then the Rangers, forcing him to fly out of the way. The Dark Lord strapped his shotguns away as he threw his right arm to the side, taking form of his Celestial Cannon. Slowly, a massive charge began to grow as the Dark Lord poured his sinful power into his divine weapon.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord would've braced for impact, but the Rangers knew just how damaging that attack could be. If they took on the cannon head on then they could surely beat that they would lose the Ultrazord in the process. So they took a more offensive position as they called for their on their strongest weapon.

Centennial Ultra Sword came down from the sky, which the Ultrazord caught without much problem. The Rangers swung the weapon around for a moment as Beelzebub prepared to pull the trigger, which was something that they couldn't afford to allow.

Wasting no time, the Rangers pulled as much power into the greatsword with hopes that this would be all that they needed.

As the chaotic seal began to take form before them, Beelzebub was getting too close to unleashing his deadly attack. Even as the Ultra Sword glowed with power, it wouldn't come quickly enough to defeat Beelzebub. The Rangers had no choice but to take evasive action as Beelzebub pulled the trigger down to unleash the power.

A five-pointed star took form with purple energy racing all around it. The mouth of the cannon opened up as a dangerous orb of energy was about to erupt from its depths. "Gluttony Cannon!" roared Beelzebub. The power erupted from the cannon, breaking the seal as it took in its power. The blast of energy rocketed towards the Ultrazord with the Rangers spinning their Ultrazord out of the way.

However, Beelzebub's attack was following them, getting dangerously close to making its impact on their Ultrazord. The Rangers had to use what power they had poured into the greatsword in order to escape a destructive fate. They could only hope that they could summon enough power to finish off the Dark Lord.

Unless…they did something a little different.

"I have an idea!" said Pink Ranger. "We steer the Ultrazord towards Beelzebub then unleash our attack."

"You want us to crush Beelzebub with his own power?" said Yellow Ranger. "That sounds brilliant!"

"Let's try it!" said Black Ranger.

The rockets on Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord roared with greater life as Beelzebub truly thought that he had the Rangers beat. Only the shoe was about to slip on the other foot as the Rangers were about to lay out their own trap.

Beelzebub made it all too easy for them as his cockiness was about to get the better of him. The Rangers were getting dangerously close to the Dark Lord with their greatsword fully charged now. And at the last possible second, they steered away from the Dark Lord with the rocket dimming down some before hitting them back with a major charge.

As for the Dark Lord, well, the trap was set. Beelzebub blinked just as his own attack crashed against his body, doing a significant amount of damage to himself.

With the Dark Lord badly weakened, the Rangers knew that they had the chance to do something about it. Raising the Centennial Ultra Sword, the Ultrazord was prepared to lay the final blow onto Beelzebub. "This ends now!" shouted the Rangers. "Cosmic Heaven Annihilation!" A burst of light came down from the sky as the Rangers invoked the Ultrazord's full power.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord wave its arm down, unleashing the might of the light covered greatsword upon its target. The intense burst of light was powerful enough to dig into the already weakened flesh of the Dark Lord, causing a mighty cry of pain to be ripped out from his throat. The Rangers' attack did exactly what they desired to as its power ripped the Dark Lord apart, triggering a massive explosion in the sky.

Light flooded out from all four corners as Beelzebub vanished from sight.

And in the Dark Lord's defeat, the Power Rangers celebrated another victory over the forces of evil.

* * *

><p>Returning to the Moon, Beelzebub carried his injured carcass into the empty throne room. He was hoping to get a little rest after his second defeat against the Pink Ranger. As much as it pained him to admit this, he could see the young Ranger as a worthy challenge for someone like him. She was quick on her feet and threw a punch that could knock even a full Celestial on their divine ass.<p>

There was a lot of ache and pain that left his body a bit crippled, but nothing that a little rest couldn't take care of. Besides, Beelzebub's defeat had assured that one of the seals that kept Luther bound in his cage was now officially broken. He could finally push forward with their ultimate goal in bringing about the end of this pitiful universe.

Very soon, the stars would fall in a tidal wave of glorious destruction.

Beelzebub was just about to pass the seat of power when he felt something else was in the room with him. The Dark Lord retrieved one of his shotguns and pointed it back to take aim only to discover that it was Zodiark.

There was a light grin that graced the Dark Lord's face as he returned the gun to his side. "Oh, you," Beelzebub said, lazily. Without thinking about it, the words just began to flow out from his mouth as he approached the Dark Prince. "I wasn't expecting to see you here. Isn't it a little passed your bedtime, Zodiark? Shouldn't you be dreaming of pedophilic relations with the Black Ranger or something along those lines?"

Silence was what Zodiark returned to Beelzebub. The frightening look on the pale faced man was actually a little troublesome for Beelzebub who thought that there was something clearly wrong with this picture.

Beelzebub would've thrown another insult for good measure when he suddenly felt himself being thrown across the throne room. His already injured body was hurled without any mercy as he crashed with his back against the wall with a psychic force holding him down. His throat tightened up, preventing him from taking in a breath as he forced himself to keep his eyes open to see the aura of power that surrounded Zodiark.

It was a sight that he had seen a few times before back before the Fall. This was the look that he had earned a few times from a certain Celestial who's name made his blood run cold.

"You are nothing but a failure and a miserable vermin," spat Zodiark. "The fact that you continue to exist is just outstanding to me. I want nothing more than to have you vaporized into the deepest recesses of space, but you are still needed to play a part."

"How dare you!" Beelzebub shouted, fighting the psychic hold. Even with his power, the Dark Lord couldn't seem to get around the power that Zodiark wielded. It made him boil over with anger as he tried to feed from the sin he wielded to strike back.

That became impossible though as Zodiark revealed a crystal that had caused this beautiful moment to happen. The Dawn Shard shinned in all of its glory as it cancelled the powers of the Fallen Celestial, making him hardly stronger than a Putty Patroller.

Blood began to choke Beelzebub as he felt the power of the Dawn Shard being used against him.

Zodiark wasn't through yet though even though he put the crystal away. The control he held over Beelzebub began to wane as the Fallen Celestial fell to the ground. The Dark Prince began to grin as he looked over the pathetic state that was Gluttony.

"I am the Edeonian Empire incarnate," said Zodiark. "You, Beelzebub, are a fly that needs to be squashed if I am to continue prospering. I will not allow your insignificance to stand in my way so I suggest that you crawl someplace and die."

With blood smearing his mouth, Beelzebub began to stand on his feet. It was a fight to get up, but it was one that the Dark Lord managed to win.

No looks were exchanged as Beelzebub quickly fled from the throne room from the power that he witnessed. The power wasn't the only thing that worried him. Once before, Zodiark had lashed out to such extremes because of an entity of great authority spoke through him.

Beelzebub could see this power as clear as rain, he did not wish to go up against _him _again. Not if he wished to continue breathing.

As the Dark Lord ran off from sight, Leviathan and Daemon showed up just in time to see the humiliation.

"He always did run off with his tail between his legs," laughed Daemon.

Leviathan couldn't help but to laugh as well before turning back towards Zodiark. The laughter ended there as he reclaimed a bit of his intellect as the reason why they were there returned. "We have a serious problem," said Leviathan. "Dark Knight is no longer in the castle. He has been removed by somebody here."

"Who would dare do such a thing?" said Zodiark.

"It was Lightning," growled Daemon. "She found Dark Knight and took him away."

"Then she will be dealt with," Zodiark said, plainly.

The three of them separate into the shadows as time was beginning to usher in the first of the Fallen.

* * *

><p>There was a strange beauty in watching something burn up. It could be the relief that came from the flames or the ash that was left behind or even the fact that fire was just completely mesmerizing. For Haley, it felt like a combination of all three as she burned her internship letter on the stove with a pair of tongs in hand.<p>

Smoke continued to ascend up into air before being blown away by the stove fan. Just because she was acting a bit like a pyromaniac meant that she needed to be completely irresponsible.

Other than that though, Haley felt fairly at peace with the personal decision that she had made about her future. She thought about it long and hard, but she knew that there was no other path for her to walk. Being a Ranger was everything that she wanted to be. It was what her destiny to be the Pink Ranger, she had finally come to accept that without any question.

It was pretty much certain that Haley would be "doomed" to repeat her parents' lives.

Watching the flames with her, the other Rangers had come to the house to see this moment of revelation for themselves. Serena was mumbling something about wanting to roast marshmallows, which was sounding very tempting to Alice and Ric who started to lick their lips.

Connor was by the stove, on the opposite side of the fire. He had his elbows on the counter with his hands supporting his head as he shifted his glance from his adopted sister to the small flames. "Is there a particular reason that you had to set the letter on fire?" asked Connor. "I mean, you could've just thrown it away, flushed it down the toilet, or fed it to a stray dog. There was no need for you to go all Pyro on us."

The tongs pinched against the flaming letter which continued to flicker from the heat. Holding up the fiery piece of paper, Haley had a wild look in her eyes. "Fire pretty," she said, cracking a smile. She extended it out to Connor who began to freak as he ran to the other side of the kitchen, hiding behind Eric and Landon.

Haley and the others couldn't help but to laugh at Connor's expense as Haley returned the paper to the stovetop.

Tommy stepped out from behind Haley as he wrapped on arm around her shoulder. This caused Haley's muscles and nerves to relax even more as she surrendered to the feeling that he provided her with.

The pretty flames continued to burn away one path, while leaving another open wide.

If only the Rangers were more aware of the uncertain future that awaited them in the coming days.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

During the fight scene, Haley said an almost direct quote from a certain song. Whoever gets it first will get an honorable mention for the next chapter!

On the next chapter, the end of the world is about to begin. The Dark Lords set to gear the final gears to what will be the apocalypse. The King of the Dark Lords will be freed on this hour with the Power Rangers oblivious to this as they relax from the constant battles. Meanwhile, Lightning continues to protect Dark Knight from his fate and will pay the price as the Dark Lords come hunting for her. Zodiark sends out a powerful message to Connor, one that will push him over the edge in more ways than one. The end begins in **A Moment of Peace!**


	34. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: Alright kiddies! Here is the new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it because it was a pain in the ass to write. REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! Or else I will hunt you down.  
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**Moment of Peace: **

Almost a week has passed without any sign of trouble brewing in Angel Grove. It came as a welcomed relief for the Rangers as they attempted to pass the time until the next battle by recharging their batteries. The constant battles against the Dark Lords had really proven to be a test on their abilities; they were so tired at this point that it was a struggle to get out of bed.

But the Rangers were fighters, each one of them had proven themselves be stronger than they gave themselves credit for over and over again. Even though they were unaware of the battle over the horizon, the Rangers knew that they would be ready to handle whatever may come their way.

It was that spark that kept each one going during this time of crisis.

Over in Skulls and Crosses, the Rangers gathered to their usual hangout for a dinner out together. The time was peaceful enough that they could afford to congregate without risk of a battle breaking out in the city. Well, the risk for a battle was always there, but at least they knew that no trouble was already present. They were pretty much just waiting now for the next, big bad to rear its ugly head on them.

A waiter delivered their drinks and was ready to take their order. Once that mess was cleared out, the waiter left for the kitchen as the Rangers attempted to enjoy their night of freedom.

"You have no idea how good having these last couple of days was for me," said Ric. A heavy sigh tore out from his thick chest as dropped his head on Alice's shoulder for dramatic effect. She pushed him off, but that only helped to cause him to laugh. "I'm like beyond exhausted. All of this fighting is wearing my hot bod thin."

"Who you tellin?" laughed Haley. "We're all exhausted, Ric. None of us have been getting much sleep lately, not since the Dark Lords came into town."

"The good news is that we've already defeated six out of the seven," said Alice.

"Yes, only one more to go," Tommy said, raising his drink.

The Rangers were delighted as they thought about that. They performed a happy "cheers" before taking sips from their individual drinks. At least they knew that only one more Dark Lord was left to battle against, one that they knew virtually nothing about because they just weren't sure how certain the lore was.

If Alice was right then the last of the Dark Lords was one that they wanted nothing to do with.

"So that means we're like almost done being Rangers," said Serena. "Our mission is to defeat the Dark Lords."

"But we might have Thrax and Zodiark running around still," said Eric. "Short of us losing all our powers against the Dark Lords, which is a real possibility, then we're not done just yet."

"Let's try not to fuck up tonight with all those unpleasant thoughts," Connor said, butting into the conversation. "Let's just try and enjoy what time we have left together."

"Connor's right," Landon said, sticking up for the boy. He wrapped an arm around Alice as he held his glass back up into the air. "God only knows how much time we have left to be together like this. Let's make the most out of this time because who knows what tomorrow has in store for us"

"That's right," cheered Haley.

"Salud!" Ric said, in agreement.

The Rangers said their cheers once more, trying to erase all reason for concern from their minds. It was a lot more difficult then it sounded, but it was something that they'd all strive to achieve. They needed to believe in themselves if they were to survive the coming storm.

Unaware of the dangers that lurked around the corner, the Rangers attempted to enjoy the rest of their time together.

* * *

><p>After getting peacefully evicted from the restaurant, due to it being closing time, the Rangers filtered out of there with the rest of the patrons. Most of the Rangers scattered off in their own separate ways to enjoy what little time that they had left of the night.<p>

Landon left with Alice, while Serena took off for the ship. Ric was mumbling something about going to have a drink as he walked over to his truck. Tommy and Haley started to walk together to her home, while Connor hung back as he dragged his feet to the ground before deciding to pick up speed.

Connor wasn't so fortunate to get home as Eric had snuck up behind him and latched onto him. The boy nearly let out a startled yelp before realizing just who it was. "Is there a particular reason why you're hanging onto me like a spider monkey?" Connor asked. He tried to break free from the grip, but Eric kept his hold firm so that there was almost no chance of escaping.

While the others went off in their separate directions, Eric had his own agenda as he pushed Connor one way. He was behind Connor so the boy couldn't see just what those eyes were plotting against him. "There are some issues that we need to deal with," said Eric. "I know that you said you want to wait until after this Dark Lord shit is over with, but we might not have the chance."

It took only a second for Connor to figure out where this was going. Eric had shown his hand too quickly, which was cause for the boy to panic a bit as he tried to get away from the path to a certain truck.

"No, Eric," Connor said, softly. "I don't want to deal with this right now."

"You have to," Eric said, firmly. "Ric has to know how you feel or else none of us will make any progress with our lives. So man up, Connor, and go talk to him."

Biting down on his tongue, the boy refused to even grace Eric with a response to that insult. A tantrum was ready to be thrown but he wasn't given that chance as Eric moved things along.

To prove his point, Eric pushed Connor in the direction of Ric's truck as he let out a howler at the Hispanic youth. Connor mumbled under his breath several curses just as Ric turned his head back to see the two of them standing there.

Ric's first idea was that his fellow Rangers needed a ride home. He clenched onto his keys as he made his way towards where Connor and Eric were standing at. "What's up, guys?" asked the young man. "You need to hitch it?"

Eric shook his head at Ric as he kept to standing behind Connor. He would get the boy to talk so that the three of them could deal with this issue that was hanging above their heads. "Nah, man," said Eric. "We just need to have a little talk. Connor has something that he needs to get off of his chest."

Unsure of where this was going, Ric raised a curious eyebrow as he tried to piece this together. He knew that he wasn't the smartest guy around, but none of this was making any sense to him as he shifted glances from Eric to Connor. Eric wasn't showing any trace of emotion, while Connor looked like he was about to pass out at any moment.

This was becoming really weird very fast.

"Should I be worried?" asked Ric. One thought came to mind as he began to suck in the awkward air through his nasal cavity. He just might be able to solve this mystery if he could potentially know where this was going. "Does this have anything to do with why you guys broke up?"

Connor showed his signs of life by sending a small nod in Ric's direction. The boy bit down on his bottom lip and brushed his bangs over his eyes before finally looking Ric in those brown eyes. "Do you remember everything that happened during the fight with Lilith?" said Connor. "You remember how you were under her spell and you tried to kill me when the spell finally wore off?"

Ric paused as he took a step back with his arms crossing over his leather-clad chest. How could anyone forget that day? It certainly wasn't one of the finer moments of his Ranger career as he thought back to how the Dark Lord of Lust manipulated his mind and turned him against his own friends.

"It's not a pleasant memory," said Ric, "but yeah I do. What's that got to do with anything though? Alice and Serena kicked Lilith's ass so that's why the spell broke."

"That's not entirely true," Connor said, softly. The ball at the front of his throat grew a little larger as he swallowed down his urge to faint. He let out a deep sigh as he took one step closer to where Ric stood; ready to throw the truth at him. "I managed to break Lilith's hold on you just like I did with Eric, and Haley did with Tommy and Landon. I said a few things that managed to reach out to you but it seems that you don't remember that part."

"What did you say?" Ric asked, confused as to where this was heading.

It wasn't easy to say, and once again the Adam's apple on the boy's throat was proof of that. But Connor pushed through as he looked Ric square in the eye. "I told you that I was still in love with you," Connor said, firmly. "My feelings for you were what managed to break the spell. Somehow…I think you still care about me like I do for you."

Ric was taken aback by the admission, but he could see it now. The gap in his memory filled in as he remembered hearing Connor crying out to him that he was still in love with him. Ric held his hand up to his forehead, feeling the pain that came with remembering something that had been taken away from him.

Now, it started to make sense to him.

Ric looked over Connor's shoulder to where Eric was standing. Ric could see that there was a storm of pain brewing within Eric's chest, which only served to confirm these thoughts.

"You heard him," Ric said to Eric. "That's why you two broke up. It's because that Connor is still in love with me."

"Yes," Eric said, softly. "I wanted Connor to make a decision on who he wants to be with. But he can't do that unless he knows exactly how you feel about him, Ric. He can't beg you to take him back if you'll just devastate him again."

Again, that was something that Ric had to remind himself of too.

The last time that the two of them were together, well, it didn't end well. Connor had to die for Ric to realize how wrong he had been to give Connor up because of what his family thought was moral. A soul was crushed and a life was stolen prematurely because of his stupidity.

Ric couldn't allow something like that to happen a second time. In the months since then, Ric has finally begun to accept this part of his life. Even if his family wouldn't approve of him, he just couldn't deny that he loved men and wanted to be with another man.

But could he put Connor through another relationship with him only for it to end just as badly as the first time?

Ric's pause was a little nerve wrecking as Connor just stood there. The boy had bared himself to Ric and there was only silence. Even with Eric standing at his side now, Connor just couldn't find the strength to continue standing until Ric finally began to stir.

"Listen Connor," Ric said, calmly. It was difficult to stay this calm, but it was something that had to be done. "I would be lying to say that I didn't love you and that I don't want you back. But I don't know if I can be in a relationship with you again. As much as I want you, hurting you again just terrifies the living hell out of me." He clenched onto his chest, right where his heart was as he stepped back from Connor. "I love you, but…but I just don't think I can do this again."

"Eric loves you purely and openly," continued the young man. "I can see that and so does everyone else. So…so maybe it would be for the best if you two just got back together. I don't think I have anything else to offer you besides being your first love and your first heartbreak."

Connor nodded his head as the words began to drown his mind. It looked like a second chance was just too much to even ask for, which was cause for making his heart to sink a little. "I understand," Connor said, softly. "Thank you for being honest with me, Ric." He turned his head back to Eric, but didn't say a word. He just briefly touched the older youth's hand before walking away from the parking lot.

This was just too much for him to deal with right now, which is why Connor felt that he needed to get home. Even though he got his response from Ric and the path to Eric was wide open, it all still felt wrong in the pit of his stomach. Connor just knew that he needed to really think about things, he just really had to be alone right now.

As his skinny figure walked down the road, Eric and Ric were left behind there.

Eric looked down to the ground with his hand instinctively reaching out to the back of his head. There was an itch back there that needed to be scratched, but no matter how hard he tried it just wouldn't go away. No, this was an itch that could only be dealt with by other means.

Ric just sighed as he tightened his hold on the keys. He turned his head off to the side to Eric with a frown on his face as he called out for his attention. "Let's go," said Ric. "First round of tequila is on me."

Without anywhere else to go, Eric just nodded his head and joined Ric for a drink.

* * *

><p>Explosive anger rippled throughout the moon as the Dark Lords assembled within Castle Pandemonium. The news that Dark Knight was being hidden by Lightning as his protector was reason enough for concern as the alignment was rapidly approaching. The plans that they had spent centuries organizing was jeopardy because a meddlesome hybrid.<p>

It was cause for concern as something needed to be done about this.

With all of his injuries from battling Pink Ranger recovered, Beelzebub was the first to step up from the group. His eyes briefly turned to Leviathan and Daemon who bore grins as they thought about the other night. He knew exactly what they were thinking, which was reason enough to cause shivers to run up and down his spine. The pain that had been left behind by Zodiark was still present as it weakened his already weakened form.

"We all know what tomorrow night is," started Beelzebub. "Tomorrow, the final seal must be broken in order for Luther to walk free. So that means Dark Knight must be brought back to us in time for the planetary alignment. If not then it will be a millennia before we can even attempt a second chance at this."

"And by then the Faithful would have already crushed us," yawned Belphagor.

"And all of this effort would've been for nothing," said Barbatos.

Lilith nodded her head as she stepped forward with her hands crossed over her stomach. She wore a particularly form-fitting, red dress that revealed much more then was necessary of her bosoms. "Then I suppose we should really make a push in tracking Lightning down," said Lust. "If we don't get her back and recapture Dark Knight then my role in all of this would be for nothing."

"We wouldn't want you to feel useless, Lilith," said Leviathan. "That is why Daemon and I will track Lightning down. Zodiark has already given us a means to track her down, while he works on setting off the spark that will break the final seal."

The diabolical Daemon looked over to Lilith who was practically covered in chills as the time was rapidly approaching her. In a few moments, she would have to play out her role as they all watched on. "Don't worry," laughed Daemon, "we'll have Dark Knight in his proper place before its time for you to make your sacrifice."

A light laugh left her as she attempted to pretend that she didn't care. Her terror would be ignored though as all that mattered was her loyalty to Luther. He would reward her for her sacrifice once he was freed from his holy prison. Once she broke the final seal then everything would be worth it.

Beelzebub reclaimed the attention of his fellow Dark Lords as he stared out to the Earth that was covered by the moonlight. Already, the rotating planets were bringing about the perfect alignment that would create a magical opening. When the time came then the cage would be at its most vulnerable with the proper sacrifice needing to be made so that Luther could break through the cage.

"You all know what you have to do," Beelzebub said, firmly. "Go do what needs to be done then we shall regroup on Earth to where we shall break the final seal. We will need to unite no later than the evening if we are to accomplish this task."

"The Grids' balance just needs that one final push," laughed Barbatos. "We'll need to lure the Rangers out if we're going to make this work."

"It won't be difficult since the Rangers will break the final seal anyways," yawned Barbatos.

The Dark Lords began to laugh as they all knew what was coming. The end of the world was about to begin, and the Power Rangers were completely oblivious that they would bring about the destruction until it was too late to do anything about it.

* * *

><p>Curled on the living room floor with a blanket below and above them as the moonlight streamed in from the open curtains, Landon and Alice could be found spooning against each other. Their darker skin tone kept them from being easily seen, especially by Ric if he decided to suddenly walk in on them. Their clothes laid scattered about the living room, some of which hidden behind certain things and wouldn't be found until quite some time.<p>

Their thoughts were of pleasant ones though as their naked bodies meshed properly together. The time that they had spent together, not just tonight but for the past year, was one that neither one could regret. They had become attached to each other in more ways than one. Sex wasn't the only thing that held them together, no matter how incredible that always was.

Landon kissed Alice's neck, while one hand was entangled in hers and the other hand was on her hip. He heard a soft moan escape from Alice's luscious lips as she pressed her feminine form against his masculine body. The smile that crossed his face spoke of dirty thoughts as he lightly bit down on her flesh.

"I'm gonna kick your ass if you mark me again," moaned Alice.

"I thought you liked it when I did that," said Landon.

"Not really, bitter," laughed Alice.

Laughter hit the both of them as they found themselves both smiling. Landon loosened his hold on Alice enough to where she could turn her naked body around so that they faced each other. His arousal and her desire managed to stay in check for once, which was simply remarkable since these two could go at it every hour of every single day.

But tonight was a little different. They already shagged like animals once, but even then the need wasn't as strong as it usually had been.

Their hands found their way to each other as the two pulled closer together. Their bodies just fit perfectly together, which made even these uncertain days perfect. Even though they had no idea what tomorrow had in store for them, it wasn't so scary now that they had each other.

"I love you," Landon whispered to Alice.

"I love you too," Alice said to Landon.

Their lips found each other in the darkness, sending both to what could only be described as nirvana.

* * *

><p>The bar might have been loud, but the two men sitting on the stools were awfully silent.<p>

Ric's truck brought them to one of the less than lustrous bars of Angel Grove. To be honest, it was a biker bar, and the only reason why Ric brought Eric here was because this bar served the strongest drinks. After what had just happened with Connor, they would both need something pretty potent to slug down.

A pair of tequila shots was handed over to the young men. Ric and Eric slammed the contents of the glass down their throat with the lime and salt that was needed for the burn. The heat of the drink was powerful enough to make Eric slam his eyes shut, while Ric hollered into the air as the Latino came out of him.

Their initial silence would come to a tragic end as the Rangers took another four tequila shots, a few beers, a glass of whiskey for Ric, and a glass of vodka for Eric. They spent half the night just slamming their drinks before returning to another beer for each of them. Neither one of them had much sobriety left in them, which were about to lead to some awkward/serious conversations.

Ric felt his mind a little jumbled as he thought back to Connor. He hated himself as he remembered the day that he broke up with the boy all too well. It was the biggest mistake of his life, but he just couldn't think of what else to do at the time. He regretted it with all his heart, there was no changing the past though.

"So," Ric said, swallowing beer, "Connor still loves me. Not that I blame him since I'm such a catch. But I am the worst guy out there for him. I could never make him happy, he's just too…perfect!"

Eric slammed his drink on top of the countertop. His eyes were becoming a little bloodshot as he craned his head over to Ric. The thoughts he had of Connor where similar, but different still. Eric knew he did the right thing for the both of them, he just hated that it was the only option for them. There was nothing more that Eric could possibly want than to be with Connor.

"How do you think I feel?" Eric said, sounding very drunk. He was on the threshold of having the hiccups and Ric wasn't that far behind either. "I love that boy so much, but he still turns to you. I know he'll never forget about you, but I want him to love me like I love him. I want to fucking marry him! Is that too much to ask for?"

Eric nearly slipped out of the stool as the alcohol was gripping onto him. Ric grabbed onto him to keep his buddy steady, while the bartender laughed at the both of them. "No man," Ric said, his Spanish accent rearing its ugly head. "Not even. You're…you're a great guy! You're a sexy guy. And you kick butt! Nah man, you deserve to be happy. You and Connor deserve each other! You got that whole Asian fusion thing going."

"Thanks man," Eric said as he clunked glasses with Ric. "You know, I was wrong about you. You're not an asshole, wetback."

"Soy boricua!" Ric said, throwing his arms in the air. He spilt a little of his beer in the process as he attempted to show off his Puerto Rican pride. It was unwise to mix a Rican up with a Mexican. Eric learned that when he got an elbow dug into the crook of his shoulder. "Pinche joto."

"Takes one to know one," Eric said, sober enough to be aware of the translation.

A few more sips of alcohol and all that bitterness was faded into the ether. Ric and Eric got little looser thanks to their dear friend, Jack Daniels.

They both went on and on about how perfect Connor was. Ric rambled about how he shouldn't have broken that boy's heart, while Eric cried into his glass about how much he loved the boy.

They were both just a mess before they got hit with a shot of tequila. For lack of a better term, the Jersey Shore came out of them as they began to party it up with the bikers.

* * *

><p>Hidden in the distant solar system, located not too far from a space-warp that would lead to Mirinoi, Lightning found reprieve on a deserted planet. This uninhabited world had the potential of sustaining life in this environment full of trees, other vegetation, and numerous fresh water sources. It made a safe location for Lightning to hide Dark Knight from the Dark Lords who threatened his very safety.<p>

Her knightly companion was still unconscious due to the wicked spell placed upon him by Daemon. The Dark Lord of Wrath's magick was difficult to reverse so Lightning allowed distance and time to repair the damage done. Without the Dark Lord's presence, it would only be a matter of time before the spell could be broken and Dark Knight would awaken from his slumber.

Until that moment came, Lightning would stand guard over him. She had already managed to get them someplace safe, where nobody would even think about finding them.

That was unless the Dark Lords were well versed on uninhabited worlds like she was. Lightning kept this advantage a secret from everyone as she bore a gift that allowed her to detect life on planets. She could see if a planet could sustain life, which could potentially make her valuable to explorers, fortune seekers, and conquerors.

Lightning struck the rich ground with her Gunblade as she dropped down to rest a little. She briefly turned her head to the side to where Dark Knight laid on top of a bed of leaves. This improvised bed that she constructed of him consisted of the large, thick leaves that hung from the branches of equally impressive trees. The leaves offered a remarkable amount of support, which helped make Lightning feel a little more comfortable as she leaned against the trunk of a tree. She kept her mind open, even if her eyes were closed, to the potential dangers that lurked out there.

A small fire flickered in front of them, providing warmth and a means of protection. Lightning allowed the comforting heat to bring her a sense of solace in this time of woe.

Dark Knight could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Dark Lords, Lightning felt in the depths of her soul that this would lead to devastating consequences.

* * *

><p>It was late when Serena finally to inside the Astro Megaship. She was feeling a little sleepy from all the walking that she did to get back to her home, but she felt good too. There was energy there, although her mind was telling her that she better get to a bed and fast.<p>

A little giggle escaped her lips though as she walked down the hall to her room. The young princess ran a hand through her hair before hearing a door near her opening up. When she turned, she saw that it was a wet Cid clad in only a towel wrapped around his narrow waist. The soldier had another towel on his head which he used to dry off his head.

The young officer's chest and arms were simply sublime. He normally wore far too many layers to allow his flesh to be appreciated, but now his body could be seen with the naked eye. His arms perfectly cut in all the right places, the perfect size in muscular terms as it showed off the biceps and triceps and the other muscle groups. As for his chest, the lean muscle was perfectly carved through his dedication to his workout regimen. Every piece of muscle could be clearly seen and easily showed off the power that his body had to offer.

Cid opened his eyes to see the princess standing before him. Immediately, the man felt horribly embarrassed as he used the second towel to wrap it around his naked torso. "Forgive me, princess," said the young soldier. "I…I wasn't aware that you were back. I was just taking a shower. I didn't hear DECA announce you."

The princess began to giggle with her need for sleep fading to the back of her mind as she stepped closer to the nearly naked soldier. Her presence was a little frightening to Cid but he tried to maintain his military composure. "That's alright, Cid," Serena said with a soft smile. "This isn't the first time I've seen you almost naked."

And there went the last straw as the towel on Cid's chest slipped off to the ground.

Serena took a little more aggressive stance as she grabbed onto Cid's hand. Yes, this was not the proper behavior for a princess, but she was also a young woman who had feeling and desires. It's not like she was a tramp, she knew it was Cid that she wanted more than anyone else but he just refused to listen out of respect for her.

Tonight was a little different though as Cid's heart hammered against his chest as he gazed into Serena's eyes differently this time. The sparkle in her blue irises brought a change to Cid, which caused him to lean forward and capture her lips against his. He could not understand what came over him, but it just was something about her tonight that made her different. The young soldier felt his soul drop to his knees as honor fell to love.

His sudden impulse came as a surprise to Serena, but what a wonderful surprise that it was. The princess quickly surrendered to him as she locked her arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist. Cid easily lifted the princess up with his arms as their sudden closeness caused the towel to fall off of his waist as he walked down the hall to her bedroom.

Finally, their desire for one another had surfaced. Cid and Serena were about to claim what they desired more than anything else, and that was the greatest gift that they could offer each other.

Their virginity…

* * *

><p>A cheesy movie was playing on the TV, but neither one paid much attention to it. They were both fast asleep on the sofa with a blanket draped over them both and all of their clothes were still on.<p>

Haley had chosen to sneak out of her home after Tommy had walked her home. She waited until she was certain that her parents were asleep and Tommy was out of sight before crawling out the window. It was such a typical, teenage move, but it did feel rather ridiculous since she was eighteen now.

Still though, it was something that she always wanted to do.

Rushing down a couple of blocks, Haley surprised Tommy by showing up at the apartment. He welcomed her with opened arms, however, which showed that he wanted her to be with him that night as much as she wanted to be with him.

Of course, this was in a nonsexual manner.

Almost as soon as Haley was inside, the couple just sat down on the sofa and talked. About two hours had passed before sleep had overtaken them both, causing them to drop around the same time. They both managed to fit on the sofa, facing each other with arms locked around each other as one of Haley's legs was thrown over Tommy's right leg.

They were both surprisingly comfortable, which made the night all the more enjoyable for them.

At least they were amused.

When Adam came home, he ignored the teenage couple on his couch as he went to his bedroom. He got ready for bed but decided that he wanted a glass of water, which is how he caught them both sleeping there. The worst thoughts imaginable crossed Adam's mind as he slowly crept over to the sofa to lift up the blanket.

Never had he been more relieved than to see teenagers sleeping together. They both had their clothes on, which meant that they hadn't done the dirty deed under his roof, at least not tonight.

But Adam still didn't want to be the one to tell Kimberly and Jason that their daughter was sleeping in his home with his son. Yeah, that was not a conversation that he wanted to have. So he went into the kitchen and got his water then went back into his bedroom, pretending like he saw nothing.

That issue would be dealt with in the morning, if Haley was still here.

Adam was really trying to avoid a confrontation if he could.

* * *

><p>Connor tossed and turned in bed as he felt his mind being viciously assaulted by painful visions that continued to flash across the landscape of his head. The pains that ached his body and sent shivers down his spine could all be traced by a power that was contained within his very soul. He grabbed onto his chest with soft whimpers escaping his lips before things finally calmed down enough.<p>

But then, his mind became completely lost when he was "taken" to the heavenly ocean.

_The gentle rays of the sun pelted down on their naked flesh as they clung closely together. The two bodies laid happily together with the sounds of the ocean crashing at their feet and the warm sand sticking to their bodies. Their flawless skin ever glistening like diamonds as Connor saw past the illusion to see the true faces of the two heavenly beings clearer than he thoughts possible._

_All times that held the two to Connor and Zodiark faded into the mist as Connor embraced the two whole-heartedly. _

"_Samael," whispered Connor towards his other, "and Orphan."His voice reached out to the other-Zodiark._

_There was a brief silence as the two Celestials embraced one another happily. Yes, Connor could see the two for what they truly were, the firstborn children of the Creator, the most powerful of all Celestials. _

_It was a touching sight, but one that Connor knew would only end in tragedy for the both of them. Yet, his heart couldn't help but to cry, causing an immense of pain to latch onto Connor's dreamy form._

_Passionate words flew into the air as Samael was taken by Orphan. _

_But Connor could still not bare the sight as his heart reacted violently against it. Tears started to run down his cheeks with only darkness blackening his eyes from all hopes reality._

_The once divine ocean became tainted by an unseen force. Samael and Orphan stood up with their clothes returning to them in an instant. Both held onto a sword of divine make when the sound of thunder roared across the sky. Ferocious cries could be heard in the distance as the world itself seemed to be collapsing._

"_It cannot be," said Orphan. "Luther's done it, he has turned against Father."_

"_They must be dealt with," growled Samael. "We cannot allow them to ruin Paradise."_

_There was no hesitation in Orphan's part as he shot up to the air to defend their home from the traitors. Samael joined him, but in his haste, he turned his head back as if he were almost staring into Connor, aware that the boy was there. _

_Connor felt his soul shatter upon matching his gaze with Samael. He could see that this would be the very day that the Celestial's life would come to an end. But the reason why or how would have to wait to be uncovered on another day._

The vision ended with Connor's mind being completely closed to him.

All thoughts and all emotions were at a lost. Connor slowly began to pull away from the comfort of his bed, throwing the sheets off his barely clothed body. The only thing he had on was his white, flannel shirt that he wore earlier and a pair of black briefs. His feet touched the carpet, and still there was no feeling at all for the boy.

Under the influence of the vision, something was calling out to Connor on this darkest of nights. Even as the sun was beginning to peak, the light would never be able to reach out to Connor in time.

While the house was still trapped under its silence, the boy descended down the stairs to where his soul was pulling him to. His hands touched the glass of the screen door that led out to the backyard.

The moment that the door was open, darkness crawled into the home. A portal opened up at the heart of the yard with footsteps being heard coming from the darkness.

Still mindless, Connor crept closer until he finally saw Zodiark stepping out into the light of dawn. The Dark Prince was silent and held onto his mind, but his gaze burned against Connor's flesh. At least it would have if the boy had any thoughts of his own. The vision had silenced him though, leaving him a mindless drone that was destined to follow the whims of a power that was nowhere to be seen.

"My king," whispered the hypnotized Connor.

"Come with me, my little prince," Zodiark said, soothingly.

With Zodiark's hand extended out to it, Connor took it and was soon dragged into the darkness. The empty blackness swallowed them both, taking them to the place where destiny would begin to untangle.

* * *

><p>Even though nobody was inside the Command Center, Alpha 8 was running around with his voice echoing through the empty base. The lonely bot was at the front of the computers, pulling up charts and various reports that were filtering through the sensors. The robotic mind was becoming overwhelmed by what he was ready as he tried to triangulate this reason for concern.<p>

"Ay yi yi!" cried Alpha 8. "A massive surge of evil energy has overloaded our sensors. I'll have to reroute the frequency modulator!"

Alpha 8 attempted to reroute the system as he tried to prevent the Command Center from be devastating just by the amount of energy that was being detected. The remarkable surge of power that was coursing through the Morphing Grid was reason enough for major concern.

It would take quite some time before Alpha could save the system, but he was able to pick up one thing for certain. There was a planetary alignment taking place within the solar system that was at the core of this disturbance. The evil energy that he was picking up was coming from one source, the planet Venus was covered in this surge of chaotic energy.

The walls that maintained dimensional order seemed to be at jeopardy, which caused Alpha 8 to nearly lose his circuits. If he were human, he would've gulped as the sensors picked up energy that was completely off the charts. But since he was just a robot, he continued to let out his cries of panic.

"Ay yi yi!" repeated Alpha 8. "This is not good, not good at all. Oh, what would Zordon do if he were here?"

* * *

><p>On a beach outside of Angel Grove, the portal of darkness opened up. The sun was just rising above the ocean, creating a beautiful scene that further muddled up the hypnotic state of Connor's mind. His bare feet touched the warming sand which created chills that ran up and down his spine as Zodiark continued to take him by the hand, leading him to a specific plot on the beach.<p>

Due to the poor state of Connor's mind, he didn't realize just what kind of scene that Zodiark was attempting to create. The Dark Prince was trying to create the earthly version of the heavenly ocean that the two of them would dream of. There were a striking amount of similarities like the exact spot that Zodiark had Connor lay down on, the angle of the rising sun, and down to the distance between them and the rocky cliffs.

Lost in the chaotic streams, it was the perfect moment for Zodiark to strike in order to force Connor's submission.

Slowly, Zodiark pulled the shirt off Connor's frail shoulder until it dropped to the sand. His pale, rough hands touching the soft flesh before catching it in his grasp, causing a delighted moan to betray Connor. The boy clung onto Zodiark's chest, tugging at the black robe that he wore. Without saying it, he clearly was making move for Zodiark to disrobe as well.

Zodiark did just that. He shrugged the robe off of his body, revealing his naked flesh before finally leaning in closer to Connor so that their lips could touch. The longing, the ache that Connor felt attacking him in his dreams finally felt its needs being met. But it frightened him; at least it would've if he had any control over himself or any thought at all for that matter.

Completely lost to these foreign, base desires, Connor clung onto Zodiark's body. He felt his underwear being torn off with Zodiark's hands cupping both cheeks. A soft moan escaped Connor's throat as a finger worked along the sensitive trail that led to his privates and anus. Bite marks began to form on his lips as the boy bit down, holding back the louder cries that were threatening to surface.

Those sounds could not be hidden though as Zodiark pressed his lips against Connor once more. The feeling of the powerful man above him sent shivers down Connor's spine as he virtually surrendered to the Dark Prince. He clung onto Zodiark's body with his arms locked around the man's neck and his legs around the pale waist. Connor pulled himself closer against the burning flesh of the man, blinding his eyes to the hold that Zodiark held over him.

"My king," Connor whimpered, lost in the trance. "Please…please…I need you now."

"I will give you exactly what you need," Zodiark groaned into Connor's ear. His teeth sunk to the soft bit of flesh before moving to the boy's neck, while gripping onto his impressive length. The man positioned himself perfectly, penetrating Connor's insides with a single thrust as he pushed his full length in. "My little prince."

Several cries were spilt from Connor's throat as he dug his nails into Zodiark's broad shoulders. He clamped his eyes shut with his stomach muscles tightening from the rapid intrusion. The pain was expected, but not so severally. The boy had failed to realize just how long and thick Zodiark was, which would be the cause of a great amount of pain, obviously.

But that was all subsided as the boy's eyes began to roll back. The constant hammering of Zodiark's length with his hips slapping against the boy's ass were mind-numbing. The pain that Connor initially felt began to dull out until he felt only utter bliss. His cries became so desperate, needy that they would've disgusted the boy if the trance had been broken.

Firm hands kept the boy in place as Zodiark rubbed his smooth face against adolescent flesh. His mouth opened up to suck on the neck of his desired partner before his perfect teeth bit down to mark him. Connor's entire body shivered as his nails dug deep enough to extract blood from Zodiark's back, while those teeth threatened to break his young flesh.

A thrust against a sensitive bundle of nerves was enough to make the boy crash. He gave out a powerful cry as pressed his face against the crook of the man's shoulder. Stars blinded him as he fought to maintain what little composure he had left.

Instead, Connor lost himself completely in the passion of the sex as he quickly reached climax. After that, there was nothing as the boy felt himself blacking out soon after that. And whatever happened after that would become a great mystery to the boy as he slumped into the arms of the man who claimed him.

When the sun was in perfect position to welcome the morning, there was a stir at the beach as Connor's eyes slowly began to flutter open. The boy felt sore all over as he twitched and rolled off of his sore backside. His mind felt funky as he tried to piece together what had just happened to him and how he came to be on the beach.

Slowly, he lifted his body up from the blanket when he felt sticky all over. The boy touched his stomach before noticing that his front was covered in dried semen. And then his sore ass interrupted as he heard squelching sounds that could only mean one thing, which he confirmed by moving his fingers to touch the abused ring. When he felt the same slime, but not quite as dry and of greater abundance, Connor knew that it was not a dream.

He had sex with Zodiark, which was enough to cause his stomach to tighten until he lost it.

Connor threw himself from the blanket and ran towards the water. His naked flesh splashed into the cold, Pacific water to erase some of the physical existence of the encounter. The markings on his flesh from teeth, nails, and palm couldn't be erased and neither could the abuse that his bottom has suffered through.

But at least he felt a little cleaner with the semen being washed off of him. The ocean cleansed him about as much as could be expected. Even though it wasn't much, it helped to fix some things, but only some of it.

When he was returning back to the place he awoken from, Connor's stomach tightened up once more. He turned his head to the side and dropped to his knees where he preceded to throw up. He hurled into the sand about four times before his stomach finally calmed down enough to allow him to relax. But his chest was still heaving, bracing itself to vomit once more, but it never came.

Just last night Connor had professed love to both Ric and Eric. In his heart, he knew that he still loved both men but what he just did with Zodiark…it…it was revolting. It complicated everything.

Connor had barely stood up and made it to the blanket when he collapsed again. A few tears started to run down his face as he looked up to the sky. "I'm a whore," the boy whispered, grabbing onto the blanket. He held back the greater urge to ball his eyes out, causing him to die of dehydration. So he simply wrapped the blanket around his waist to restore some of his modesty before looking for his shirt.

The white shirt popped up soon enough alongside the boy's torn underwear. Further evidence that what happened last night truly did happen. His stomach did a few more summersaults, which caused the boy to fight the urge to hurl once more.

Swallowing down the pile, Connor returned to the water to rinse out his mouth. Salt water might taste horrid, but it was better than the combination of morning breath and vomit that Connor had going for himself.

"You've awaken."

Zodiark appeared behind Connor with his robe barely covering his body. His lower half was covered up, but part of his chest was left to the open with his pale skin being kissed by the sun. The muscles stuck out with Zodiark's hair flowing freely in the breeze as he began to step closer to the boy that he claimed.

Connor stepped back, covering his own chest by pulling his shirt closed. His legs trembled as Zodiark drew closer to him which the boy had no control of at all. "You…you sick bastard!" Connor said, tears running down his face. "You…you kidnapped and raped me! I can't believe that you'd do something so low. You…you evil monster!"

"But that is where you're wrong, my little prince," said Zodiark. The words were an attempt to weaken Connor's defenses, which worked to his advantage. The Dark Prince saw that Connor quivered as the words hit a vulnerable part of him. "You came with me willingly last night. You gave yourself to me just as I knew you would. When will you accept the fact that our souls are bound together?"

"What happened in the past is not my present or future!" spat Connor. "I am my own person. I do not need someone as horrible and evil like you, not when I have people who love me."

"Is that so?" said Zodiark. "Then where are these loving people? Why are you here with me and not with them?" When Connor answered him with silence, the Dark Prince began to smirk with a light laugh escaping his throat. He took this as him being corrected, which he used to step closer to the frightened boy. "You and I are bound together, Connor. I am the new Edeonian Emperor and you will be my Consort. It is our inevitable destiny."

Connor pushed himself back from Zodiark with his bare feet kicking up the sand. The boy continued to fight to keep himself clothed and his flesh hidden from the man. "I will not submit to you!" said Connor. "I do not believe in this destiny. I have the power to craft my own story and I chose not to have anything to do with you!"

A burst of black light floated in front of Connor as his will summoned his Crystal Morpher across town. The boy reached out to claim the crystallized feather, clinging onto his only means at protecting himself from this diabolical villain.

Zodiark could only shake his head as he whispered how foolish the boy was.

* * *

><p>Alpha 8 managed to keep the Command Center from overloading just in time for the Rangers to arrive. They all came to the base, with the exception of Connor, for just a typical meeting when they saw how the place looked like it survived a war. Curious questions were being thrown left and right as the Rangers tried to get answers from Alpha 8 about what happened.<p>

The constant attack nearly caused Alpha 8's circuits to explode as he ran away from the Rangers for a moment. They were all left confused until Alpha 8 finally returned, calmer now that his circuitry didn't overheat like the Command Center nearly did.

"So are you going to tell us what's wrong, Alpha?" asked Alice.

Landon leaned in beside Alice, looking at the Alpha bot with the utmost of curiosity. The other Rangers all looked at him the same until Adam showed up which was when Alpha began to speak.

With the exception of Eric and Ric though. Those two were oddly silent as they suffered from a nasty hangover that left them both practically useless. It was also cause for them to swear to secrecy about not talking about what happened at the bar.

Namely the fact, they both took their shirts off and started dancing like they were in Coyote Ugly. Then there was the fact that the two of them passed out in the bed of Ric's truck until that morning.

"Last night, the sensors detected a surge of evil energy in the Morphing Grid," said Alpha 8. "It took everything I had to keep the Command Center from being destroyed by this energy. I managed to track it's energy source down to Venus, but the power is being activated by a planetary alignment."

"What does that mean then?" asked Ric.

Adam was the one to answer that as he stepped closer to the Rangers. "It means that the Dark Lords are ready for war," said Adam. "The King, and the strongest, of the Dark Lords is about to be freed. And if he walks the Earth then all hope will be lost."

What was potentially starting as a good, alcohol regretting day, was not turning into the worst day of their lives. The Rangers turned to each other, feeling the air getting thicker as they saw just how bad things could quickly become.

In this moment, Haley noticed that Connor was missing just as the sirens in the Command Center began to go off. Their attention turned to one of the monitors that Connor appeared on the screen with half of his clothes on and Zodiark standing opposite of him. The boy carried his Crystal Morpher in hand as a violent look was burned against the boy's face.

There was no hesitation as the Rangers immediately ran out of there to help their friend.

* * *

><p>Opening his eyes, Dark Knight awakened to find himself lost in the forest. He felt remarkably out of his element as the last thing he remembered was being attacked by Daemon. This caused a bit of panic to course through the man as he realized that he had been stripped of his armor and that the very day he has been running from was nearly upon them.<p>

It took every bit off self-restraint that Dark Knight had not to be lost in a panic attack.

Luckily, he soon saw that he wasn't alone in the forest. Gentle hands reached out to take hold his shoulder with a familiar scent soon taking over his senses as he looked back.

Lightning stood there as a small smile graced her face before she took her hand back and sat down across from Dark Knight. She pulled her Gunblade out from the ground, retracting it back into its gun form before sitting down on the pile of leaves that she collected. All while Dark Knight gazed at her with much curiosity as he tried to understand what had caused this.

"I owe a debt," said Lightning. "You saved my life so I will save yours."

The thoughtful gesture brought some warmth to the body of the older man. He straightened himself up from the makeshift bed as he turned his sights over to his once faithful protégé. "My life isn't yours to save, Lightning," said Dark Knight. "I appreciate the gesture, but if the Dark Lords desire me then they will come for me. Nothing can stop them now that they are so close to freeing their king from his prison."

"Why though?" asked Lightning. "I heard Daemon and Leviathan tell Thrax that you are a vessel. But I don't understand why this is an unavoidable fate?"

"It is because Celestial possession is different than any other form of possession," said Dark Knight. "Anyone could potentially harbor a Celestial, but it would cause the permanent scaring of a person's soul. However, that is why True Vessels are bred. A True Vessel is born into a special bloodline that allows them to withstand the burden of a Celestial's soul. Their soul is still lost in the chaos, but the body is able to hold on in a much more permanent fashion. I was made special, I was destined to become the vessel for the Dark Lord of Pride and his corrupted soul."

"But Celestials still need permission to intrude on a mortal body," said Lightning. "If you refuse then it won't matter."

Dark Knight only shook his head as he turned off to the side to see his sword. His once, mighty blade that he used against friend and foe, now it would collect dust. "A Celestial needs permission, correct, but it doesn't mean that they have to play fair," said Dark Knight. "They will force you to submit, using any means of torture if necessary. They will crack you until you finally give them your consent. It is only inevitable till I am found and the Dark Lords force me to accept the Dark Lord of Pride into my body. Luther shall rise and the Apocalypse will begin."

This depressed state that her mentor has succumbed to began to infuriate Lightning. The proud warrior leaped to her feet, leaving her weapon forgotten, as she grabbed Dark Knight by his shoulder. "So you're just giving up then!" shouted Lightning. "What happened to the man who was willing to fight whatever obstacle was in his way? You were so wise, so strong and willing to defy Fate itself. Now…now you're a pathetic mess. What happened to the man who took me in and raised me as his own?"

Before Dark Knight could even hope to answer that, sinister laughter began to fill the air which was reason enough for alarm. Lightning ran back to pick her Gunblade back up just as two vortexes of darkness began to open up nearby. "He's been broken." It was Leviathan who spoke as he stepped out of the vortex with Daemon following close behind. Both Dark Lords still in their Celestial-human forms, at least for now.

The Dark Lords turned their gaze from Dark Knight then to Lightning. A small smirk formed on Leviathan's face, while Daemon looked as if he were about to lose himself to wrath. Dark Knight tried to beg Lightning to stand down, but her own wrath broke through as she raised her weapon up with her finger on the trigger.

"Do you honestly think you can continue to defy us, Lightning?" said Leviathan. "You do not have the power to defeat us both."

"We'll see about that," said Lightning.

Without hesitation, Lightning leaped after Leviathan with her trigger being pulled down. She fired a couple of bullets after Envy who protected himself by pulling up a small barrier. As Leviathan guarded, Daemon stepped forward and attempted to snatch the young woman up with his arm.

Lightning crossed out of the way as she flipped her weapon around, brandishing her blade. She swung that forward to leave a mark on Daemon's arm with a thin line of blood taking form against his flesh. Daemon growled as the wound quickly began to heal as he forced himself to charge after the warrior.

Even Leviathan thought that he should take her a little more seriously. This battle could actually be amusing if they let it be. Leviathan followed Daemon and Lightning as the two of them began to vanish deeper into the woods.

All while Dark Knight watched on, horrified as he retrieved his sword. Due to him still recovering from his comatose state, there wasn't much he could perform. But he'd be further damned if he just sat there and did nothing at all.

Daemon tossed fireballs after Lightning's fleeting trail. The fireballs crashed against trees, igniting them in flames upon impact. But each one would miss as Lightning vanished behind another trail, using the winding roads or the tree branches to give her a lift.

In this particular case, she jumped as high as she could for a branch. She swung her body a bit before launching herself further into the air with her Gunblade switching back into its gun form so she could fire a couple of more rounds. The bullets flew across the air as Daemon shot to the sky, chasing after her as the bullets scattered all around him.

Lightning reactivated her sword just as Daemon was about to crash into her. She slashed her weapon forward, unleashing a band of energy that the Dark Lord avoided just as Leviathan appeared from another set of trees.

Leviathan drove his elbow into Lightning's spine, causing the hybrid to gulp from pain. She lost her airborne advantage with Daemon grabbing onto her during this vulnerable moment. Daemon's knee struck the stomach of the young woman, forcing her to relinquish her weapon in the process. The Gunblade descended down to the ground, kicking up some dirt as it stayed upward.

The Dark Lords flung Lightning back down with all their might. They threw her to the ground with her back crashing, causing bones to crack due to her landing. If she could, she would've screamed but the agony that she felt from the landing was almost too much for even her to bare. It was so excruciating that she had no idea at all what she could do to reclaim the tide of the battle into her favor.

A single breath escaped her lips as Lightning felt her heart hammering loud as she closed her eyes.

Within her mind, Lightning began to replay the images of her young life. She saw her parents, remembering what time she had spent with the both of them before they perished. Years passed with loneliness being her only friend due those painful times. Then it was all Dark Knight, he became her parent during the time where she had been at her most vulnerable.

She couldn't allow him to go out like this. If he wouldn't fight for himself then she would defend him. She would fight to protect him no matter the cost.

Blood was spilt from her mouth as she coughed from the pain. She dug her fingers into the grassy dirt as she heard Daemon and Leviathan coming towards her. If only she could get up and fight once more, she wouldn't blow it. She would show them how strong she truly was.

Hammering against her chest, Lightning felt something swelling up from within her. The pain slowly began to subside as a mind-numbing force began to reach out from the depths of her being. Without thinking twice about it, Lightning extended her thoughts to touch the force, which triggered a change within her.

Reopening her eyes, Lightning was pulled up by the force as it healed her of her injuries. A dozen, white feathers began to rise up from the ground and floated around her body as her red cape was thrown up into the air. Her clothes were stripped from her body with her skin radiating as a suit of armor took cover.

The armor was slightly similar to the golden suit she wore previously. But this armor was divine, powerful enough to withstand anything as well as to elevate her status of power. The Valkyrie suit of silver armor included a chest plate that bore a golden bird above her breasts, shoulder pads, gauntlets, a shield for her right arm, and leggings covered her body from any harm. A trail of white feathers was attached to her belt, running down from her hips to her ankles.

Even her Gunblade had underwent a transformation as it appeared more like a traditional sword then a Gunblade. It could still shift forms at command, but it was clearly made for close-range fighting then her previous weapon.

Lightning's hair fluttered in the breeze as she finally opened her eyes to embrace the power. She reached to the side to retrieve her Gunblade where she raised it up into the air just as Leviathan and Daemon were coming in closely.

"I will be your protector, Knight!" howled the new Lightning.

Ascending back to the sky, Lightning flew towards her opponents with her new powers radiating around her. She clung onto the hilt of her Gunblade until she was close enough. She rotated her body around with her Gunblade pointed outward as she released a band of ferocious energy that crashed against the Dark Lords. The attack was powerful and spread about a mile wide, slicing trees apart as she did so.

Her body propelled further up to the sky before finally stopping above the tree tops. Lightning held her shield arm up, stretching her fingers wide as she conjured a bright, white orb of magick. With an angry yell, Lightning hurled her attack forward, sending the bolt of light flying back down to the base of the ocean of trees.

The orb expanded until it became a blinding blast of energy that tore several trees asunder in the process.

Lightning landed in the clearing that she created with her hand still on her new Gunblade. The new powers she wielded were beyond anything that she once had. It coursed through her veins, giving her a strength that she never thought possible.

But those thoughts needed to be silence as she felt a force behind her. It was none other than Daemon who had rapidly recovered from Lightning's initial attack. The Dark Lord kept his back against hers as they both stood there in silence before rapidly turning around to face each other.

Not a single second was spared as Lightning went straight for Daemon's head. The blade was inches away from slicing it clean off when Daemon caught his attacker with a single hand.

"You are strong, warrior goddess," said Daemon, "but you are not strong enough!"

Gathering chaotic energy, Daemon hurled the force against Lightning's body. His power spread throughout her clearing, sending the newly armored Lightning flying away until she crashed against a tree further away.

Lightning wasn't about to submit though as she quickly got back on her feet. She grabbed her Gunblade with both hands as she took charge, yelling at the top of her lungs as she slashed the air with a band of bright energy. The power spawned from a similar chaos, but it took a different shape by the way she manipulated the forces.

Daemon crossed his arms over the chest as the attack exploded against his body. He growled with frustration as Leviathan spun around him to rejoin the fight. Leviathan's boots touched the ground as he gathered an orb of chaotic power that he prepared to ignite Lightning with.

"Foolish girl," said Leviathan. "You wield a power you have no idea how to control. You could never dream of defeating us!"

"She doesn't have to!"

Dark Knight emerged from the trees with his sword in hand. He cracked the moist ground with his weapon, sending darkness flying from all over the place. The display of might was powerful enough to cause the opposing parties to drop what it was that they were doing.

The orb in Leviathan's hands shattered as concentration became broken. He sidestepped with Daemon standing in front of him, ready to pounce should anything happen.

Lightning looked equally baffled as she slid backward. She stabbed the earth with her Gunblade to keep herself from getting dragged too far away.

Now that the fight was over, Dark Knight pulled his sword back up as he dropped it to the ground. He shivered in his exposed form, but paid not much attention, at least nothing more than necessary. The knight knew what he was doing, he knew exactly what he was up to as he stepped closer towards the combatants.

"I am willing to make a compromise with you, Leviathan and Daemon," said Dark Knight. "If you cease your attacks against Lightning then I shall surrender myself to you. I will even submit to Luther's will, accepting my fate as his vessel, but only if that one condition is met!"

Lightning dropped her weapon as her concentration became broken. She couldn't allow this to happen, not when she swore to defend him. "You don't have to do this, knight," said Lightning. "I have my power now! I have no idea where it came from, but I will use it to defeat the Dark Lords! You won't have to suffer this fate!"

"You are wrong, Lightning," said Dark Knight. "You cannot control this power as you are now. I must make this choice so that you may continue living."

"If we were to accept these terms, she wouldn't live long," said Daemon. "Luther will destroy the universe upon being freed. All life would be reduced to nothing as his vengeance seethes to the four corners."

"At least her life will be spared for moments longer," countered Dark Knight.

Wrath was about to spit out another set of words when Leviathan interrupted. Envy pushed himself forward, sending Daemon back as he set his gaze against Dark Knight.

Leviathan wasn't sure to what to make of this, but he decided that it would be best to humor him. Even then, Leviathan was a better judge of power and its sources, at least compared to Daemon. He only had to look at the script written onto Lightning's new Gunblade to picture where this power had come from and why it might have been bestowed upon her.

She would be more useful to them alive then dead.

"You terms are met, Dark Knight," spoke Leviathan. "Lightning will be spared, from us at least, so long as you surrender to us. Do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal," Dark Knight said, calmly. He began to take a couple of steps forward, approaching the Dark Lords without a weapon to protect himself. The horrid thoughts that passed through his mind as to what would happen to the universe now began to eat away at him. He kept his head held high as he embraced his fate, no longer fighting what he always knew was inevitable.

Lightning attempted to stop this by crying out to Dark Knight who only turned his head to the side with a smile on his face. He uttered softly that he was proud of the warrior that she became before Daemon and Leviathan grabbed him by each arm. The Dark Lords striped him away from this planet, taking Dark Knight to Venus where destiny waited for him.

Dropping to her armored knees, Lightning closed her eyes as she felt like an utter failure.

Nothing could absolve her of this shame that ate away at her.

* * *

><p>Connor clung onto his Crystal Morpher as Zodiark attempted to step a single inch closer to him. The moment that Zodiark tried to reach out to claim the boy once more, Connor surprised them both by throwing a punch at Zodiark's face once he was within range. The boy's fist connected against the man's jaw, forcing Zodiark to turn his face over to the side from the booming crack.<p>

Spitting out the bit of blood that collected in his mouth, Zodiark turned back to Connor with his eyes darkening. "You will learn your place, boy," said Zodiark. "If you will not willingly submit to me then I will force you!" His voice echoed throughout the beach as he tried to grab onto the boy's wrist.

But the moment he did so, something else unexpected happened. An orange bolt of energy raced across from the sand that crackled upon coming into contact with Zodiark's side. The Dark Prince was forced into stumbling backward, much to the surprise of both of them.

Zodiark attempted to spot out his attacker when a wave of sand was kicked up into the air. Another fist pushed through the sand before connecting with his lower abdomen, causing Zodiark to feel the superhuman force behind the punch.

"Touch him again," said Ric, "and we'll kill you!"

The cloud of sand faded off into the air with Ric standing there, his fist buried against Zodiark's gut. Eric stood not too far behind him with his skin crackling with the force field that he had hurled after the Dark Prince. As for the rest of the Rangers, they joined up beside Connor to form a defensive ring around him.

"Don't you have anything better to do with your time then trying to kidnap Connor, Zodiark?" asked Haley.

"Yeah," said Serena, "this bit is getting really old."

"Not to mention its really starting to piss us off," growled Eric.

"If you continue to mess with Connor then you'll have to mess with all of us!" said Landon. "We won't allow you to get anywhere near Connor again. You're done for, Dark Prince!"

Zodiark sidestepped away from Ric as he finally recovered from the attack. He jumped closer to the ocean just as the other Rangers removed the bracelets from their wrists to summon their Crystal Morphers.

A smile graced Connor's face as he thanked his friends for coming to his aid. Nothing more was said about that as they all threw their fists up into the air with the light from their Morphers illuminating the beach. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight Rangers. "Job Class Forms, activate!"

The Rangers leaped into the air with numerous feathers surrounding their bodies. They quickly gained their Ranger uniforms before landing back on the sand with their Job Class Forms taking center stage. The added layer of protection and offense would come in very handy as they would be locked in a fierce battle against the Dark Prince.

If only the Rangers had seen through this latest trap.

Zodiark's eyes flashed with malicious energy as he summoned his sword. The thick, blackened blade appeared in hand as he took his stance against the Rangers with six portals of darkness opening up around him.

The Angel Force Rangers believed that they would just be facing him, which was the mistake. Stepping out from the darkness, the six Dark Lords reappeared to reveal to the Rangers that they hadn't been defeated in their previous battles. Each one gazed at the Rangers with vicious glares as they prepared themselves for a fight.

Even Leviathan and Daemon were present, having taken Dark Knight to the sacred spot after their tussle against Lightning.

"Hello Angels," laughed Beelzebub. "I bet you weren't expecting to see us again so soon."

"But…but how?" said Red Warrior Ranger.

"We weren't killed, just beaten," answered Leviathan. "We withheld our true power so that you could defeat us easily. But now, we need not worry about holding back. Today is the day where chaos will spread as Dark Lord of Pride finally rises up from the deepest depths of the Underworld!"

"That's not about to happen!" shouted White Paladin Ranger. "This ends now!"

"Let's do it!" shouted all of the Rangers.

Armed for battle, the Rangers ran off to take on their respective foes.

* * *

><p>Blue Gladiator Ranger leaped over the incoming Belphagor. He swung his Glory Hammer around as he gained air, using his element to pull himself away from the claws of the Dark Lord of Sloth. A ferocious growl escaped from Belphagor's throat as he transformed into his beastly form.<p>

With more power bestowed upon him, Belphagor took to the air as well. A cloud of sand was kicked up in the process with Belphagor stretching a hand out to grab the Ranger by the leg. A belt of fire escaped from Belphagor's throat as he grinned upon seeing the frightened look underneath the helmet of the Ranger.

Sloth dragged his victim back down to the ground in rapid speed. But not before spinning them both around, still holding the Ranger by the leg before releasing him from his grasp. Blue Gladiator Ranger gave out a panicked yell as he finally crashed into the ground, injuring a few body parts that he'd need in the future, if he survived the Apocalypse.

* * *

><p>Leviathan became the beastly dragon as he fought against Orange Dragoon Ranger. The armored Ranger pushed his Celestial Lance forward to stab after the Dark Lord, only to have his attacks blocked each time. The Dark Lord of Envy snapped his fangs forward, attempting to bite off the Ranger's arm with every blow.<p>

It was cause for the Ranger to regroup in order to come up with a better solution against the Dark Lord. Leviathan only grinned with a beastly expression as he lifted his arms up into the air, creating numerous pillars of water at once. The pillars all circled around Orange Dragoon Ranger, creating a reason for concern as they would return to the ground before rising up at a spot closer to him.

Orange Dragoon Ranger tried to leap out of the way, but without the ability to predict where the water would attack him next, he was powerless. The Ranger only had to make one, false step in order to be punished for it, which he did. He stepped too far to the right just as a pillar of water rose up from the ground, easily kicking him up into the air where he was left helpless.

Leviathan exploded as he ascended to the sky. He whipped his body around with his thick tail cracking against the armored chest of the Ranger, sending the young man back to the ground a beaten man.

* * *

><p>Yellow Machinist Ranger worked alongside Violet Sage Ranger once more in a fight against Lilith. The Dark Lord of Lust looked as vicious as usual by the way she danced around both Rangers. In her hand constantly was a short sword that she hardly had to use as she was already agile enough to avoid getting hit.<p>

Lilith began to smirk as she called forth a bolt of chaotic energy that melded with her sword. She turned to the Rangers, noticing that they were both backing down a bit.

Violet Sage Ranger floated back with her Divine Wand glowing as she called forth a small cluster to circle around her. She waved the wand up into the air to launch the stars after Lilith, hoping that they'd work in slugging the Dark Lord down. When the stars got close, Lilith swung her sword forward to shatter the stars with her darkness.

Watching this, it brought the Rangers at unease as they attempted something else against Lilith. Her lustful, Fallen powers would make this difficult as she flew after them with remarkable speed.

Yellow Machinist Ranger sent out a few rounds from her Holy Pistols. The earthly bullets were cracked against the steel of the sword that Lilith wielded. The Dark Lord smirked as she flew through the defenses of the two Rangers before lashing out against them. With the simple flick of the sword, she did some serious damage as bolts of violent energy crashed against them both.

They were both taken down with a single blow, Lilith howling with laughter as she defeated both Rangers.

* * *

><p>Daemon belted out a jet of flame from his mouth, which circled around White Paladin Ranger. The Solar Blade glistened as the Ranger attempted to kick out the flames by sending forth a beam of light. The Ranger's light managed to smoother some of the flames as a wall of light took form, which caused a grin to form underneath the helmet.<p>

However, thinking he won was a sore mistake.

The Dark Lord of Wrath was just that, wrath. Daemon broke through the Ranger's protective wall and lashed out with his demonic claws. The Ranger stepped back, but the claws still managed to dig into the armor to grab hold of him.

White Paladin Ranger tried to break free from the Dark Lord's grip, but it wasn't that easy. Even with his blade striking into the thick hide of the Dark Lord that wasn't enough. Daemon pulled the Ranger to his face with a frightening growl escaping his throat.

One fight already turned out less than thrilling for him. Daemon wasn't about to let anything slip through the cracks as he tossed the Ranger up into the air. Cackling with energy, Daemon hurled bolts of lightning to the sky, viciously assaulting the Ranger until he was back in the ground and unable to move.

* * *

><p>Beelzebub and Pink Ninja Ranger collided together once more. The Ranger wielded her Sacred Claws to slash into Beelzebub, but the Dark Lord of Gluttony was hanging on for the ride. He wasn't about to be bested again this time around, now that there was no holding back on his part.<p>

A dastardly grin formed on the Dark Lord's face as he pushed the Ranger back. Beelzebub steeled the tips of his nails until they were sharp enough to rip into flesh. He clawed into the light armor worn by Pink Ninja Ranger, only a few inches away from digging into meat.

Pink Ninja Ranger let out a startled gasp, but managed to stand her ground. So she used her agility to help turn the tide back into her favor. Her feet barely touched the sand as she got out of harm's way. The Dark Lord was quick though as he burst forth to catch up to the Ranger. She was ready for the attack though as she leaped backward to avoid getting hit.

Gathering his chaotic energy together, Beelzebub ignited his clawed hands. He slashed the air forward to release ten, powerful blades that all bit into the Ranger's flesh.

A loud scream escaped from her throat as she crashed to the ground as Beelzebub laughed at her defeat.

* * *

><p>The clocked ticked as the time of awakening was nearly upon them.<p>

Barbatos was up in the air with Black Archer Ranger chasing after him. Only the boy's focus wasn't absolutely on this particular Dark Lord as he ran down the beach. The boy turned his head back from time to time as Greed chased him down, hurling bolts of lightning after him.

Black Archer Ranger had his eyes set on only one man. He ran towards Red Warrior Ranger who crossed swords with Zodiark. Clenching onto his Heaven Bow, the youngest Ranger leaped backward, above the Dark Lord's head as he landed not too far from where his friend was.

"We're switching dance partners, Landon!" shouted Black Archer Ranger.

"Alright then," said Red Warrior Ranger. "Kick his ass!"

"I will!"

Red Warrior Ranger ran backward with Aurora Sword in hand just as Barbatos showed up. The Dark Lord swung his staff forward, which collided up against the Ranger's sword. Barbatos growled as he faced off against an unworthy foe.

Chaotic orbs began to circle around Barbatos as he hurled them up against Red Warrior Ranger. A series of explosions erupted all around the Ranger, flinging him into the air in a way similar to the other Rangers as he fell in defeat.

His friend might be down, but he wasn't about to let them get away with this.

Zodiark swung his sword forward, casting a surge of energy that ripped the sand apart. His attack was narrowly avoided as Black Archer Ranger jumped off to the side and pulled his bowstring back to summon an arrow.

Releasing the shadowy arrow, the Ranger sent the arrow flying across the beach.

The Dark Prince deflected the attack with his blade, causing the shadows to scatter around him. A slight huff escaped his throat before he summoned a bolt of energy to the palm of his hand. His power caused the ocean to part as he stood on the very edge of the water, the sand being kicked up in the chaos of it all.

Black Archer Ranger dropped to one knee as he fired another arrow, attempting to stop the Dark Prince. Their two attacks collided, creating a powerful wave of energy that left the outcome up in smoke.

* * *

><p>Eruptions flew all over the beach until the Rangers were finally defeated by Zodiark and the Dark Lords. One by one, each Ranger collapsed to the ground with their Job Class Forms abandoning in their time of need. The young heroes couldn't do much more against the group of villains who had proven their true power was far superior.<p>

Black Ranger attempted to move as he turned his sights back onto Zodiark. He wanted to hut the man so bad, but he couldn't do anything else as he dropped down beside Red Ranger.

Laughter tainted the air as the Dark Lords began to step aside. The battle had lost all fun to them as they granted Zodiark their blessing to do as he wished with the defeated Rangers.

As the Dark Lords made their leave, Zodiark set his eyes back on the Rangers. In his hand was the Dawn Shard that he had recovered weeks ago, which began to shine with a malevolent shade of energy. The crystal was held up into the air as Zodiark uttered a chain of commands that were lost to the Rangers as the language he spoke was well, beyond ancient.

The last of the words fluttered into the void as a large rune began to form on the ground. Zodiark generated a spell that caused a transformation in him that slowly began to consume his entire being in a beastly fashion. "You defeated Bahamut, King of the Beasts, but allow me to show you the truth Bahamut!" said Zodiark. "By the grace of the Creator emerge from the midnight void. Come forth, master of the rift. A name in blood, a pact of ruin. Bahamut shall rise, his bond eternal and unyielding. Shoulder the sky. Enfold the Earth!"

Pure magic erupted into the sky as Zodiark transformed into a new kind of Bahamut. Born from chaos, the transformation caused Zodiark to become Chaos Bahamut. Engulfed with chaotic energy, Chaos Bahamut ascended to the sky where he let out a ferocious roar.

This Bahamut was far different than the one that they faced before. Chaos Bahamut was significantly smaller and less beast-like than the other one, but his red eyes foretold of almighty fury. His body appeared to be made out of black armor, not scales, and was even given a humanoid-like body as he floated above the beach. His clawed hands moved in harmony with the fin-like wings on his sides flapping. Even his head wasn't that of a dragon, but it still appeared frightening as horns appeared from the sides of his mouth.

A second roar left Chaos Bahamut as his mechanical-esque body began to change forms. The figure change until it became more like a dragon, but a mechanical one at that. His wings were dark and magnificent all at the same time as he extended his serpent neck up into the air, belting out a stream of fire as he flew towards the city.

"We have to do something," shouted Red Ranger. "We have to protect everyone."

"He's too fast for Ultrazord," said Yellow Ranger. "We'll just have to rely on the Sentinel Zords' powers."

The other agreed as they summoned the Sentinel Zords.

Emerging from a dimensional portal, the Sentinel Zords heard the calls of the Rangers. Each one flew across the sky with a Ranger entering the cockpit. Finding the strength to preserve, the Rangers inserted their Crystal Morphers into the slots to activate the Megazords.

Seraph Sentinel Megazord and Cherub Sentinel Megazord formed quickly. The two Megazords flew with remarkable speed towards Chaos Bahamut to prevent Zodiark's new form to get away with attacking the city.

Activating the machine gun and pistol, Seraph Sentinel Megazord attempted to slow Chaos Bahamut with gunfire. The of bullets became nothing as Chaos Bahamut flew off to the side just as bolts of chaotic energy appeared above its body. Chaos Bahamut flapped his proud wings, sending forth the attack after the Megazord.

With Seraph Sentinel Megazord stalling, Cherub Sentinel Megazord took the lead. Taking forth a spear, the Megazord flew in close and attempted to stab the dragon that Zodiark had become. Once more, Chaos Bahamut avoided getting hit by flying out of the attack range. This time though, Chaos Bahamut shifted his body around to its more offensive, humanoid form with a mighty roar escaping his mouth.

Chaos Bahamut gathered a ball of flame in his hand before flinging it after the Megazord. The bolt of fire crashed against the Megazord, leaving a significant amount of damage in its wake.

A stream of fire went in from the opposite direction as Seraph Sentinel Megazord returned to the battle. The Rangers within the Megazord attempted to quickly put an end to the battle by generating their best attack. As the hands began to ignite with ferocious energy, Chaos Bahamut changed his form once more.

Once again, a dragon, Chaos Bahamut opened his mouth with a charge of energy gathering as his red eyes spoke of ungodly wrath. A surge of chaos floated in from the surrounding space as a powerful orb that Chaos Bahamut sunk his fangs into. Fiery energy erupted from Chaos Bahamut's mouth as he unleashed a tide of blasts that scattered to assault both Megazords in a countless barrage.

Multiple blasts dug through the shields of the Megazords as well as into the Megazords themselves to the point where it became clear that the battle was lost. Even if they could form the Ultrazord, the Rangers wouldn't stand a chance against the power that Zodiark had invoked.

The Megazords crashed into the field with the Rangers being ejected due to the damage that was sustained. Their cries filled their air as they made their crash landing just as the Megazords began to disassemble. The individual Sentinel Zords disappeared to their dimensional hanger where they could safely recover.

All while their pilots withered on the ground in pain. Between the beating that they took from the Dark Lords and what that Chaos Bahamut unleashed, it became downright misery for the Rangers. Slowly, they began to attempt to shrug off the damage done to them as Chaos Bahamut continued to fly above them.

Helmets were torn off as the Rangers needed fresher air, which their helmets constricted them from obtaining. They all fought to keep from collapsing as their exhaustion was beginning to get the better of them.

Chaos Bahamut gave out a mighty roar as violet energy encircled around him before latching it at a defenseless building.

Connor felt tears running down his face as he saw innocent lives being stolen by that monster. He wished that there was more that he could do, but nothing would work against that mindless beast. That's all Zodiark was, a warmonger. He was an obsessive, controlling bastard who could never understand the true meaning of affection.

It angered Connor to the point of no return as he grabbed onto his Angel Sword. He pulled the sword out from its sheath with his weapon glowing as it began to change shape. The silver blade began to radiate with a divine aura as the plain handle changed into something elegant and encrusted in jewels. A few runes were written on the blade, in a language that he had no hopes of reading, but could be recognized as Celestial Script.

Charging forward, Connor ran off in the direction of Chaos Bahamut, not caring if he didn't stand a chance against the Dark Prince's chaotic form. He simply wanted to make the man pay for what he did.

But there was an interference as a shot of darkness blocked Connor's path forward. He knew that it couldn't have been the other Rangers due to their inability to move, but that didn't stop them for yelling at him to get back.

No, when Connor looked up into the air he saw his attacker was none other than Lilith.

The Dark Lord of Lust landed on the ground with a cocky smirk growing on her face. Her hand began to ignite as she summoned a fireball of chaos that she prepared to unleash against him.

"Into the chaos you fall, still willing to fight," laughed Lilith. "How honorable of you. I suppose I could make your death a little quicker than."

A light growl ripped out from the base of Connor's throat as he took off in her direction. He clung onto his new sword and swung it forward to slash Lilith's attack apart.

She was quicker though, her attack might have been lost but there was no damage on her part. She flew out of the way before disappearing from immediate sight.

The tension caused Connor to become more alert as he prepared for a surprise attack.

Immediately, his senses sharpened to where he could predict where she'd appear next. The boy grabbed the sword with both hands before spinning it around with the blade pointed behind him as he knelt down.

Connor drove the sword back where he met resistance. He heard a gasp of air as the sword sunk into flesh, ripping a body apart as a result. He slowly turned his head back, a grin forming as he saw that it was none other than Lilith who got the blunt end of the attack. Quickly pulling the sword back out, the boy got back on his feet with his uniform being stained by the crimson liquid.

Blood began to stream down from the wound that Connor opened up.

Lilith dropped to her knees as the boy stepped away from her. She couldn't help but to laugh, causing her wound to open further, just as the other Rangers began to come up around them. Her hand touched the blood, which caused her to cry in the end.

"Foolish boy," gasped Lilith. "You think that…killing me solves anything?"

"That's one less Dark Lord in the world," Connor said, ruthlessly.

"And that's where you're wrong," she said, laughing now. "My death…my death frees Luther from the cage. I was the Final Seal, killing me breaks the seal that keeps the Dark Lord King trapped in the underworld. All you did was seal your fate!"

As her blood continued to gush like a river, Lilith continued to laugh until her dying breath escaped from her. She collapsed on the field, her blood contaminating the soil with her malevolence. Slowly, her body began to fade away in the ether where it left behind only the blood as the only evidence of her existence.

Lilith's fatal words caused Connor's stomach to drop as his sword slipped from his fingers. The righteous fury that he felt only a few moments before was lost to oblivion as he turned to look at the other Rangers who appeared equally as shocked.

Actions always had consequences, and Connor killing Lilith was the biggest in all existence. By killing the Dark Lord of Lust, this had shattered all hope that the Rangers had. The King of the Dark Lords would rise up from the Underworld with nothing in the entire universe able to stop him.

The Apocalypse was already starting.

* * *

><p>As Lilith's last words were spoken, a torch of light arose on Venus. The planets were in perfect alignment as energy rippled throughout the solar system with Lilith's death being the final catalyst. The entire galaxy pulsated as Venus would serve as Ground Zero to what would be the beginning to the final hours.<p>

Amongst the chaos, Dark Knight knelt before an altar on Venus. The ground of the planet begun to be torn asunder as an ultimate power rose up from the deepest of depths. His very soul began to tremble as the knight closed his eyes, praying that this moment was not happening. He prayed that this was all just a dream.

But it wasn't, which made it all the more difficult to stomach.

Dark Knight closed his eyes as he attempted to shield himself from the truth. Already, the pentagram that he knelt before ignited with a foreign power coursing throughout his veins. He howled in utter agony as he felt his organs liquefying and every nerve in his body erupting from the entity that was attempting to take control of him.

As the power grew so did the flow of blood. Lilith's blood travelled from Earth, arriving to Venus where it broke the last of the chains that kept Pride locked away.

The other Dark Lords arrived just in time. They watched Dark Knight's suffering before slashing their wrists, spilling their own blood at point on the pentagram. Their wicked words sent out magical wards through the air, making certain that nothing else could interfere. The cage crumbled apart along with the ground as the power reached ascension.

The knight faced true Hell at that moment as the Devil himself was taking charge. Biting down on his teeth, attempting to smother some of the pain was pointless. It got to the point where Dark Knight couldn't do anything else but to scream, mindlessly, as his body was assaulted and his soul was horribly violated.

"You win!" spat Dark Knight. "You win…I…I submit to you, Luther! I give you my permission. Just end this torment!"

Nothing else needed to be said or done as the ancient power took complete control.

Light erupted from the ground, merging into the very body of Dark Knight. The soul of the fallen warrior was sent out into oblivion and left behind only a body to be used by an entity that knew only prideful vengeance. The entity latched onto the mortal realm with a grip that could never be broken now as he finally surfaced.

There was no turning back now.

Dark Knight ceased to exist with the Devil freed from his prison.

As the light began to fade away, the Dark Lords finally took in the sight of their king. The first of the Fallen Celestials stood there still in the form of the man that he took possession of. But his appearance began to change as Dark Knight's armor appeared to cover the naked flesh. Only the armor shrunk, becoming less bulky and more maneuverable. A brown cloak floated down from the sky, wrapping around the armored figure to completely cover himself as he worked on changing his outward appearance.

Lifting his gloved hands up as his body shifted around underneath for a more suitable form, there was a dark laugh that filled the air. The Dark Lords immediately dropped to their knees before the king as he continued to laugh joyously.

Luther, the Ultimate Evil, had at last risen.

* * *

><p>E.N.D!<p>

On the next chapter, with Luther freed, the Apocalypse can at last begin. The Rangers attempt to find a way in order to stop Luther, while the King of the Dark Lords makes enemies out of Thrax, Zodiark, and the warriors. An uneasy alliance is forged between the Rangers and the villains as they go off to war against Luther and Dark Lords. Find out the final outcome of the battle in **Dark Lord of Pride!**


	35. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: Bad news everyone, there won't be a season two after all. I just picked up a second job and I kinda of need to improve my GPA. So, I have no other choice but to end my fan fiction career a little prematurely. I'll finish Angel Force, don't worry, but there won't be a Galactic Pirates. I'll try and fix the ending around in order to make up for this so if things seem a little rushed or don't make sense that will tell you why. I'm sorry everybody but my education comes first. So I hope you enjoy the first of the final five chapters of my last fan fic. Read and review!  
><strong>

**Dark Lord of Pride:**

Nightfall blackened the skies of Angel Grove as the Rangers continued to stand on the beach. Their helmets off and forgotten on the sand as all attention were focused on the last bits of Lilith that still remained. The Dark Lord's had been killed, but she left her mark by her fatal, last words that she spoke to the young heroes.

If she was telling the truth then the universe was certainly doom. Even with one Dark Lord gone, Connor's actions allowed the King of the Dark Lords to be freed.

The Celestial Blade was close to slipping out from Connor's hand as he thought about what he had done. He felt so sick, sicker than his realization that he slept with Zodiark. It was because of him that the end of the world was about to begin. He killed Lilith, what he felt was the right thing to do, but it turned out that it was the dumbest thing.

"But…how?" Alice said, breaking the silence. "What made Lilith so special? Or was it that just anyone of the Dark Lords needed to be killed to free Pride?"

"Something tells me that there is a lot more to the story then what we're getting," Tommy said, looking out into the moonlit ocean. The Full Moon was out tonight, which made reality all the more ominous as they tried to figure out how much danger they were all in.

Ric stayed perfectly still with Serena fairly close to him. Neither one wanted to do anything or get involved in any way. Haley started to rub her chilly arms, which were covered by her Ranger uniform. She avoided thinking about today's events as she looked up to the brightest star up in the sky, feeling something ominous brewing in the horizon. Eric, he tried to stay close to Connor, but it was like an invisible wall was wrapped round the boy. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure there would be any possible to reach out to the boy who was suffocating in turmoil.

Landon gave out a deep sigh as he set his eyes on the city. He could see a bit of smoke rising up from the buildings as Chaos Bahamut's attacks continued. It pissed the man in red off knowing that Zodiark was constantly getting a power boost every time that the Rangers were getting closer to defeating him.

There had to be something out there that could kill that freak.

Landon looked away from the city to see his fellow Rangers. Each one had a hopeless look on their face, something he knew that he would need to take care of if they were going to find a way to come out victorious.

"Enough with the pouting," Landon said to the Rangers. "If Lilith really was the Final Seal then we need to get ready for the worst. The Dark Lord of Pride walks and defeating him is our top priority right now."

"And how do you purpose that we kill the Devil, Landon?" asked Haley. "I don't mean to sound like a bitch, but there's nothing we can do. We got our asses beat today just by the Dark Lords and Zodiark. If we can't even handle them then how are we supposed to deal with Luther?"

"We need to have faith!" said Landon. "We can't afford to lose faith because that's all we have left."

There was a bit of a consensus at that. Faith was the one thing that the Rangers had left. It would be their shinning light during this time of crisis.

Connor struck the sand with his blade, gripping onto it with both hands. He squeezed his eyes shut as he breathed deeply, his teeth seething as he looked up to the smoky sky. "I fucked up too many times today," the boy began to say. "I've made one mistake after the other, but no more! I won't let anyone get hurt by my stupidity."

"You're not stupid, Connor," ushered Eric.

"The Dark Lord of Pride is free because of me!" yelled Connor. "If I didn't kill Lilith then we could've avoided the Apocalypse. But that doesn't matter anymore." The boy pulled the blade up from the ground, spinning it around as he pointed it up at the sky. He aimed for where Chaos Bahamut flew with a vicious look in his eyes. "I can't speak for the rest of you, but I'm ready to fight Heaven itself if needed."

"That's the spirit!" Landon said, smacking his fist into his palm.

As the other Rangers began to join in on the powwow, a ferocious roar was heard up above them. They each stepped aside and looked up to the sky to see that Chaos Bahamut was flying towards them. The Rangers would've immediately leaped into action if the chaotic creature didn't consume himself in fiery smoke.

The smoke began to dissipate with a familiar face landing on the beach.

Ready for another fight, despite their injuries, the Rangers glared at Zodiark. Their definition of evil incarnated stepped onto the beach with a cocky grin on that pale face of his. Even his eyes were burning red still from his transformation from beast to man.

As for as they were concerned, especially Connor, that wasn't much of a difference.

Zodiark began to approach the weakened heroes, uncaring for any of them really with the exception of Connor. His gaze was solely meant for the boy, which made the youth's skin crawl as he held up his new blade in defense. The Dark Prince found this amusing to him as he continued to hold the Dawn Shard in his hand. All it would take was a second and he could become Chaos Bahamut once more. It would be a vicious repeat of the battle that they had just barely survived through.

"So you've done it," said Zodiark. "You killed Lilith."

"If it wasn't for that fact that she was the Final Seal then I'd have no regrets," said Connor. "Right now though, I'm wishing it was you that I stabbed instead of her. I'd rather see you bleeding to death."

The cocky grin on Zodiark's face began to broaden as he stopped in the middle of the eight Rangers. Their vicious stares alone could've been the death of him, if only they actually had some real power to back that up. "Charming," said the Dark Prince. "But I suppose I'd be a little bitter also. If you just killed any other Dark Lord then all of this could've been avoided. Lilith was just too special to Luther."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Serena.

"I'll tell you my dear niece," said Zodiark. "Lilith was Luther's first. Before the Fall from Paradise, Luther had convinced Lilith to turn away from the Creator. She was only a human back then and her reward for siding with Luther was being made into a Celestial Hybrid. He bestowed a faction of his powers upon her. After the chaos passed in Heaven, Luther was stripped of most of his abilities then sealed away. That power needed to be returned in order for the cage to be broken."

There was silence as the Rangers worked on processing this latest bit of information. They weren't sure how many more unearthed secrets they could handle at this rate.

So many lost truths began to surface as Zodiark extended his knowledge to the Rangers.

But most importantly, he extended his hand out to Connor. His dark eyes gazed into the very soul of the angry boy, attempting to coax the entity within the young Ranger.

Connor only felt intense hatred as he gripped tightly on the weapon.

* * *

><p>Free to walk and stretch his limbs for the first time in over millennia, the Dark Lord King basked in the amount of freedom that he had attained. It was a glorious moment to behold as tilted his armored head back, feeling the fresh air against him. Even in all of the armor, he felt more alive than he has in so long.<p>

Luther relaxed as he allowed his mind to drift on this mental cloud he formed for himself. He hummed, softly, while his eyes were closed and he just embraced the sensation of freedom.

But those pleasant thoughts came to a crashing halt as he remembered how he got locked away in that blasted cage. The Fallen Celestial growled bitterly about his situation as he thought about the armor he was forced to wear until his physical body recovered. What small trace was left of Dark Knight's essence was contained within the suit of armor. It would fade away soon enough once Luther was done with remaking this body into an image more suitable.

So as he disregarded those thoughts, Luther began to focus on all of his plots. The Devil had spent so many centuries plotting his revenge against humanity, Heaven, and the Creator that it seemed almost surreal now that he was so close. It was delicious though, Luther licked his thirsty lips before setting his sights on the other Dark Lords.

The remaining five still assembled around him. They held their heads down, bowed in respect to their newly revived King. At least, that's how they tried to play it, but Luther knew better than to believe such loyalty, especially since he knew each of them better than that.

Luther stepped forward, the metal armor clinking together with every step that he took. He held up one arm with a finger stretched out to the distant Earth. "My brothers, our time for vengeance is almost at hand," said Luther. "Our time of humiliation and your dissent into these lowly, Daimon forms will finally be amended. I will free you from you Fallen bonds, I shall give you back the divine beauty that was taken from you by Orphan."

"It is unwise to speak that name, my King," said Leviathan.

"Why is that, Leviathan?" asked Luther. "After everything that happened to me, you think I quiver so easily? Now that Orphan is weakened, we have the chance to unmake Creation, destroying everything by his death! Even Father shall fall with Orphan's death!"

A horrid laugh began to escape Luther's helm though as he clenched onto his armored sides. He turned his head back to Beelzebub with the hood falling off to his shoulder to show off part of his blue eyes that were hidden underneath the helm. "That was your plan, wasn't it, Beelzebub?" asked the Devil. "Isn't that why you pushed so hard to lead the rebellion in Paradise?" Bitterness was spoken behind Pride's voice as he reached out to grab Gluttony by the collar. Without even the slightest bit of effort, he hoisted Beelzebub up into the air. "And then Orphan led his army, you convinced me yet again to turn from him. I was sealed in the cage and the rest of you became more Daimon then Celestial."

This came as a surprise to the Dark Lords to see how quickly that their King would turn against him. But Luther was smarter than they could've possibly expected, he knew far more than they originally believed that he would.

Luther threw Beelzebub to the ground, down to where he could do nothing at all. His attention then turned over to Leviathan and Daemon with a violent aura surrounding him. "Then there's you two," said Luther. "I know what you're plotting. I know that you're attempting your own little rebellion against Beelzebub." The roughness in his voice revealed just how much he knew, which frightened even someone as old as Leviathan and Daemon. Although they were the elders, the two still feared the power that Luther wielded due to his direction connection to the Creator's First Sons. "You're newly, reacquired loyalty to Orphan hasn't gone unnoticed. I see your fifty pieces of silver that you jingle in your pockets."

Pride lastly turned towards Belphagor and Barbatos. He simply shook his head at them as he crossed his arms over his chest and cloak. "And last but not least," Luther said, "there are you two. I know that your allegiance to me is the same as the rest of them. The only difference is that you're waiting until the smoke is about to clear before choosing a side. Your cowardice is almost as severe as Beelzebub's."

"I saw everything from my cage," raged Luther. "I've seen the entire progress of the universe since I've been locked away. I know what you have done, I know what the mortals accomplished, and I saw so much more. What I've seen has yet to please me. In fact, I am disgusted by all of you."

Furious, the Dark Lord spat at the ground, mere inches away from where the other Dark Lords stood. Luther continued to allow his anger to boil over as he turned towards the bloody pentagram that had been his mark for freedom.

"The only one amongst you who is worth a damn is Lilith!" spat Luther. "Her loyalty to me is without question. She gave up her life's blood to free me from my cage." The angry King of the Dark Lords held up his armored fist into the air, a surge of energy glowing around it. Chaos began to gather as the blood within him began to churn. "And I always do reward those who are unquestionably loyal to me. "

Luther's words were about to be put to the test as he bent the chaos to his will so to repay a debt.

* * *

><p>On the beach, Zodiark continued to hold his hand out to Connor. The Dark Prince wanted nothing more than to be truly reunited with the little Prince that belonged to his past life. It was something that Connor refused to be though as he held onto the Celestial Blade.<p>

The other Rangers were at a loss though as they tried to understand the situation between the two of them. And soon enough, too much of the truth would be unearthed.

"Why continue to fight it, Connor?" said Zodiark. "You know that we belong together. I will rebuild the Edeonian Empire and you shall be at my side once more. We can give the universe a beautiful Paradise, the Dark Lords will be nonexistent, and all war would be over."

"I already told you that I refuse to be your lapdog!" Connor shouted, raising his word up once more. "I won't be used by you again!"

Ric was about to mumbled something when Zodiark interrupted the thought.

The frighteningly, powerful man stepped forward which caused the Rangers to jump in front of Connor. They kept a shield around him, even though they were too weak to do much, but they needed to keep him safe from this creep.

"Don't stand in the way of true love, Rangers," said Zodiark. "Connor and I already established our connection, just last night in fact." Those words left his throat with a cocky grin forming on his face as he dropped his extended hand to his waist. He closed his eyes and hummed softly as he tilted his head slightly to the side. "Your skin has a truly magnificent taste, Connor, like strawberries and honey. It is simply divine."

"What!" shouted Landon, Tommy, Haley, Serena, and Alice.

"Tell me that you didn't really sleep with him," said Ric.

"Please tell me that this is just some sick joke," said Eric.

The two of them, along with the others, looked back to Connor to see the boy's face suddenly growing pale. The grip on the sword tightened as well as Connor pushed himself through the wall that his friends built for him.

The boy raised the blade above his head with so much anger erupting from him. Tears ran down his cheeks as he shook uncontrollably. "I would've never slept with you, Zodiark, willingly!" shouted Connor. "Those dreams of my past life have too much control over me. You took advantage of me while I was lost in the dream!"

"It's what your heart wanted, Connor," said Zodiark.

"No it's not!" shouted Connor. "My heart doesn't want to be used. You can't even begin to understand the true meaning of love, Zodiark, because all you want to do is control someone. Love is about treating your heart's desire as your equal. What you want is a mindless slave who will do your every bidding, and that's not me!"

Connor jumped after Zodiark without any hesitation.

The Celestial Blade sliced through the air as Connor swung it after the Dark Prince's head. He was close to leave a lasting mark, but Zodiark leaned backed as he stepped into the water.

The Ranger chased after Zodiark until the water came almost up to their knees. It slowed down their movements, Connor especially since he was the shorter one. It was an advantage that Zodiark would exploit in order to get away with what he wanted.

But Connor refused to be used again as he tried to get back at him, while the other Rangers was forced to watch the inner torment. Ric and Eric were just trying to process what they heard without vomiting. To think that Connor did the unthinkable with Zodiark, it just…it just didn't make any sense to them.

If only they could understand what the dreams were.

"Make it easy on yourself and just surrender to me!" Zodiark said, catching the boy's wrist. "You know that you'll give up sooner or later, just do it now."

Connor began to laugh as he grabbed the hilt with both hands. He pulled his blade away from Zodiark before swinging it after him once more. "Why is this so difficult for you to understand!" cried the boy. "Did Dark Specter force so much darkness down your throat that you can't even remember what love means? You are far more twisted then even Umbra is."

The blade made a frightening sound as Connor swung it after the armored chest of the Dark Prince. The weight of the water was beginning to really slow the young Ranger down as the salt water hit the uniform hard. The cold, crashing waves didn't exactly help the cause out much, but Connor was burning hot though.

"I spent more than half of my life being used!" spat Connor. "I've been abused over and over again. People who were supposed to protect me have failed. My parents taken before their time and my foster families never treated me right. It's only because of Ric, Eric, Haley, and her parents that I've realized what it means to love! All of them, and all of the friends I've made since becoming a Ranger, have saved me from me! I know that I am loved. I know that I am special. What I know above all else is that I have the power to chart my own happiness, and you are not what makes me happy, Zodiark!"

His words gave his final swing the power that it needed. The attack that left from the boy's mouth caused Zodiark to pause all movement. The Celestial Blade tore into Zodiark's armor, but the force behind the boy withdrew back into his soul. His Angel Sword returned, cutting into Zodiark's flesh to leave a thin slice over his chest.

Connor held his Angel Sword up, panting for air as the blood on the sword dipped into the ocean.

Zodiark was at a loss for words as he held his hand up to touch the cut on his chest. He saw the blood on his glove, which was slightly unnerving as he looked back into the ferocious eyes of the boy.

"I suppose I was wrong about you then," Zodiark said, softly.

A corridor of darkness opened up behind him, which Zodiark began to slowly step back into. The Dark Prince completely vanished from sight, leaving a new Connor behind.

Connor dropped his sword into the water as the last of his power faded away. He was completely demorphed as he nearly passed out into the ocean from exhaustion. He managed to keep a handle on enough of his strength to keep him standing, but he wasn't able to do much else.

* * *

><p>The absence of the Dark Lords came as a welcome relief for Thrax. At least, it did at first.<p>

Thrax returned to his throne room to be rid of the filth that the Dark Lords had left behind. He still boiled over in anger from the humiliation that he suffered and the loss of his only loyal companion. Just knowing that Dark Knight was suffering a fate far worse than death, it infuriated the mutant to the end of the universe.

But that anger needed to be kept in check, at least for now. Thrax had to bite down his pride as he struck the ground with his Z-Staff. There were sparks of energy trickled down to the ground in attempt to rebalance the atmosphere of the throne. It wasn't much, but it was enough to at least allow him to breathe at ease.

As Thrax began to approach his old throne, he sensed darkness approaching. He paused for only a second before rising up his staff in an offensive gesture. There was a portal of darkness that opened up near him with an oddly familiar face appearing.

It turned out to be none other than Lightning, only she looked very different. The armor that she wore in her battle against Leviathan and Daemon still covered her body. Even her scent was different as it became a mixture of something sweet but deadly, a great significance to the power that she had received.

But even with all her power, she had been unable to rescue her friend from a cruel end.

"Lightning," Thrax uttered, dropping his stance. "How?"

"I don't know," Lightning answered, simply. "I received these gifts while trying to hide Dark Knight. I failed though, he is in Luther's hands now."

Thrax paused as he tried to piece this together. The villain was at a loss as he began to question where her loyalties lied, only to receive silence from the woman warrior. It was in her silence that Thrax felt more frightened then ever as he sensed the power that she wielded in her hands now.

The silence ceased though as another corridor of darkness opened up. This time though it was Zodiark who appeared who still bore a mark on his chest from Connor's sword. The Dark Prince didn't bother to clean up the blood as the boy's words still played in his head.

"What are you doing here?" asked Thrax. "Shouldn't you be licking Beelzebub's boots?"

"Bite me, mutant," Zodiark hissed with disdain evident in his voice. "Where are all my warriors? I need to meet with them at once!" The commanding tone in his voice was very intimidating, but the Dark Prince calmed down as he turned to Lightning. His mind replayed a dream that he had long ago, which helped him to picture this new appearance that Lightning had. "You've changed," he said, simply. "Your power is closer to my now."

"I'm flattered," said Lightning.

Loud footsteps began to grow until the doors to the room were thrown open. Umbra was at the head of the charge with Kratein, Bakari, and Helios following closely behind him. They all quickly joined Zodiark's side with numerous questions being thrown into the air. That was with the exception of Umbra who didn't seem to give enough of a damn to say a thing.

All those questions would have to wait though as Castle Pandemonium began to quake. The building rapidly became unstable as numerous bolts of lightning flashed across the sky to leave terror in its wake.

The lightning struck inside of the castle to the throne room. Where the seat of power was placed, six scattered bolts left their mark as six hooded figures appeared. Another bolt came inside of the castle, this time hitting the throne to where a seventh hood appeared in a far more relaxed stance.

The first six pulled their hoods down to reveal that they were in fact the Dark Lords.

Beelzebub, Leviathan, Daemon, Barbatos, and Belphagor stood in perfect silence as a new face joined them. Well, it was a new face but not a new person. The sixth was a woman with numerous tattoos running along her face, her silver hair tied in a long headdress, and her eyes glowing amber yellow. She held up her hands to touch her new face, revealing dark-purple hands that looked slightly beastly.

Lilith began to smile as she displayed her newly resurrected form. Exactly like Zodiark had told the Rangers, the Dark Lord of Lust was brought back from the dead to serve her master.

The Dark Lords began to take a few steps away from the throne as Luther straightened his back against his new seat. Luther's very presence became an absolutely, dominating force that crippled the lowly villains as he made himself very well-known.

"It is so nice to see all of you here," said Luther. "It has been so long since I've had a proper audience. It pleases me greatly that you all found the time to make it here to my return to power.'

Thrax struggled to lift his head up, using his Z-Staff for support. The mutant spat at Luther's feet with clear anger boiling up from within his very being. "You disgusting monster!" growled Thrax. "Free my Dark Knight from your hold. Remove yourself from my throne."

"Silence, insignificant fool," Luther said, smoothly.

The raw power of his voice actually managed to cripple Thrax's ability to speak. No matter how hard the mutant fought, no words were able to escape his lips.

Luther clasped his hands together as he stared out to each one. His gaze lasted the longest on Zodiark and Lightning though as he saw a pair of faces that were a little too familiar for his taste. But those old thoughts were tossed aside as he needed to work on establishing his authority on this world.

"You are all herby banished from my castle," said Luther. "If you value your lives then I highly recommend that you leave now!"

To emphasize his point, Luther didn't bat an eyelash or even moved an inch before releasing a blast of psychic energy. His power spread throughout the throne room, a controlled display of power that called forth the complete destruction of the Putties. Every last Putty that was in the throne room was completely vaporized, leaving not a single trace of their existence in the process.

The walls themselves began to crack as the stress of baring the weight of Luther's mind was beginning to become too much.

Expelling the warriors wouldn't be any trouble at all for the Dark Lords. Now that Luther was freed from the cage, their powers escalated and reached newer heights due to the close proximity of the King.

All seven of the Dark Lords pointed at a different warrior before snapping their fingers. A trail of magical energy ensnared each of the warriors, much to their horror, before transporting them immediately out from the castle.

Zodiark's eyes met with Luther's eyes, speaking of a desire for vengeance. Luther could see through the man and did not fear him, which would prove to be unwise in the long run.

With the warriors forced out from the castle, Luther relaxed at his new throne. The Dark Lord of Pride smiled underneath the helm before closing his eyes to further spread his presence as well as to restore his full strength.

* * *

><p>Returning from the beach, the Rangers arrived to the Command Center devastated as they suffered through a bout of exhaustion. After what they had survived through today, the Rangers were at a loss at just what to do. It was bad enough that they got their asses handed to them, but the fact that the Dark Lord King was out there, somewhere, was utterly terrifying for them.<p>

Adam, Alpha 8, and Cid were waiting for the Rangers to finally arrive. They quickly got to work on assisting the injured Rangers, helping them to recover from the miserable battle that they barely came out of in one piece.

Sleep was threatening to overtake each and every one of them, especially Connor.

There was a slight groan that escaped Landon's throat as he pulled his shirt off of his skin. A nasty bruise formed on his right shoulder with the skin around it broken horribly from the fight he had against Barbatos.

The rest of the Rangers looked about just as pitiful as their injuries were being tended to. It left them all feeling very inadequate because of the fact that they couldn't even hold their own against the Dark Lord's full powers.

Even with the small prize that they had defeated Lilith wasn't enough to brighten the day.

Connor was still mumbling to himself about how much of a fool that he had been. He allowed himself into being doped into killing Lilith and even having sex with their worst enemy. It made his stomach twist and turn as he tried not to think about it too much.

Eric turned to briefly look at Connor, replaying the cocky look on Zodiark's face from the announcement. Painful anger began to grip onto his heart as he tightened his fist into a ball. Ric bore a look that was similar to the anger that Eric felt. Neither one liked Zodiark, they hated the man with a passion, and felt equally disgusted that he would manipulate Connor like that.

But that was just one of the problems that would have to be dealt with. There was so much more that they needed to be concerned with. At least though, Connor managed to overcome that creep as the speech that he gave out replayed in all of their minds.

Would it help in the struggle against the Dark Lord King though?

"We need to find out a way to defeat Luther," said Haley.

"Does anyone have any suggestions on how we kill the Devil?" Eric asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Lots and lots of holy water," suggested Ric.

"That only works on vampires," mumbled Serena as she rested her head on Cid's shoulder.

"How about we hire the Pope?" asked Alice.

It became a vicious circle after that. None of the Rangers could come up with a solid plan that could actually work in defeating Luther.

And how could they?

The very thing that they were up against was the biggest fear that humanity ever known. Luther was the very Devil that they had grown up to fear since about far back as any of them could think back to. How could they compete against an entity that was so dark, so evil? They were way out of their league with no hope of reaching up to the surface.

Landon felt his own usual, Red Ranger charisma slipping away from him. He felt too dejected to even come up with a possible rousing speech to motivate his team into a battle. Part of that dealt with the fact that he was so tired, the other part was that his body was just killing him. As for the last part, Landon found it hard not to piss his pants as he thought about what they were about to face.

A lot of grumbles, moans, and cries filled the air as the Power Rangers succumbed to their weakness. The eight, chosen heroes lost all reason to fight as they lost what little strength that they had in their hearts.

Seeing this with his own eyes, Adam knew that he had to do something. A ball formed in the back of his throat as he stepped away from Tommy and began to approach the main computer. His fingers glided against the keyboard with a soft sigh escaping his lips as he began to punch in a chain of codes. The Rangers paid him no attention at all, but Cid seemed a little concerned as he laid Serena down on the healing bed.

The soldier was about to approach Adam when Alpha 8 made him stop. Alpha 8's gesture was enough to push Cid back, but he still wanted to know what it was that Adam was doing.

In a minute, Adam pushed a final key to shift the balance of power. He could only pray that it would be enough to help as he turned back to his Rangers.

"I know this might not make you feel better, but I have no other choice," said Adam. "I…I have no other choice but to initiate Project Revival. If you can't pull yourselves together to perform your duties as a Ranger then it is up to the other Veteran Rangers and myself to do something about the Dark Lords."

As soon as those words came out from their mentor's mouth, the air suddenly became thicker for the Rangers. Each one felt as if they were choking as they realized just what it was that Adam did, but what was more important was the fact that they saw through themselves.

Project Revival was supposed to be the last, ditch effort to turn the tide of battle in the Power Rangers' favor. It was meant to gain the upper hand against the Dark Lords. For Adam to have no choice to use it, well, it felt painful for the young Rangers as their pride felt shot.

Each of them began to stand back on their feet and turned away. None of them said a single word as they knew that they were no good at this point. They left the Command Center to return to their homes like the beaten punks that they were.

Adam watched with gloomy eyes as he saw them teleport out from the base. He could tell that Alpha 8 remained with him, but Cid was itching to leave in an attempt to help his princess. That wouldn't do much good though, Adam knew what the Rangers were going through and they would need some time to pull themselves back together.

But time was not on their side, nothing was now that Luther was free from his cage.

A pair of lights flashed into the Command Center, which caused Alpha 8 a mild case of alarm. Adam couldn't help but to laugh as he went up to Alpha, patting the robotic helper's back. "Don't freak out, Alpha," said Adam, "we just got our first round of little helpers."

The lights faded until it became clear that it was Jason and Kimberly who had teleported into the Command Center. Neither one of them were aware of where their daughter or adopted son was, but they understood the message that they had received from Adam. Due to their close proximity, they would be the first ones to answer the call.

And more would soon follow as the word spread throughout the planet then the entire galaxy. With any luck, all of the previous Rangers would honor the call and make the journey to Angel Grove to join them in what would be their final battle.

"It's serious then?" Kimberly asked, stepping up to Adam. "There is no tip toeing around it?"

"The King of the Dark Lords is free," said Adam. "We have no other choice. The Power needs to be reawakened for us to protect the universe."

"Then we'd better get to work then," said Jason. "The sooner that the other Rangers find out about this mess than the better chance we have at defeating the Dark Lords."

None of them couldn't agree anymore with Jason as they went over to the computers. Jason pretty much stayed back, even after all of these years, computers still wasn't his thing. As for Kimberly, she joined Adam, Alpha, and Cid in trying to make an immediate difference in the battle. She had learned a couple of tricks from Billy back in her Ranger days before she left for the Olympics, which she put to the test.

They all worked diligently, spreading the word to the other Rangers when magical lights filled the Command Center. Cid and Jason got on the defensive until it became clear who it was that was entering the Command Center this time around.

It turned out to be none other than their favorite Sorceress and her apprentice.

Clare stepped forward with a grave look on her face. Her gaze was met with Adam, which was all that was needed to confirm her suspicions. The blond headed mage ran up towards them, while her young apprentice carried the supplies that they brought.

"The Mystic Mother sensed that the Dark Lord of Pride has been freed," said Clare. "Already, the balance between the twin Grids is beginning to crumble apart. The Dark Nexus is threatening to swallow the Universal Morphing Grid unless something is done to repair the balance."

"I didn't think it would be that bad already. Fuck!" shouted Adam. Letting out a deep sigh, Adam reclaimed his calm before looking back to the Sorceress and her apprentice. He noticed the look of fear in young Dylan's face as the boy looked at him with the Xenotome pressed against his chest. "Have you notified the Mystic Force Rangers? We could use all of the magick that we can get our hands on."

Clare had to shake her head as she turned toward the Viewing Monitor. It displayed a global map that showed the range in which the signal had progressed on the Earth itself. It had yet to leave the county, which wasn't as good of progress as she had hoped to see.

"They are off on a mission right now," said Clare. "Apparently, the Morlocks are stirring against the mystical realm. They are working with the Mystic Mother in suppressing the threat before it becomes too severe. I was sent ahead in order to do what I can to help."

"You know, I still find that really weird," Kimberly said, entering a few keys. "I mean, I'm happy that she's good now, but I just can't wrap my head around it. How could Rita go from being the Empress of Evil to the Empress of Good?"

Jason began to scratch his head as he tried to picture it. When he first found out that Rita became the Mystic Mother, he wasn't exactly a believer of this. He couldn't see the former villain reclaiming magical abilities and using them for good. "It is really weird," said her husband. "I'm so used to seeing her as Rita Repulsa that I just can't think of her as the Mystic Mother."

"She is a nice woman," Dylan stuttered out. "I…I believe that she truly does feel regret for the evil she did in the past. She wants nothing more then to make her amends."

"From the mouth of a babe to God's ears," whispered Adam. "Let's hope that you're right, Dylan. As for you, Clare, let's get to work on that spell. You do have the spell, right?"

Clare nodded her head this time as she retrieved the Xenotome from Dylan. Her apprentice handed it over to her and quickly began to retrieve the other materials needed for the spell.

* * *

><p>Off in their own beds, resting their tired bodies, the Rangers lost themselves in a world of sleep. Unbeknownst to them, the Rangers had their dream connected together as an outside power began to manipulate them even as they rested. None of them could even see each other as they were trapped in this same dream.<p>

_What the dark force created was an empty field that had light rain pouring down from the sky as the moonlight cascaded off their flesh. They each ran along the field, chasing after a little boy who was constantly giggling as he ran away from them. None of them understood why they were running after this boy, but each of them did everything that they could to catch up to him._

_In this mindless world, the Rangers found themselves sluggish and tired. Every time that they appeared to reach the boy, something would happen to make them stall. Even Connor had exceptional difficulty despite his superhuman speed. All of the Rangers couldn't do anything at all to help them reach this beautiful boy._

_The boy's skin sparkled almost like diamonds as he ran along the field. His innocent laughter called out to the Rangers' like a siren. His long, midnight hair flew from his shoulders as they became swept in the rainy breeze. The white clothing he wore becoming weighed down by all of the rain, but not to the extent that the Rangers were suffering from. _

_The little boy turned around to the Rangers, still smiling and laughing as his dark eyes mesmerized the young heroes._

_Fighting through the light rain, they were so close to reach him now. But the moment that they were about to grab him, the little boy started to smile and changed the entire scenery._

_The rainy field changed to a moonlit meadow with the little boy kneeling by the pond. His hand lightly slapping the water to create small ripples that began to clear the minds of the Rangers._

_As each of the Rangers stepped into the clearing, their vision cleared so that they could see each other. They were all surprised to see each other in the same dream, but what was stranger was the fact that they all wore similar white clothing that was soaked from the rain that they had run through. The boys dressed in pants and a shirt, while the girls wore knee-length dresses. _

_The Rangers turned their attention towards the little boy who they began to realize wasn't who he appeared to be._

"_You're responsible for this, aren't you?" asked Alice. "You're causing us to have the same dream."_

"_What a smart girl," laughed the little boy. "Whoever can figure out who I am gets some bonus points. Any takers? Extra credit, kids, is a very good thing."_

"_You're not a little boy that's for sure," mumbled Tommy._

"_And I really don't think you're human," added Serena._

_The little boy grinned as he continued to egg the Rangers on. He pushed them to uncover the answers for himself as he sat down on the damp grass._

"_I can sense power," said Eric. "It is an unearthly power."_

"_It's a power that's ancient and doesn't belong on our world," said Haley._

"_You've suffered for centuries," said Ric, "and now you want revenge."_

_So close that the answers was practically on the tip of their tongues. The little boy was a little astonished by the fact that the Rangers actually did have a shred of intellect in them. It wasn't enough to spare their lives or the rest of humanity, but it was something that earned a few respect points out of him._

"_You don't belong here," said Connor, "you're pure evil."_

"_We think that you're a Dark Lord," said Landon, "but not just any Dark Lord. You…you're him, the King."_

_The little boy straightened himself out as he rose up to his feet. His smile broadening from cheek to cheek as his skin continued to sparkle beautifully. "My name is Luther," said the little boy. "And you're right, I am the King of the Dark Lords. I am the first Celestial to Fall from Grace. I was there when your race was barely crawling out from the primordial ooze. I've been watching your kind since I've been imprisoned in the cage."_

_Luther 's illusion began to shift as the meadow remained, but the form he chose began to change. The body he desired became that of the stereotyped image of the Devil. His skin was bright red with a pair of horns on his head, in his hand was a pitchfork, and at his back where a pair of torn, black wings._

"_I am the Devil," laughed Luther. "I am the thing that you fear most. I am the one who parents whisper to their children about when they want them to behave. I am the one who waged war against my Father because I refused to be subservient to humanity and all of its flaws. I am the one who has been sealed away in the deepest depths of Hell for millennia. And now, I am the Beast that will destroy the universe in a maelstrom of chaos and destruction!"_

_Thunder roared in the sky of the dream as he raised his pitchfork up into the air. The Rangers began to cower in terror as the Dark Lord King taunted them in their dreams, the one place that they believed that they were safest. _

_Once more, Luther changed his appearance to something that wasn't as terrifying. He took an appearance that was similar to Landon, which Landon found rather revolting as Luther tilted his head a little off to the side. "And here's a word of advice, Rangers. I suggest that you slit your throats now and save me from the trouble," said Luther. "Trust me, if I'm the one who has to kill you then it won't be pretty. You will suffer cruel and unimaginably, so spare yourself from the Hell that I will unleash upon you."_

_Luther became consumed in a flash of light as he vanished from the dream._

The disappearance of the Dark Lord King caused the dream to collapse, forcing the Rangers to awaken from their nightmare. Each one screamed at the top of their lungs as they felt the infinite fury that was Luther as it threatened to swallow them whole.

The Rangers received the first taste of the Hell that was about to come.

But they finally saw through the error of their ways. They couldn't afford to just sit there and feeling sorry for themselves. Action was absolutely necessary in dealing with the storm that was banging against their doors.

The fate of the world, of all worlds, hung in the balance.

* * *

><p>The Rangers were in for a surprise as they returned to the Command Center after their rest. Upon arriving, they saw that Clare and Dylan were back with news of the progress that Project Revival was making in the wake of Luther's return.<p>

With that in mind, the Rangers told everyone of the dream that they shared along with Luther's warning. Adam, Kimberly, and Jason were very interested in what they had to say, so was Clare who tried to piece it all together. Since their last meeting, Clare had been gathering all the details that she could about the Dark Lords so to help the Rangers in their battle.

"So, the Dark Lords can invade your dreams," said Adam. "Or, at least, Luther displays that ability. It seems that nowhere is safe then if he can intrude your minds while you sleep."

"No duh," Ric said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

They all felt the same way as they separated to various spots in the base. They were attempting to gain some form of relaxation during these desperate times.

Dylan left the magical station that he had constructed with Clare to sit near the Rangers. The young mage stayed perfectly silent as he dug into his pocket to retrieve a star-shaped crystal that rested in the palm of his hands. He tried to simply stay out of the Rangers' way, while Ric seemed to take interest in the shinning crystal.

"What do we do now then?" asked Tommy. "The Dark Lords situation is only going to grow worse with each moment that passes."

"They get stronger and we can't catch up," said Haley. "We can't compete with the Dark Lords using our current powers."

"If only we had a little more help," said Landon. "The other Rangers won't be here quickly enough though to back us up. We have to try and handle the situation now before the Dark Lords build too much power that they become unstoppable."

The sirens in the Command Center began to go off, forcing Landon to bite down on his tongue as he tried to swallow back what he said.

Everyone turned their sights to the viewing monitor to see what was going on. What they all saw was Thrax, Zodiark, and the warriors being thrown to the ground by an undetectable flash of light. The Rangers would've been very suspicious if it wasn't for the fact that the villains were dumped in such an unceremonious fashion that it almost became comical.

"Should we even bother?" asked Serena.

"I have a feeling that it'll bite us in the ass if we don't," said Eric.

"This could be a trap," said Alice.

"We won't know unless we do something," Connor uttered, softly.

Well aware that they were going to have to do something about this, the Rangers united together once more. They managed to motive themselves to get back on the saddle as they told Alpha 8 to teleport them to the villains.

Reluctantly, Alpha 8 did just that as he sent the Rangers across town.

Clare really wasn't certain with all of this as she stared at Zodiark's image. Just looking at him sent chills down her spine that made her feel ill at ease.

Far from the safety of the Command Center, the Rangers arrived to the desert where the villains had landed. They were all hanging on to their Crystal Morphers should it become necessary that they transform in order to deal with the problem.

Hoping that it wouldn't come to this, the Rangers treaded carefully towards the villains. They soon took notice to Lightning's new appearance and Dark Knight's lack of presence, but that became partially ignored as they realized how pitiful the villains looked. Thrax, especially, looked like Hell as he sat on the sand with his Z-Staff fallen on the ground.

Zodiark was the first to do anything at all, which wasn't surprising. The Rangers took notice of the Dark Prince so a perimeter was put around Connor for protection. They didn't need another kidnapping attempt to happen, three was bad enough and the last time he actually got away with rape.

"We're not here to fight, Rangers," Zodiark said, attempting to pacify them.

"Then why are you here?" said Landon. "Don't you have a palace on the Moon to hang out in?"

"Used to," growled Thrax. Feeling that spark back inside of him, Thrax immediately got back on his feet as he retrieved his Z-Staff. He quickly threw a bolt of energy into the sky that faded away and was never seen again in a display of his fury. "That fucking King of Pride stole my castle! He took Dark Knight as his vessel, stripping me of my only loyal follower."

Lightning could feel the insult thrown at her, but made no comment about it. She simply got back up on her feet with her armored body calling for new attention out of the Rangers. "I'm assuming that you know about Luther," said the warrior woman. "He has taken possession of Dark Knight. The situation is not good now that the Dark Lords have reunited and are ready to start the Apocalypse."

"And even they threw you all around like little bitches," laughed Ric. "Now I don't feel so bad about getting our asses kicked. Your lost is just as miserable as us."

"Don't you dare compare yourself to me!" hissed Umbra. "I'll have your head on a pike, Ranger!"

"Enough!" said Zodiark. The Dark Prince stepped into the center of attention as he turned to face all of the Rangers. He held Umbra back, who was itching for a fight that he would get soon enough. "There is too much trouble going on. The Dark Lords are much too severe of a threat to allow to continue going on unchecked."

Connor snorted as he broke free from his friend. He crossed his skinny arms over his chest as he glared into the Dark Prince's eyes. "Now, you're all anti-Dark Lord?" said the boy. "You seemed very pro-Dark Lord a few hours ago. Is it because that Luther didn't stroke your huge ego that you're crying now like a sissy?"

"Let's not piss off the tall lunatic, Connor," Serena said, pulling her friend back.

Zodiark couldn't help but to smirk though as he took the boy's insult with stride. He showed this by revealing the mark on his chest that had been left by Connor. "You can say that, if you wish," said the Dark Prince. "I prefer to think that I learned from the error of my ways. Better yet, you can say I saw the light. I'm even willing to purpose a temporary alliance between all of us."

"Excuse me?" said Haley. "What type of crack have you been smoking and where can I get some?" The young woman couldn't help but to laugh at her own tasteless joke as she stepped at the center of attention. Well, Landon was still in the middle but she was closer to the front where he was with Zodiark and Thrax. "If the universe is going to end then I'd like to be as shit-faced as you are right now. I could've sworn I heard you actually say that you want to work with us in fighting the Dark Lords."

"As much as I despise you, Rangers," said Thrax, "there is no other choice." It really did burn for Thrax to admit that. Working with the Rangers was his worst possible nightmare, but here he was running along with what Zodiark had come up with. "The Dark Lords are too powerful for any of us to fight against on our own. If we don't pool our resources together then there is nothing that can be done to stop them."

"So good and evil have to team up to save the universe?" said Eric. "Does this sound weird to anyone else?"

"I think so," said Alice.

"Ditto," added Tommy.

"It's repulsing," said Kratein. "I refuse to work with these mongrels!"

"We need the help, my prince," said Helios. "We cannot hope to have vengeance against the Dark Lords if we don't use the Rangers."

"There is strength in numbers," said Bakari, "and the enemy of my enemy is my friend. As odd as it seem, teaming up might be the only way to defeat the Dark Lords."

"We're fighting a common enemy," said Zodiark. "Thrax and I wish to rule, if the Dark Lords have their way then there will be nothing to rule. As for you, Rangers, you ultimate duty is to protect life and justice. The Dark Lords represent everything that you have sworn to protect, which is why there is no other choice for any of us."

"Fine then," said Landon. "We'll form a temporary truce. We work together in to defeat the Dark Lords through whatever means is necessary."

The deal was sealed with handshakes as good and evil joined forces. Landon took Zodiark's hand, while Haley took Thrax's hand. As odd as this was, the situation called for such oddities in order to make a difference.

Sometimes help came from the most unlikely of places.

And it couldn't have come at a better time as the sky was consumed by storms cloud. The all looked up to the sky to see what was brewing above them and knew damn well that it was the Dark Lords signaling their presence.

They wouldn't be disappointed either. Only moments after an agreement was made, the Dark Lords finally decided to show themselves to the enemies that they had made.

* * *

><p>The forces of darkness unleashed their fury as the ultimate evils began to stir. The Rangers and their new allies looked up to the sky as they waited for the Dark Lords to end the firework show. In a moment, their fears surfaced as seven beings descended down from the sky, standing perfectly still a few miles away from them.<p>

The Seven Dark Lords were a sight to behold. Seeing that there was seven of them and one was oddly feminine, the Rangers knew almost immediately that she was Lilith, back from the dead. Zodiark briefly filled them in that she had been resurrected by Luther as a reward for her services to him.

Each of the Dark Lords began to smirk with the exception of the one encased in a suit of armor. Every about him was a mystery, but the power that the Rangers sensed wasn't.

It took only a second for them to realize that this was Luther. The Dark Lord King's armor was modeled after the one that Dark Knight wore, a token of the vessel he now had complete control over. The lack of a face had become one of the most frightening things about him as the Rangers couldn't detect any sense of emotion besides his posture.

Luther continued to step forward with his fellow Dark Lords remaining behind him. His gauntlets crossed over his chest as he stared into the faces of the Rangers. "Didn't I already warn you that you were better off killing yourselves?" said the Dark Lord King. "It was foolish to not heed my fair warning. I suppose, I'll just have to show you the error of your ways then."

The Dark Lord King threw one arm back, kicking his cloak up, which caused a single black wing to be revealed. The wing broke through the suit of armor to show off its divine magnificence as a surge of chaos rose up his arm. The very sword that he had taken from Leviathan, the sword that belonged to his brother appeared in his hand.

Mikhail's sword, with it, Luther would use it to dispose of his enemies.

The Rangers and their allies flinched as they felt the overabundant power that began to rise up from the chaos. The air thickened as it felt like Hell itself was about to break loose and devour them all.

"Say what you want, Luther!" shouted Landon. "You can threaten us any way you want, but we won't go down easily! We will fight you until the end! Ready, Rangers?"

"Ready!" shouted the remaining seven.

Throwing their fists up into the air, the Rangers began to call forth their powers. The Crystal Morphers left their wrists and flew up into the sky. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers. "Job Class Form Activate!" The surge of red, blue, black, yellow, pink, white, orange, and violet energy morphed the Rangers into their superhuman forms. They each reclaimed their crystals, causing another surge of light to overtake them as they transformed to their Job Class Forms.

At the best they could possibly be, the Rangers charged into battle against the Dark Lords.

Zodiark and Thrax soon joined the Rangers with the other warriors jumping in behind them. The three forces would collide together; two working together to overthrow the greater threat before the universe could be completely destroyed.

* * *

><p>Belphagor entered the fight in his beastly form as he took on Blue Gladiator Ranger and Helios. Blue Gladiator Ranger swung his mighty Glory Hammer everywhere that he could as he hoped to connect a hit against the Dark Lord. Helios fought with a similar style as he stabbed at every vital spot that he could with his chain sword.<p>

Their combined efforts weren't much though against Sloth. Even under his lazy title, Belphagor was a force to be reckoned with. He flew across the desert, spewing flames and toxic energy from his beastly muzzle. Explosions started to rain down from every possible direction as the two of them were forced into evasive maneuvers.

Blue Gladiator Ranger and Helios rolled out of the way from a particularly powerful attack that the Dark Lord unleashed. They managed to make it out of there without a scratch, but it wouldn't be long until Belphagor attacked them again. And that came about a few seconds later as a stream of fire came cascading behind them with the ferocious flames burning their backs.

"I really don't like this guy!" shouted Blue Gladiator Ranger.

Covering himself with his armored gauntlet, Helios slid a bit further away from the Ranger. "Now, I know why you punks always had so much trouble with them!" said Helios. The young Guardian called forth a chain of dark-light in the palm of his hand which he hurled after the Dark Lord. His attack managed to strike the wing of the Dark Lord, causing Belphagor to suffer from unbalance.

This was quickly exploited as Blue Gladiator Ranger took to the air. He charged his Glory Hammer with wind as he got closer to the Dark Lord. "Cyclone Gladiator Glory!" shouted the Ranger. With only one swing, the Ranger unleashed a fully charged cyclone that began to dig into the meat of the Dark Lord.

As the Ranger landed back on the ground, Helios rejoined him with hopes that they managed to do something against Belphagor. However, when the Ranger's attack died out, it revealed that Belphagor was still in one peace.

Unleashing a deafening roar, Belphagor fired a stream of chaotic energy from his mouth that crashed against the two of them. The attack was a constant assault that finally forced the both of them to submit after the explosions generated by the energy proved to be too much for them to handle.

* * *

><p>Lilith was back and better than ever as she easily danced around Yellow Machinist Ranger, Violet Sage Ranger, and Lightning. The powers granted to her by Luther allowed he to dodge every attack as time became her senseless tool.<p>

Lightning attempted to do something real about this as she used her new abilities in the fight. She moved with a speed that the Rangers just couldn't compete with as she swung her new Gunblade after the Dark Lord. Each attack though proved to be rather pointless as Lilith easily evaded each one without even what looked like the slightest bit of effort. This became rather insulting to Lightning as she watched Lilith fly further away from her.

Switching her tactics around a bit, Lightning fired a chain of bullets from her Gunblade to put the Dark Lord down. Lilith didn't even bat a single eyelash as she held her hand forward to stop the gunfire. The Dark Lord was in for as surprise though as Yellow Machinist Ranger came running in behind her. The Ranger leapt above her head and started to pull her Holy Triggers as she fired a couple rounds at the Dark Lord.

It was dealt with just as easily though as Lilith vanished from sight and reappeared someplace further away from the attack. The Dark Lord felt something behind her and easily stepped off to the side just as Violet Sage Ranger came charging in with her Divine Wand. Violet Sage Ranger's cape flew behind her as she swung her wand where Lilith's head used to be with a chain of starlight following the trail of the attack.

Lilith could only huff at their pathetic attacks as she slammed her elbow into the Ranger's back, sending her fly towards the other Ranger and the warrior woman. The trio was forced into rethinking their strategy as Lilith examined her beastly hands.

"That does it!" spat Yellow Machinist Ranger. "This bitch is so toast!" She straightened herself back out as she charged in after the Dark Lord. She yelled at the top of her lungs as she held up her Holy Pistols, unleashing all of her earthly energy. "Stalagmite Machinist Holy!" Before pulling on the triggers, she pointed her guns to the ground, granting her a serious lift.

The earth responded by attempting to encase Lilith in stalagmites. The thick layer of rock rose up from the ground without any mercy, but proved to be useless though as the Dark Lord took to the air.

Violet Sage Ranger responded quickly as she flew in after her. Her Divine Wand glowed as she prepared to unleash her own power as she got up close and personal with Lilith. "Cosmic Sage Divine!" she said, calmly. Dozens of stars began to flutter around the both of them before creating a giant star that the Ranger used. She smashed her attack against Lilith, which actually seemed to do something as the Dark Lord did a nosedive to the ground.

Lightning was all over it after that. She quickly raced across the ground to deliver the final blow with her Gunblade swinging at the Dark Lord's head. Just as she was about to deliver that fatal blow, Lilith regained composure as she spread her wings apart to fire a barrage of feathers after Lightning.

The sudden outburst came as a large surprise as Lightning was hurled back towards the Rangers. Her armored body crashed into the ground with the Rangers rushing to her aid.

Lilith didn't allow any of this help though to actually work. She called forth on some vicious magick, encasing her wings in it as she slashed the two Rangers with the might of her wings. The violet surge of black magick crashed into the Rangers, causing them both to drop before her.

* * *

><p>Beelzebub found himself going up against both Pink Ninja Ranger and Umbra. It wasn't the best pairing since he hated both the Ranger and the lunatic, but he didn't worry too much about it. He stuck with the simple strategy of getting them to exhaust themselves so he could go for the final blow.<p>

The two combined their strengths fairly well as they went on an all out assault against the Dark Lord. Umbra rapidly swung his Void Gear around in a way that the Dark Lord couldn't anticipate, while Pink Ninja Ranger moved with stealth and cunning as she used her Sacred Claws to dice the Dark Lord. Beelzebub managed to block nearly every one of them, only a few managed to escape him and did some minor damage onto him.

It wouldn't be enough though as Beelzebub managed to catch both their attacks and easily pushed them back. He spun around and dropped to his knees as he brandished his two shotguns. He quickly pulled the trigger on them now that he had the Ranger and the warrior off of their guard.

Umbra was remarkably quick though as he charged back into the fight. He slashed away at every bullet as a surge of darkness began to swirl around his being. With each bullet gone, he got close to the Dark Lord with a ball of burning fire forming in the palm of his hand. He hurled his attack after the Dark Lord, letting the explosive attack crash into Beelzebub's chest, sending him flying back.

"Get him now, stupid bitch!" Umbra said, shouting after the Ranger.

The Ranger came running forward with speed at her side as she leaped over Umbra's head. "Watch your tongue before I cut it out!" shouted Pink Ninja Ranger. "Didn't your momma teach you how to speak to a lady?" She ignored him after that, not really giving a damn about Umbra or his past. She focused her sights on Beelzebub now that she was within range of him. "Rainstorm Ninja Sacred!" A cloud of rain gathered above her and were quickly absorbed by her claws as she slashed to unleash her daggers of raindrops.

Beelzebub was ruthlessly assaulted by the attack with a nasty explosion coming up after it.

The Ranger and warrior thought that they had the Dark Lord beat when Beelzebub had a surprise for them. He emerged from the explosion with both of his wings freely moving with his Gluttony Cannon charged. Instead of firing the attack from above, he came down to the ground then pulled the trigger to fire a powerful shockwave that completely devastated Umbra and Pink Ninja Ranger.

The surprising attack sent both flying back until they crashed down to the ground, unable to do much else.

* * *

><p>Leviathan was up against Orange Dragoon Ranger and Bakari. The two were constantly using slash and run tactics against the draconic serpent that lashed out with his long neck. The thick hide of the Dark Lord kept him safe from the bulk of the attacks, making most of their actions rather pointless.<p>

However, Bakari's strategy was to wear the Dark Lord down into a submission. If they constantly assaulted him then the Dark Lord would eventually run out of juice. At least, a normal opponent would have. The defenses of a Dark Lord was on a completely different level, which was something that not even Bakari could process.

Still, it's what they went with. Orange Dragoon Ranger thought it was the best that they could do, considering not much else would work. What he remembered from their last encounter, Leviathan wasn't exactly the easiest of the Dark Lord to defeat. At least this time, he didn't have two Daimons to boost his powers.

Bakari stepped closer towards the Dark Lord with all five of his swords under his mind control. The general threw his cape back as he forced one hand forward to command all of his swords to attack at once. His weapons responded by stabbing into the thick hide of the Dark Lord's chest, leaving small marks on him.

As Leviathan clenched his sides, Bakari jumped back to get away from the lashing tail. He landed someplace a little safer as he turned to the Ranger. "Hit him with everything that you got!" shouted the general. "I damaged him, hopefully enough to leave a lasting impression.

Hoisting his Celestial Lance over his shoulder, the Ranger nodded his head as he took charge. "Then I better make this good then!" said Orange Dragoon Ranger. "Solar Dragoon Celestial!" Consuming his lance with a burning aura of sunlight, the Ranger knew that this was going to be his only shot. Without hesitation, he threw his lance with all of his might at Leviathan, hoping that it would really pierced the Dark Lord's flesh.

The lance crossed the desert and struck the Dark Lord, but not with the desired results. Leviathan did suffer from a nasty burn, but that was about it. He wasn't defeated, but he was exceptionally pissed as he gave out a might roar.

Countering all of their attacks, Leviathan became a vicious hurricane. His massive body spun around rapidly until it was dangerously close to where the two of them were. The spikes on the Dark Lord's back tore against the both of them, easily leading to their defeat.

Leviathan wasn't done yet as he grabbed them both and slammed them down to the ground without any mercy.

* * *

><p>Barbatos flew up into the air, avoiding a stream of attacks from Black Archer Ranger and Kratein. The duo were using their shadowy abilities against the Dark Lord, but that didn't seem to do much more than cause amusement. The cackling laughter of the Dark Lord was really beginning to annoy Kratein as he took off without thinking twice. Black Archer Ranger tried to call him back, but soon saw that it was rather pointless.<p>

Kratein jumped into the air after Barbatos only to get shocked by a fence of invisible electricity. This caused him to suffer from a wicked shock that easily sent him down, but he luckily didn't crash as Black Archer Ranger caught him. They both landed on the ground safely with Black Archer Ranger looking up to where the Dark Lord continued to float above them.

The electrical fence became a little easier to see, but it would be difficult to shatter.

A smart plan was in order, which they had nowhere near enough time or manpower to initiate. So the next best thing had to be done. Black Archer Ranger retrieved his Angel Sword from its sheath and flung it after the electrical fence. The sword managed to strike the fence, triggering a nasty assault of electricity to attack the weapon.

Black Archer Ranger pulled the bowstring of his Heaven Bow back, knowing that the Dark Lord's attack couldn't spread out too far. He took in a deep breath as he summoned all the strength that he could for this one shot. "Nightfall Archer Heaven!" shouted Black Archer Ranger. "Say goodbye to your shield, Barbatos!" The Ranger released the arrow which became seven separate arrows.

The attack spread all around the Dark Lord's fence before coming in for a crash. The shadows exploded, shattering the electrical fence due to the abundance of pressure that it felt. The Angel Sword fell to the ground just as Kratein was getting back on his feet.

"It looks like you're a little more useful than I thought," said Kratein. The Prince took off running with his sword before grabbing onto the Ranger's sword. He leaped into the air, gaining enough height to slash after the Dark Lord with both weapons.

The two swords dug into meat, but not enough to do real damage to Barbatos. As Kratein was dropping to the ground, Barbatos held up his frightening staff. Orbs of darkness began to gather all around the Ranger and the warrior. Neither one knew what was about to happen until it was too late.

The orbs closed in around them, smothering them both in chaotic energy. They were both beaten until they dropped in submission.

* * *

><p>Daemon used all of his wraith against White Paladin Ranger and Thrax. As the two were coming in after him, the might of the Dark Lord was hurled against him as Daemon unleashed round after round of chaotic power. The numerous attacks did slow the charge down, but the Ranger and the mutant were relentless as they got closer to their opponent.<p>

Thrax backtracked a bit as he struck the ground with his Z-Staff. He called forth his magical might as he hurled bolts of lightning from the palm of his hand before joining it with the magick contained within his Z-Staff. His attacks managed to scatter and cackle around the Dark Lord, seemingly doing damage to him if not just slowing Daemon down.

Either way, it would be useful as White Paladin Ranger took up his mantle.

Solar Blade in hand, the Ranger began to form a cross with magnificent light. His element was invoked as he prepared to use Daemon's natural weakness against him. "You won't be allowed to do anymore harm, Daemon! Flares Paladin Solar!" shouted White Paladin Ranger. His words faded into the air as the cross burned in a stunning display of light that crossed the desert in a matter of seconds.

The attack joined with Thrax's attack, colliding against the Dark Lord. The abundance of light caused Daemon to suffer as he was almost too easily pushed back.

"Join your powers with mine, White Ranger!" shouted Thrax.

As weird as it was, White Paladin Ranger listened to the mutant's request. The Z-Staff and the Solar Blade connected together to unleash a tide of energy. Bolts of lightning and streams of light spread throughout the area to lash out against Daemon, leaving what would hopefully be a lasting wound.

However, Daemon broke through all of that as he took to the air. Acting quicker than anyone could expect Daemon generated an orb of chaotic energy in front of him. The Dark Lord released a punishing blast of fire that burned through the defenses of the Ranger and the mutant.

They both soon dropped to their feet, defeated by angry wrath.

* * *

><p>Luther's frightening stillness was something that sent chills down Red Warrior Ranger's spin as he faced him alongside Zodiark. As weird as this was, the Ranger tried not to think too much about it as they took arms against the Dark Lord King. But still, something didn't feel right as they charged in for the attack.<p>

Red Warrior Ranger encased his sword in an aura of fire, swinging it after the armored Fallen Celestial. The attacks didn't do that much as it barely left a scratch of a scorch mark on the armor. It was weird to because the Dark Lord didn't even budge an inch to avoid getting hit or countering with his own attacks.

When Red Warrior tried to do this again though, Luther caught the fiery sword just as Zodiark was coming in from behind with his own sword. The Dark Lord held up the sword that belonged to his brother, blocking the attack without so much as flinching. Even the ding of metal against metal was enough to make Luther show any real sign of moving as his gray eyes stared into Red Warrior Ranger.

There was a faint smile that could be seen as the daylight entered the Dark Lord's armor. That was a little unnerving as Red Warrior Ranger tried to break free from the steel grip. "If that is the best you have to offer then I'm sorely disappointed in both of you," said Luther. Then the Dark Lord turned his sights onto Zodiark. He pushed the Ranger aside before breaking the sword bond that he had with the Dark Prince as he made a step backward. "As for you, well, I'm just annoyed by you. Even at only a fourth of my full power, you're not half the opponent I thought you'd be. This doesn't amuse me."

Dropping his sword to the ground, Zodiark accept the challenge as he stood before the Dark Lord King. Something within him was burning with malice as he summoned the anger that was building up within him. "Allow me to show you fear then!" growled Zodiark. The Dark Prince called forth one of the items that he retrieved from his journey, the Mace of the Void.

The Dark Prince attempted to bash the armor apart with his mace. Every attack missed though no matter how quick Zodiark was, Luther came out as the superior warrior as the Fallen Celestial proved his might.

Zodiark swung the weapon forward one more time only to have Luther catch it with his hand.

Luther squeezed against the power that forged the mace. Streams of energy began to escape from the weapon as it trickled within the body of the Dark Lord King. "Foolish mortal," said Luther. "You're attempting to fight a Celestial with a Celestial Weapon that can't even truly harm me. Only another Celestial can take the weapon's full potential! It's power belongs to me now!"

The Dark Lord of Pride pushed the Dark Prince aside with the Mace of the Void's power now trapped within him. A deep sigh escaped his lips as his armor began to crack along his back. The metal shattered as a second wing took form with half of his power being restored to him thanks to Zodiark's pride.

It burned within the Prince of Darkness as the added power now coursed throughout his veins.

Seeing how bad this was getting, Red Warrior Ranger jumped to immediate action. He charged forward with his entire body coming consumed by fire. "Burning Warrior Aurora!" shouted Red Warrior Ranger. As he took on final step, he transformed his body into a massive fireball that crashed into the back of the Dark Lord.

Luther gave out a startled grunt as he was pushed forward, briefly dropping to one knee. The sword granted him a bit of balance as Red Warrior Ranger returned to normal a little closer to Zodiark.

It was obvious that the Ranger's attack didn't do much, he only caught the Dark Lord off of his guard. But it was something in this fight.

"So you went and made the bad guy even stronger," Red Warrior Ranger said to Zodiark. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. That sounds like a big mistake to me."

"Keep insulting my intelligence, Red Ranger," said Zodiark, "and I'll show you who is making the big mistake."

Red Warrior Ranger merely shook his head as he raised his Aurora Sword back up. He didn't give a damn about the Dark Prince right now, his focus was on the Prince of Darkness. Something had to be done to put Luther to bed before he could do too much damage to the universe.

Feeling his courageous determination, Red Warrior Ranger charged forward once more. He didn't give a damn about the consequences of his boldness, he just had to do something in order to protect everyone.

That triggered a spark of power that had been long hidden within the Crystal Morpher. Red Warrior Ranger felt a new power swelling up from within him as it combined with his ancestral spirituality once more.

Luther felt the power and was rather curious as to what the Ranger would do with it. There wasn't much time to wait as Red Warrior Ranger stabbed the ground with his sword.

"Give me strength, everyone!" shouted Red Warrior Ranger. "Help me to vanquish this evil from time and space!"

Gathering the burning might, Red Warrior Ranger grabbed his sword with both hands. A ring of fire began to take form as it began to burn wildly as it transformed into ferocious streams. The fire rose up from the circle to transform into a giant ball above the Ranger's head. Pulling the sword out from the ground, Red Warrior Ranger consumed his sword with the fireball then unleashed its power with one swing.

The fire became a mighty phoenix that flew across the desert to attack the Dark Lord. As the bird of mythology gave out its deafening war cry, Luther prepared for the worst when the attack crashed against him.

In an act of desperation, Red Warrior Ranger called upon his full potential to battle the Devil. The power he unleashed caused him to drop to his knees as he waited for the results. Even Zodiark was anticipating what it was that the Ranger had done to the Dark Lord of Pride.

As the smoke cleared, it became quite obvious what happened. Half of the ground was destroyed, but a small piece remained. Luther stood perfectly balanced on this small segment with numerous cracks appearing all over his armor with plenty of scorch marks covering him from head to toe.

A long crack formed along the helm, threatening to break at any moment.

"Impressive," said Luther, "but not good enough.

The Dark Lord of Pride raised the sword up into the air, calling forth a bolt of lightning. With the primal power of nature obeying him, Luther released this attack and easily lashed out against Red Warrior Ranger and Zodiark in their weakened states until they both dropped down to the ground.

* * *

><p>It was impossible to win.<p>

The powers of the fully assembled Dark Lords were just too much for the Rangers and their temporary allies to bare. Evil at its most base form, that was what they were up against. The Dark Lords held too much power within them and now that Luther was one step closer to attaining full power, it just made the situation all the more frightening.

Proving their superiority once more, the Dark Lords gathered together in the wake of the inevitable defeat of their foes. The pathetic Rangers and their allies didn't stand a chance against them, not even close.

Luther was the first to display his power as his pair of black wings began to flap freely. He unleashed a bolt of light that was soon joined by streams of darkness released by the other Dark Lords. Their powers combined together to generate powerful bolts of lightning that truly proved to be more than enough to force submission.

Massive explosions were generated from every possible direction as the attack struck their enemies and the ground. Nothing was left untouched by the ferocious vengeance of the Dark Lords.

Everyone who stood against the Dark Lords didn't stand a chance due to the power that was unleashed. One by one, each of them began to fall to their feet as the Dark Lords rained hell down upon them. The Rangers, Thrax, and all of the warriors were the first to drop. Zodiark was the last, and most stubborn, to fall before the combined might of the Fallen Celestials.

Painful groans began to escape their lips as they struggled to even move an inch. After the initial beating they had taken, what the Dark Lords did to them this time around was simply cruel.

Sinister laughter filled the air as the Dark Lords stood before their defeated foes. Each one looked exceptionally cocky, while Luther remained surprisingly still and quite. The armor he wore was partly responsible for masking the emotions that swelled within the King of Pride.

"You never stood a chance against us," laughed Beelzebub. "We are unstoppable! We are the harbingers that will bring forth annihilation to the universe! We are the ones who will bring the Creator to His knees! God shall die and Creation shall be undone!"

The loudest of the Dark Lords, Beelzebub vocalized a very dark opinion. Even amongst their combined insanity, Beelzebub was off on another level. It was becoming a problem though as Gluttony represented a different side of the equation.

Yes, the Dark Lords' goal was to destroy the universe, but not to the extent that Beelzebub desired.

And in order to deal with this pest, Luther knew that it was time to put Beelzebub in his final resting place. A dark grinned formed underneath the helm as the two-winged Fallen began to approach Gluttony from behind.

"Beelzebub," said Luther, "you talk too much."

The Dark Lord of Pride shoved his fist through the chest of Beelzebub. His hand broke through tissue and bone, breaking through to the other side with the beating heart of the blue-skinned Celestial in his armored, gore-covered hand.

A startled gasp escaped Beelzebub's throat as Luther finished him off. Not even a second of mercy was given to him as Luther grabbed Beelzebub's skull, crushing it until the Dark Lord of Gluttony became no more. Gluttony vanished into trails of blackened light and feathers that were quickly forced into Luther's being.

Luther cleaned his armor before unleashing more of his power against his fellow Fallen.

Vicious, rusted chains broke through the desert ground that began to wrap themselves around Barbatos and Belphagor. The two of them were lifted up into the air, crying out as a spell of fear began to take over them.

"What are you doing, Luther!" Leviathan shouted at him. "What in the Creator's name are you doing?"

"Something I should've done ages ago," said Luther. "I'm annoyed by all of you." A sinister grin formed underneath the helm as Luther turned his head back towards Leviathan. "You have more then served your usefulness to me so I'm going to extinguish your lives, but not before taking what little left you have to offer."

Sharp thorns broke through the ground as well, startling everyone until they hit their target. The Dark Lord of Sloth and the Dark Lord of Greed were struck by the thorns until they ripped their unholy bodies apart. Both of them became consumed in smoke and flame with their trail of mana trickling down to Luther, which was responsible in another change.

Feeding off of their life essence gave Luther more power, strength that he needed to ascend. To prove this, his third wing was restored to him. A swell of cosmic energy rushed into his being as the wing broke through the armor like the other two before it.

Now, only three more Dark Lords needed to be dealt with. Luther grinned as he called forth the Sword of Mikhail, which Leviathan had willingly gave him. What a foolish thing to do, thought Pride.

Luther struck the ground with the blade, creating a trail of energy that began to wrap around the legs of Leviathan and Daemon. The two Old Ones growled in beastly rage, but soon found themselves ignored as Luther turned his sights on Lilith.

Betrayal is what Lilith felt as she gazed into the gray eyes underneath the helm. She didn't resist though as she simply stood still, closing her eyes, and embraced what fate had in store. Never was she meant to see how it would all end, it was something she had finally come to accept as Luther plunged the sword into the chest of the Dark Lord of Lust. Her existence ceased once more with her power being absorbed by Luther.

Daemon and Leviathan found themselves fighting to break through their bonds, but nothing they did could make a dent. The two of them soon found Luther standing between them with the sword in his armored hands. Neither one found themselves able to speak as they stared at a real death right before them.

Luther swung the sword in a simple arc, lashing out against them both. His actions caused blood to pour out from their throats in a rushing river. Unable to do a damn thing, the Dark Lord of Envy and the Dark Lord of Wraith were slayed in cold blood. Their beastly bodies crumbled apart into nothing as their power was devoured by their merciless king.

Taking in the last of the energy that he needed, Luther could only laugh as his final wing returned to him. Breaking through another section of the armor from his back, the fourth wing was just as magnificent as the three before it. With his full power restored to him, Luther no longer felt the need to cover himself in this disgusting form.

The armor shattered apart like the Dark Lords that had been slayed by Luther. Their energies used by the King of Pride to give him a power that was beyond what he had even in Paradise. It was a power that rivaled even the higher segments of the Holy Realm.

Freed from all confinement now, Luther embraced his trueself as he turned to face his enemies.

Standing in all of his magnificence, the Dark Lord of Pride didn't budge a single inch. His skin was covered in layers of black leather that hugged every inch of his Celestial body perfectly. The leather crinkled from the toned muscles underneath as his beauty radiated in an unearthly fashion. Creamy, pale skin could be seen from the half-zipped shirt, the completely torn right sleeve, and the simple fact that he no longer wore a helmet. His black hair waved in a light breeze with brown streaks flashing in the process as he blinked his stunning gray eyes.

Beautiful just as all the lore warned them of, the Prince of Darkness had a truly risen.

* * *

><p>With Luther attaining full power, there became no doubt that Project Revival would become absolutely necessary. The dangers that Luther posed to the Earth was too severe to go on. If this vital planet should fall to the Dark Lord then the universe would be conquered before slipping into complete oblivion.<p>

Earth was the first and final front.

Gathering speed, the signal for Project Revival extended out of Angel Grove and quickly began to spread throughout the entire planet. All of the former Rangers who resided on the planet heard the call that they had longed and dreaded to hear. They were all itching to return to action, fighting against the forces of evil, but it was something that also terrified them as they realized what was at stake.

Halfway across the globe, two Rangers heard the call. Zackary Taylor heard the call in Washington D.C. as he left his senatorial office with his old Communicator beginning to go off. Over in South Africa, Aisha Campbell also heard the familiar ring as her old Communicator became active once more. Even though the Zeo Crystal rewrote history, her memories and traces of her old powers still retained. Both of them made their back to their old homes.

Closer to Angel Grove, Katherine Hilliard and Tanya Sloan heard the message as well as they finished unpacking their groceries. Both women turned to look at each other before simply nodding their heads. Rocky De Santos also heard the call as he finished closing up his martial arts studio. The ring of his Communicator brought back a spirit that he thought he had lost when he injured himself.

Leaving work, Justin Stewart has grown into a fine young man. He worked as an intern for NASA, helping in organizing future space launches just like he had always dreamed he would. As he left work for the day, Justin went up to the Storm Blaster, his loyal jeep, when it opened the glove compartment to reveal his old Turbo Morpher. The radio began to play a message, which caused the young man to respond.

In Mariner Bay, Carter Grayson had just received the call as he left his work as a firefighter. He retrieved the case that held the team's old Morphers and wasn't too surprised to find each of them waiting for him. Chad Lee, Joel Rawlings, Kelsey Winslow, Dana Mitchell, and Ryan Mitchell showed up at his front door, ready to get back into action.

In Silver Hills, Wesley Collins and Eric Myers were setting up the communication link to the future. Time Force had said that they would assist in the event that the Dark Lords did awaken so they were holding up to the promise. Luckily, they got through to the year 3012 and where greeted by Jen Scotts, Lucas Kendall, Katie Walker, and Trip. They were all ready to go back in time once more to help save the world.

Unknown to them, the transmission didn't stop at the year 3012. S.P.D. was also informed of the dangers in the year 2030. Jack Landors, Schuyler Tate, Bridge Carson, Elizabeth Delgado, Sydney Drew, Scott, Doggie Cruger, and Kat Manx knew that they needed to provide their assistance.

On the Animarium, the Wild Zords informed Princess Shayla and Merrick Baliton heard the dangers that the world faced. Merrick immediately called Cole Evans, Taylor Earhardt, Max Cooper, Danny Delgado, and Alyssa Enrilé so that they knew that it was time.

At the Wind Ninja Academy, Cameron Watanabe heard the call. The genius behind the team quickly found Shane Clarke, Dustin Brooks, and Tori Hanson to inform them of the situation before calling Hunter and Blake Bradley.

At a Kira Ford concert, the young musician had just barely finished her latest show when she was assaulted by her friends. Kira only had to look at Connor McKnight, Ethan James, and Trent Fernandez to know that it was time.

The last of the Morticons were dealt with, freeing the magical realm from troubles. Nick Russell turned to his parents, Leanbow and Udonna, who sensed the trouble. Daggeron was nearby and quickly sent a spell to warn Charlie Thorn, Xander Bly, Madison Rocca, and Vida Rocca.

Mack Hartford, the young android, was more than thrilled as he got the call. He quickly sent word to Will Aston, Dax Lo, Ronny Robinson, Rose Ortiz, and Tyzonn that they were needed in another operation.

Casey, Lily, and Theo sensed the trouble. R.J and Dominic were ready to go with Jarrod and Camille by their side. They left the academy once more, this time as a complete team, to fight in the greatest war yet.

At Corinth, Dr. K notified the Operators of the situation. It only took ten minutes for Scott, Flynn, Summer, Ziggy, Dillon, Gem, and Gemma to leave the city to return to Angel Grove once more.

At the Shiba House, Jayden heard of the trouble. Antonio was already beside him, ready to go so they both quickly notified Mia, Kevin, Emily, and Mike of what was happening. Before they could leave though, Kaoru stopped them from leaving as she held up her Samuraizer. She wasn't about to be left out of the fight this time.

With the Rangers of the Earth notified, the signal spread throughout the galaxy to notify other Rangers.

The first to hear the message were the Aquitians. Billy Cranston heard the transmission and knew that he needed to go back to save his homeworld. He wouldn't be alone though as Aurico, Delphine, Cestro, Tideus, and Corcus joined him.

On Triforia, Trey heard of the news and knew that he needed to leave. He retrieved his powers from the sacred temple before making his long journey to Earth.

Excavating the ruins of Eltar, Phantom Ranger and Blue Senturion would also be informed o the troubles. The both of them abandoned their original task as they quickly made their way to Earth.

KO-35 was aflame as news of the Dark Lords spread. Zhane and Karone, the king and queen, immediately left the planet on their shuttle. They were joined by Andros, Carlos Vallerte, T.J. Johnson, Ashley Hammon, and Cassie Chan who refused to be left out.

And on Mirinoi, the Quasar Sabers were retrieved once more by their chosen warriors. Leo Corbett, Damon Henderson, Kai Chen, Maya, and Kendrix Morgan embraced their destiny and responsibility to the galaxy once more as Mike Corbett joined them in the battle.

And elsewhere, the news continue to spread until all Power Rangers heard the news. They left their homeworlds to make the trip to Earth in order to fulfill their duties.

No matter what the odds were, the Power Rangers would defend the universe from evil.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

On the next chapter, the Power Rangers from across the galaxy make their way to Angel Grove for the Apocalyptic battle. Luther's true intentions are revealed as he plans to open up a portal the Underworld and free his army of Daimons. The Rangers and their knew allies will have to do everything in their power to stop Luther from unleashing the Underworld upon the Earth. Find out if the Rangers can stop Luther in** Dark Gate pt. 1!**


	36. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: BLAH! I'm exhausted. I hope you guys like this chapter because I'm gonna go berserk with the last couple of chapters. Read and review!  
><strong>

**Dark Gate Pt. 1:**

With the sinful powers of his fellow Fallen trapped within him, Luther had quickly become the strongest being in the entire galaxy. His power easily began to spread throughout the four corners until his evil, prideful spirit could be felt everywhere. But sensing the power of the Dark Lord King of Pride was one thing, standing before his very being was on a completely different wavelength.

Nothing compared to that.

The warriors that had gathered in the desert to challenge the Dark Lords had learned that lesson the hard way. They had lost miserably against the Seven Dark Lords, but witnessing Luther killing his associates before devouring them was horrible. It was unthinkable. It was pure evil. And that's how Luther liked it; he enjoyed intimidating his enemies into a submission just by a single display of his sheer power.

Luther was a beast of Pride. He bragged whenever he had the chance about the power he wielded as a Divine Celestial back when he still had his heavenly Grace, his soul. That was gone though, but it would be his soon enough once he tore down the doors to Paradise by conquering the entire mortal universe.

Not budging a single inch, Luther had his eyes on his enemies. The Power Rangers and their allies had proven to be an annoying bunch. They didn't have any real power to throw at him so that wasn't the Dark Lord's concern. He just did not like the insignificant cockroaches, they needed to be squashed before they became too much of a nuisance.

And one of the cockroaches was about to step up.

Thrax forced himself back onto his feet as he glared angrily at the Dark Lord. At Pride's feet were the chunks that remained of Dark Knight's armor, erasing what was left of the loyal knight that had once sworn loyalty to him. It was an insult to the mutant that Dark Knight had been so disregarded by the Fallen Celestial. The mutant refused to allow Luther to continue this grave insult as he gripped onto his Z-Staff with both hands.

"Die, Luther, die!" shouted Thrax. Gathering every bit of strength that he could muster up, Thrax unleashed a tide of dark magick. The magical energy coursed through the air until it crashed directly against the Dark Lord's chest.

The ground erupted in smoke and flame as Luther's side became obscured. Thrax, the Rangers, and the villainous allies couldn't see a damn thing for the longest time.

When the smoke finally cleared though, it became evident that Thrax's attack did virtually nothing, physically, to the Dark Lord. Not a single scratch could be seen anywhere on his being. A grin began to spread on Luther's stunning face as he slowly began to tilt his head to the side as a chain could be seen dangling from his heart.

"Nice trick," laughed Luther. "It's my turn now though."

The Dark Lord cracked the scarred earth with the chain before casting it up into the air. He waved the chain like a whip as he snapped it yet again but this time he let it go off until it wrapped around Thrax's entire body. Once the mutant was completely bound by the chain, Luther used his Celestial magic to throw Thrax over three miles away from the battlefield without so much as batting an eyelash.

In a fearful display of his might, Luther had his enemies shaking in their boots once more. He didn't care so much this time though as he held up the sword wielded by his brother, and charged after them to finish all of them.

Kratein and Helios immediately sprang up to their feet to face Luther. They dragged their swords against the ground, yelling ferociously until they were within range. Now that they were close enough, the Prince and his Guardian used their swords against the Dark Lord only to have him vanish from sight.

A second later, Luther reappeared behind the two of them and struck them down. His blade dug into their backs, sending them both flying into the air before landing further away from where they once stood.

Bakari growled with frustration as he retrieved one of his swords. There was no time to calculate a brilliant strategy as he simply took charge for once. Blind instincts took him over as he thrusted his sword forward, attempting to stab the Fallen Celestial in the chest. However, his attack proved to be just as ineffective as the others.

Luther twisted his body out of the way and snatched onto Bakari's wrist. Only the slightest amount of pressure was necessary to break his sword-wielding arm. With Bakari forced to disarm himself, Luther grabbed the general by his throat and flew him into the air before launching him down to the ground.

Lightning showed up just when Luther least expected it. She had shown up to defend Bakari by striking the Dark Lord King from above. Her Gunblade was so close to cutting his head off, but Luther was quicker and was able to catch her weapon with his sword.

The grin on Luther's face grew as he pushed Lightning back towards the ground. He encased his arm with dark energy before hurling a blast of energy after her. The attack tore through the ground with Lightning attempting to run out of the way but she wasn't fast enough. His attack crashed into her, knocking the armored woman down to the ground.

Umbra was light on his feet as he moved with his acrobatic grace. He fired a bolt of black fire from the palm of his hand which struck one of the magnificent wings of the Fallen Celestial. The burn lasted only for a moment before Luther locked eyes with the lunatic.

Boiling mad, Luther healed his wing just as Umbra came back to strike. This time though, Luther was ready as he easily caught the Void Gear with his hand. He nearly snapped Umbra's arm out of its socket before flying down to the ground with Umbra being beneath him. Upon landing, it was Umbra who got the full blunt of the crash, while Luther flew back into the air for a moment before landing.

It was Zodiark who came next as he broke away from the Rangers.

After witnessing his team being so shamefully defeated, Zodiark could no bare any further insult. The Dark Prince summoned his sword as he waited for the Prince of Darkness to pay him attention. That came after a moment as Luther turned away from the beaten warriors to stare at their leader without much thought.

"I will show you real power!" growled Zodiark.

"You have nothing to show me," Luther said, bluntly. "I see through you, vessel."

Zodiark roared with all of his might as he charged after the Dark Lord King. He carried his sword and swung after Pride, unleashing every bit of strength that he had in his body. The attack ripped through the air and would have easily slayed a lesser man, but not a Dark Lord, not Luther.

Humanly pride crushed, Zodiark was forced to watch his attack being blocked. Luther had neutralized the attack by wielding the mighty sword. The Dark Lord of Pride huffed at Zodiark's lame attempt at an attack before pushing the man aside with a blast of psychic force. Once the Dark Prince was off his feet, Luther slashed the air twice with the sword to unleash a powerful blast of energy that chased after Zodiark to further lay harm against him.

Zodiark was easily brushed aside by a power far greater than he.

With even the Dark Prince down for the count, the Rangers knew that they didn't stand a chance.

It didn't mean they weren't going to try.

Gathering their strength and courage, the Rangers leaped back into the battle. They spread out to circle the Dark Lord who only stood there and watched them. Luther was curious to see what the Rangers could do, which he was about to get a taste of soon enough.

With what little power they had left from their Job Class Forms, the Rangers prepared to use their ultimate power. It would be their only chance at hurting the Dark Lord of Pride so they were all counting on this final attack.

"You're toast, Luther!" shouted Red Warrior Ranger.

"Angel Force," shouted the Angel Force Rangers, "Mega Flare!"

Hurling a blast of energy that represented each of their elements and colors, the Rangers used their ultimate attack without mercy against the Dark Lord. The blast escaped from the palms of their hands and united upon coming into contact with Luther, creating another massive eruption.

The attack exploded, generating a massive wave of heat.

Luther remained standing there as he patted down a small flame that tried to grow on his left shoulder. A yawn escaped from his mouth with a bit of fire being breathed out in the process. "I'm sorry, but was that the best you had to offer me?" asked the Dark Lord of Pride. "Really Rangers, I'm honestly disappointed. You're supposed to wield the powers of Celestials, but you can't do better than that. Allow me to show you how a real Celestial attacks!"

Luther raised his arm up into the air then snapped his fingers. This simple action generated a massive shockwave that knocked into the Rangers without even the slightest bit of mercy.

It felt like the air had been kicked out from their lungs as the shockwave rippled. Each one of the eight Rangers collapsed to the ground with their powers abandoning them at that moment. They were forced into powering down, returning back to their civilian forms, while the Dark Lord of Pride flapped his four, mighty wings.

In the blink of the eye, Luther was gone from sight as he had grown bored with this fight. He took off, allowing his foes to wallow in misery and hopefully save him the trouble of killing them by killing themselves.

As the Dark Lord left, the Rangers were left there in defeat with their allies were in the same, pitiful state as them.

* * *

><p>With Luther gone, a retreat was necessary to regather their thoughts and forces. After that awful battle, just how they could defeat Luther had become the first question on everyone's mind.<p>

The Command Center began to feel very cramped as the Rangers returned with their new allies with them. It was an awkward situation to say the least. Considering that the villains had spent almost a year trying to kill the Rangers yet the Rangers had invited them to their base was a little odd.

But none of them could afford to make anymore enemies. Besides, it wasn't like they could afford to go to the Moon anyways. Luther had taken control of Castle Pandemonium, making that his base of operations for whatever it was that he was planning.

All the powers of the Dark Lords contained within his flesh, it became a wonder at just what Luther couldn't do. That sight had become painfully obvious for everybody as they remembered their poor performance in the fight against Luther. None of them could lay a hand on the Dark Lord no matter how hard that they tried. And even if they could hit him, none of their attacks were able to do a damn thing to him.

The heroes and the villains were all out of their league this time.

Still, the Rangers were determined to figure out a way to handle the Dark Lord. Their number one weapon right now was Project Revival, which they had no choice but to explain to the villains that they had brought home.

"Project Revival was designed as a last ditch effort to combat the Dark Lords," explained Landon. "The previous generations of Rangers, at that time, came together to come up with a solution. They decided it was necessary to gather all the Rangers together for one final battle, repowering every single generation that might have lost their powers in the fight against evil."

Zodiark tilted his head up a little, very interested in this project that the Rangers had been working so long to complete. It would take over a decade to accomplish what they had desired, which is exactly what they managed to do. "So since the fall of the United Alliance of Evil," said Zodiark, "this is what you've all been planning? Zordon notified you of the threat that the Dark Lords possessed and you immediately jumped?"

"Of course," said Kimberly. "We made a promise to protect the world from evil."

"With or without powers," said Jason, "we would've done just that. But to compete against the Dark Lords, we would need our powers to even stand a ghost of a chance."

"Wise," Zodiark said, turning back.

Thrax took Zodiark's place as he broke away from the band of villains. Staring at his mutant face gave Kimberly the creeps as it made her think back of his father, Lord Zedd. "Is there anything else about this project that we should know about?" said Thrax. "Anything at all that might be remotely useful?"

"I was born from this project," added Tommy. "Before Tommy Oliver succumbed to the toxins from the Morphing Grid, he worked on creating clones of himself. I am the first successful clone, made specifically to help in this battle."

A slight cough hit the air as Adam began to step forward. His arms were crossed over his chest with his eyes on the villains, not the boy that he raised even though this latest secret would affect him the most. "But he isn't alone," Adam said, hitting him with another revelation. "I was able to create a few more clones of Tommy Oliver, although, none are like our current Tommy." With his name spoken, Tommy turned to his father and wasn't even remotely surprised by this latest secret. None of the Rangers were as they joined the face-down. "They are more robots then human."

Alpha 8 mumbled something softly before pushing down on a key. A doorway across from the Rangers and the villains began to open up with four sets of footsteps being heard.

They all looked back to see four Power Rangers that represented the various generations that Tommy Oliver had been a part of. The Green Mighty Morphin' Ranger, Zeo Ranger V Red, Red Turbo Ranger, and Black Dino Thunder Ranger. Fully dressed in their uniforms with the powers of the Morphing Grid energizing them, the four Rangers stood in a perfectly straight line, ready for combat.

Once more, Adam came forward to explain himself. "These clones didn't carry all of the characteristics of Tommy Oliver," said the older Ranger. "They did carry his battle instincts though, which is how I was able to repower them with Tommy's old powers. I wasn't able to recreate the White Mighty Morphin' Ranger power, however, due to the White Tiger Power Coin and the Falcon Power Coin being beyond repair."

"And how many Rangers can we expect to help us?" asked Lightning.

"All of them," Adam said, grinning from ear to ear. "All of the Rangers of Earth and throughout the city are coming to Angel Grove even as we speak. The next time that Luther attacks…we'll be ready for him."

"So you're gonna fight the Devil with an army of Power Rangers," laughed Umbra. "This will certainly be interesting."

The discussion ended and everyone began to split apart. The Rangers kept a close eye on the villains, especially Clare who was constantly shooting glares over at Zodiark. Her constant stares were a concern to Dylan as he turned to Ric, wondering if there was something that he might be able to say to pull his mentor back.

Connor made sure to keep his distance from Zodiark as he went over to Eric's side. He'd much rather keep an eye on Thrax or anyone else, even Umbra. That was something that they managed to reach a silent agreement on as they went away from the others. Kratein and Helios kept their eyes on those two as they lounged near each other, silent but ever watchful.

The four, empty clones of Tommy Oliver returned to their resting place to prepare for the final battle. Looking at them brought chills to Tommy's body as he kept close to Haley, who constantly assured him that he would be fine.

Alpha 8 could only shake his head at all of this as he returned to the computers, where he belonged. "Ay yi yi," said the robot, "what would Zordon do? What would he think if he saw all of this? Ay yi yi."

* * *

><p>Sitting on his new throne, Luther had his eyes closed as he felt his body recovering. It wasn't the battle that was reason for concern; it had been centuries since Luther had his full powers in his possession. Being trapped in the cage had stripped him of so much as well as deprived him of the basest desires that a being with a soul could possibly crave.<p>

Companionship…

The Dark Lord King was blinded by brief thoughts of the home he had up in Paradise. The rebellion had led against the Creator had seemed so long ago now, which it had been. He could still remember the scorn though on his Father's face and the anger of the Four Sons. So much hate had been directed to him at a rebellion he caused to benefit all of them.

Humanity was beyond salvation. They were a flawed species that had no chance of being worthy of the Creator's compassion. And here was the Creator making the Celestials subservient to the mortals when they had proven themselves time and time again to be remarkably inferior.

It was the Celestials that did everything for the Creator. Their Father had betrayed them He forced them to submit before the humans. Luther's response was to speak out and when his voice was silenced, he led a rebellion that had gone down on the pages of history.

But he was only the first to rebel. Another rebellion would start up only a century after his, which is how Luther got locked away in the cage in the first place.

The Dark Lord of Pride cursed the day he allowed himself to be used by the First.

"You really shouldn't think bad thoughts of Big Brother, he is always watching."

Tightening his grip on the armrest, Luther slowly turned his head off to the side to stare at the newcomer. The Dark Lord had been well aware that his elder brother had been free from his centuries of confinement for his own sins against the Creator. Luther hadn't sensed the Second's presence due to him suppressing that almighty power. But there was no need in hiding any longer as the two had a brief reunion.

Dancing from the shadows, the stunning Yahweh came forth to greet Luther. The Second Son of the Creator looked about as relaxed as ever as he wore a suit that had white and black stripes running all along it. The coat was unbuttoned to reveal the lack of a shirt, which he always seemed to despise wearing, and a skinny black tie underneath it all.

Strapped to the hip of the Second was a Celestial Blade, the only weapon in Creation that could slay a Celestial.

"What are you doing here, Yahweh?" asked Luther.

"I just came to visit one of my favorite little brothers, Lucy," laughed Yahweh.

The Celestial took his hand off from his sword as he went over to the throne where the Dark Lord sat. Yahweh touched the head of the chair as he leaned over it, briefly grazing his cold fingertips against the black feathers.

Luther controlled his temper as he felt Daemon's sin bubbling up within him. He suppressed the feelings of Wrath as he humbly began to smile at his elder. "It is nice to see you too, Yahweh," said the Dark Lord King. "How was Purgatory?"

"How was Hell?" countered Yahweh, smirking at Luther. The blond stepped aside from the chair, putting a bit of distance between him and Luther. The two kept eye contact though as Yahweh began to lean against one of the walls. "Let's not talk about the prisons that the Creator had us locked away. Neither one was pleasant. You were trapped in solitary confinement and I was stuck with all of the monsters."

"Fair enough," Luther said, nodding his head. "Since we're not going to talk about being locked in the huscow then we have to talk about something. Why are you here, Yahweh? Are you going to stop me from opening the Dark Gate?"

Yahweh shook his head as he held onto the hilt of his sword. The sheath leaving its side for a brief second as Yahweh lifted only a small portion of the blade out, making Luther's chest tighten up for a second. "I could easily destroy you, Luther," said Yahweh, "but no. I'm under strict orders not to interfere. Your little Apocalypse can continue without Celestial Intervention. And don't even bother worrying about Father since He is…well, for lack of a better term, He's not around."

"And what of Orphan then?" asked Luther. "What is he planning?"

"Fuck, how should I know?" Yahweh said, stepping away from the wall. He began to lift his arms up into the air as he stretched, popping his back. Turning his head out to the view off the balcony, Yahweh had no idea where to go with that one. "You know better than to ask me what Orphan's planning. Only the Creator knows what that one is up to. Adam, Samael, and I were never in the loop, Orphan kept so many secrets from all of us. The future King of Paradise will only give out information when he so desires to."

"Well then, I don't have to worry about Orphan intervening then," said Luther, "that's all that matters. Is there anything else you need to tell me, Yahweh? Anything at all that might be useful?"

There was so much that Yahweh could say, but some things he was sworn to secrecy with. And the rest of it, well, Yahweh just loved to play around with his younger siblings. It was one of the biggest thrills that he had. It was all that he had left since his beloved prince had been taken away from him.

"Nothing comes to mind, Lucy," said Yahweh, "have fun."

The thunderous flap of wings shook the castle, but Luther didn't even flinch. He simply closed his eyes as Yahweh vanished from the castle and the Moon.

All that remained was a single, white feather that drifted in the air until it landed on Luther's lap.

* * *

><p>Support was the one thing that they needed most if they were to survive this coming Hell.<p>

Haley could see the spreading signal that was Project Revival from the Viewing Monitor. It was a chilling sight to see that the signal had already spread throughout the galaxy, reaching the Rangers from not only their planet but on other worlds. Granted, the reinforcements wouldn't be a bad thing, but she wasn't sure what was the most appropriate way to take all of this.

After all, so much was kept hidden from them for so long. It was a miracle that the Angel Force Rangers were still able to function after all of the secrets that had assaulted them for so long.

And seeing Adam's other clones of Tommy Oliver was a little freaky. Even though she was dating a clone, she never really saw her Tommy as a clone. He was so much more than that, and that was something she always had to remind him of.

But the whole issue with clones and the Star Wars reference was brushed aside to focus on their primary agenda. Haley took a seat on a nearby chair when she noticed Umbra just sitting against a wall with his eyes closed. It looked as if he were sleeping, but she didn't want to make that assumption since this was a known lunatic that she was thinking about. She wouldn't put it past Umbra that the nut case was working on stabbing them all in the back, literally.

That was probably what made things so weird. The very fact that the Rangers were forced to work with their sworn enemies in order to combat against the Devil made things very interesting. If you told a Haley from a year in the past that this is where her life would've led her, she would've laughed at you in front of your face.

Yet here she was, sitting in the Command Center and preparing for the biggest battle that the universe has ever known.

While Haley seemingly lost herself in thought, Tommy snuck up from behind her. He pulled up a chair and took a seat with her, resting his youthful head on her shoulder until he had claimed her attention.

"Penny for your thoughts?" said Tommy.

A light smile formed on Haley's face as she spun her chair around once she had pushed Tommy's heavy head off her. She pulled her chair closer to him with her arms soon wrapping around his broad shoulders. "This all just feels so unreal," said Haley. "Never in a million years could I have imagined that we'd end up here. I just have no idea at all how we're going to whether through this storm."

"Well that's an easy one," said Tommy. "We do what we do best and that's having faith. It's what we've always done since the beginning. Whenever the chips seem down, we just pull all of our faith together and manage to pull through the battle."

"Yeah, but I don't think faith alone will be enough this time around," said Haley. "This is Lucifer that we're talking about. Luther is the very Devil that we've all been living in fear of since the beginning of Christianity. I was raised a Protestant so I'm very afraid of just where things might lead us."

"All of us are afraid, Haley," Kimberly said, approaching her daughter. At her side was her husband who kept quiet for the moment. Haley's mother took a step forward as she joined her daughter and her boyfriend. "We're up against something that none of us thought really existed. We're in caught in a war that we never could've imagined. But we can't afford to lose faith, Haley. Faith is the one thing that evil cannot take from us or destroy."

Jason nodded his head as he joined his wife and child. He ignored Tommy for the time being as he took the hand of his little girl. "It's okay to be afraid, Haley," said Jason. "Like your mother said, we're all scared, I'm scared. But I won't let fear control me. I'll use my fear to tread carefully, but it won't overwhelm me. When your mother and I join you in the battlefield with all of the other Rangers, we will stand strong and we will be united with one goal."

"Being a Power Ranger is a sacred duty," Adam said, joining the fun. He stepped away from monitoring the level of evil energy in the city thus tracking Luther's actions. The city was too quite right now, which was reason to unwind even for just a moment. "The moment that we accept the connection to the Morphing Grid, we become of a force greater than anything that can be possibly imagined. When you become a Power Ranger, you're not a person anymore. You are the living embodiment of all that is good in the universe; you become a champion for truth and justice. You are the last line of defense that protects the universe from tipping into the deepest depths of chaos and annihilation."

"So stay strong, my darling," Kimberly said to her daughter. "We are at our best when we conquer our fears."

Haley grinned a little as she knew how true that statement was. You could always count on dear old mom and dad to put things back in perspective for you.

But even then, Haley was a little worried. It was like they said though, it was okay to be afraid but don't allow fear to control you. Haley clenched onto her shirt as she felt the heavy beating of her heart.

Fear was trying to swallow her whole, but she refused to allow it.

Tommy took hold of her hand, placing his palm over her heart as well. When Haley saw this, she could see the hopeful grin on his face. He was a believer; he believed in their powers and knew that they could come out of this battle victorious.

If Tommy believed in then Haley knew she could too.

Seeing all of this disgusted Umbra as he rolled his eyes at all of them. He smacked his head back against the wall as he tried to erase their sickening compassion for one another from his mind.

"How we've yet to be able to kill these idiots is beyond me," uttered Umbra.

Closing his eyes once more, Umbra found himself lost in thought. There was a soft humming that came from the back of his head, urging him to do something. He tried to listen to the full commands, but the connection was too staticy at the moment. It would require something major to allow that voice to clear up enough for him to hear it.

Fortunately, something tragic was just on the horizon.

* * *

><p>The tips of Lightning's fingers grazed across the keyboard as she walked in front of the Command Center's central computer. Her eyes never left the mechanical marvel with her mind running at a million miles per hour at thoughts of how useful all of this technology would've been at the castle. If they hadn't been so reliant upon Thrax's magick then maybe things could've turned out a lot different for all of them.<p>

But those thoughts were quickly snuffed out as Lightning realized she had eyes keeping a close watch on her. She wasn't too surprised to see Landon and Alice practically hovering over her shoulder. However, Bakari's close presence was less than expected as she turned her armored form away and focused on the Rangers.

"Don't worry," said Lightning, "I'm not busy plotting anything against you. I've long since gotten over my issues with you, Rangers. I understand that it is rather senseless in blaming you for the death of my parents. If there's anyone to blame it is Dark Specter or even evil itself."

Alice tilted her head a bit to the side as she tried to figure that one out. It was a little odd to hear, which is what caused a great deal of curiosity to bubble up. "What do you mean that you blame evil?" asked Alice. "You are evil, Lightning. I don't see how that works out."

"Evil is too broad of a statement," corrected Lightning, "so is being good. They're simply words that we've attached a definition to. If you want a better way at identifying someone then you should look at Harmony and Chaos. The universe functions at its best when Harmony and Chaos are at a balance. However, whenever Chaos begins to spread, it leads to conflict throughout the universe that will eventually consume all life."

"So you're not evil then?" asked Landon. "I think that's what I'm getting out of this."

Bakari huffed as he started to step closer to Lightning. With his armor damaged from what Luther did, Bakari hardly looked his best as he joined the side of the lovely warrior. "What she is trying to say is that there is more to all of us than meets the eye," said the general. "You shouldn't worry so much about labels, Rangers. What you should be more concerned with is how we're going to defeat Luther before he fucks up the balance between Harmony and Chaos to the point of no return."

There was a general consensus with that as the four of them began to work on a strategy. The rest of the Command Center was pretty scattered brained as everyone else was busy with something else.

Landon crossed away from the pair of villains as he looked over at the Viewing Monitor. There wasn't anything that was a cause for urgent attention so that meant that they had time to think and discuss a solution to their problems.

Something he wanted to know though was about the warrior woman. Lightning's new look had yet to be fully explained, which is something that he was curious to find more about.

"How did you get that upgrade, Lightning?" asked Landon. "It certainly is different, plus the new powers you got are fairly badass and I'm sure they would've been a lot more useful if we weren't fighting up against Luther."

"They helped me fight of both Daemon and Leviathan," Lightning said, leaning against the computers. She crossed her armored gauntlets over her chest as she looked the Rangers' leader in the eyes. "I don't know how to explain how I got my new powers. During the fight, I was losing badly against the Dark Lords. I knew that I couldn't protect Dark Knight from them, which is when something awakened from within me." Holding up one of her hands, a small flicker of light began to gather as it sparkled before all of them. "This new power is so foreign to me, but it spoke to me at the moment and told me not to surrender. When I embraced it, I felt…I felt like I was on the path to becoming my true self. It is a feeling unlike any comparison."

"So this power was deep down inside of you?" asked Landon.

"Yes and no," said Lightning. "It felt like it came from somewhere else in the universe, but it belonged to me. But it also felt like it was my soul that was speaking to me. I don't know how else to describe it without sounding like an idiot."

"There is a great deal about the universe that we do not know about," said Bakari. "The only ones who hold the answers to those questions are the Celestials and the Creator."

Just as the three of them were wrapping up their thoughts, Alice snapped her fingers together as an epiphany hit her. She started to grin ear to ear as she leaped in front of their small party, turning to face each one.

They all looked at it her like she suddenly became insane, including Landon.

Realizing she needed to get somewhere with this, Alice turned to Lightning and began to touch the divine armor. "You said that this power doesn't belong to you and acquiring it made you an equal against Daemon and Leviathan," said Alice. "Well, that gave me an idea. We all know that Luther became super invincible since he swallowed the powers of the other Dark Lords."

"A bit of an understatement," corrected Landon, "but keep on going."

"Well, what if we can strip Luther of his powers?" said Alice. "We don't even half to strip them from him, we just need to bind the powers of the other Dark Lords long enough to hit him with everything we got. If we can overpower him while he's in a vulnerable state then maybe we can defeat him."

Bakari picked his head up at that moment, putting together exactly what it was that Alice was proposing. This caused a similar grin to form on his face as he began to see it with his own two eyes. "I know I'm damning myself by saying this, but that could work," said Bakari. "Like you said, we don't have to strip Luther of his powers; we just need to suppress them for a few moments. If we pool all our resources together then that might be possible to accomplish."

"Do you really believe that it's possible to bind a Celestial's powers?" asked Landon. "This is a pretty big risk we'll be taking. I doubt Luther will just stand around and let us bind his powers."

"I agree," said Lightning. "Binding his powers might be just as difficult as stripping them."

"This is a pretty important battle," said Alice. "We're going to have to take a lot of chances that we would normally never in a million years make. Doing nothing is just as bad as making the wrong choice at this point."

Once more, Alice's brilliance shinned through as she illuminated a very important truth. In order to battle Luther there were sacrifices that would have to be made. Creating clones of Tommy Oliver was a breach in ethics, but it was done anyways for the greater good. So now finding a way to hinder Luther's powers would have to be the next logical path to take as they faced an enemy of unbelievable power.

Just how they would accomplish though was the tricky part.

* * *

><p>Pulling away from the growing crowd of people, Zodiark started to roam further away as he entered a separate wing of the Command Center. He kept his distance as he arrived to what appeared to be the power chamber that contained the power supply of the entire base. He looked at the system, taking great notice to the supply of power that kept the Command Center running daily.<p>

The technology was advanced, well beyond the means of the people of Earth. All of this technology was foreign, no doubt from the Eltar Kingdom that had been constructed by Zordon long before the fall of his Kingdom and his death.

Looking at some of the inner systems, there was something about it that appeared a little familiar. It almost felt as if were possible for Zodiark to trace this back to Edeonian origins, which would be outstanding if he could. There was still so little about the ancient empire that he knew about. Everything he knew was too fragmented, scattered, to be of any use to him rebuilding his destiny in this life.

But before Zodiark even had the chance to pursue all of these thoughts, a spark of magick trickled in the air. It was like a small thundershock that meant no injury, but it was meant to claim his attention. The Dark Prince couldn't help but to find himself a little amused as he looked back to see that it was Clare who stood inside the power chamber with him.

"Is there something I can do for you, Sorceress?" said Zodiark. "What is troubling you?"

No longer one to pull punches, Clare came right out to say what was on her mind. "The fact that you are here for starters," Clare said, boldly. "I don't like you, Zodiark. I don't trust you. A manipulative, violent, short-tempered man such as yourself doesn't belong here."

Clare kept the chamber door closed behind her as she started to walk circles around Zodiark, while the Dark Prince kept all focus on her every movement. She shot grave looks from eyes as she kept her distance from him, but was ready to arm herself with magick if it came down to it.

Zodiark couldn't help but to laugh at the formerly, clumsy woman. He looked at her and was able to see who she had been long before. Those days were she was apprentice to Sorceress Udonna were well behind her though now that Clare had grown and matured. Clare carried a well of magical energy within her, a gift granted to her by the Mystic Mother, formally known as Rita Repulsa.

How amusing it was to know that Thrax's mother was now the Empress of Good Magick.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Zodiark said, not giving the slightest damn. But he kept his voice pleasant like that of a true diplomat. He didn't wish to offend anyone in this vulnerable state that he was in thanks to the fight against Luther. "But I don't see how any of this seems to affect you, Sorceress. The Rangers and I have formed a necessary alliance in order to deal with the Dark Lord King."

"But you were the one who was responsible for his return," corrected Clare. "You allowed Luther to obtain a vessel, you assisted the Dark Lords in their schemes, you supplied them with weapons to use against the Rangers, and you've done so many despicable things that I can't even bring myself to say them. How can we trust a man as cruel and two-sided as you? What is to stop you from turning against us right now and siding with Luther in the Apocalypse? All you seem to care about is aligning yourself with those who have the most power."

"And you bring up a very valid point," said Zodiark. "That is how I operate. I follow where the power leads me. I've carefully spent a great deal of my life studying the Universal Morphing Grid and the Dark Nexus. I have learned much about the Grids in my lifetime and I understand that power means everything in this universe. Whichever side has the most power will decide the fate of the universe in the Apocalypse."

The Dark Prince broke away from that train of thought as he stepped forward to close the divide between him and Clare. He had the Sorceress feeling tense as he looked her straight in the eyes, while she stood on the verge of unleashing her own power. "So riddle me this, Sorceress," said Zodiark, "if I really wanted to be on Luther's side then why would I be here in the Command Center right now, assisting the Rangers in fighting him? Do you think that it might be remotely possible that I have some faith in the Power Rangers in coming out victorious in the coming battles?"

"I think that you're setting us all up for a huge trap," countered Clare, "and I can't allow that." The Sorceress pushed forward with a ball of fire growing in her hand. Her sudden display of magick came as a bit of a surprise to Zodiark, but it wasn't unpleasant. "Zodiark, I challenge you to a Sorcerers' Duel. Prove the strength of your convictions in a challenge against me. Show me that you really care about what it is that the Rangers stand for, what you once stood for."

Her final words where emphasized in order to speak out to a part of Zodiark that had been dead for decades.

The Dark Prince couldn't even feel the honor he once had as a Power Ranger. He simply brushed those words aside as he faced the young Sorceress once more. "I accept," Zodiark said, taking hold of Clare's hand. A swell of darkness enveloped them both as Zodiark transported the pair out of the Command Center to their battleground.

With the two of them gone, the Command Center suddenly became a lot quieter. And it would be a while before anyone even realized what was about to take place.

But for one young mage, that revelation was going to hit him right then and there.

Dylan had spent his time sitting on a couch with his eyes on the door that he saw Zodiark and Clare disappear inside. He had been anxiously awaiting the return of his mentor only to feel nothing, not even the sound of an argument, which began to worry him.

Those thoughts were initially pushed aside though when Dylan saw Ric coming towards him. The handsome Latino was carrying two glasses of water, one for each of them. Dylan had graciously accepted the glass and allowed the water to enter his throat to sooth some of his thoughts.

Ric felt a similar sensation as the cold water hit the back of his throat. It helped to alleviate some of his tension, well, that and the drugs that he just took helped out quite it a bit.

Finishing nearly the entire glass, Dylan stared into the empty cup as he clasped onto it with both of his hands. He felt something nagging at him in the back of his head as he looked over to where Ric was sitting. "Are you afraid of what's coming, Ric?" asked Dylan. "Do you have any idea at all of what could possibly happen? Does it worry you even a little?"

"Let's just say I'm scared shitless of the future, Harry Potter," Ric said before finishing up the water. He gave out a soft sigh as he threw the cup down on the sofa as he threw his head back against the top of the sofa. "I've seen evil and he ain't pretty. If you had seen, felt what Luther could do then you could see why I'm so afraid of this fight. But I know better, I will stand and fight no matter what the odds might be."

"But what if you see nothing in the future," Dylan said, softly. "Every vision I have is the same…I can see only white. It is an empty universe that has swallowed itself, all life coming to an end."

"So you can see the future then?" said Ric. "You can see things that have yet to come?"

Dylan nodded his head a little as he looked back at the empty glass. The fourteen year old mage didn't feel like going into the big details, so he just kept things simple. "My parents were powerful magicians in their own right," said the boy. "They joined Leanbow in the battle to defeat the Master and his army of the undead. They didn't live much longer after the battle had ended, but it was long enough to have and pass their powers onto me. I can see into the future, I always have been able to see things. I've never been afraid of my visions, until now though."

"Because you can only see oblivion," finished Ric. "Is that why you're so afraid?" When Dylan nodded his head again, Ric understood where everything was going. The young man tightened his grip on his empty glass for a moment before jumping up to his feet and extended his hand out to Dylan with a smile on his face.

The young mage tried to figure out where this was going when Ric suddenly grabbed onto his hand instead. Without even the slightest bit of effort, Ric was able to get Dylan standing on his own two feet.

"Let me make a promise to you, Dylan," said Ric, "I'll make sure that you have a future to see. I'll keep on fighting until you can finally have a vision of a universe that doesn't face certain doom! You'll see a world where there is nothing but peace and goodness being shot out from everyone's assholes!"

That couldn't help but to bring a smile on Dylan's face as the boy didn't bother to fight his urge to laugh. He fell for Ric's trap as he succumbed to laughter that made his stomach hurt, which seemed to have a contagious affect on Ric as well. Even Ric couldn't help but laugh as he joined the boy in the giggle fits.

This went on for a few minutes until Dylan was able to regain his composure long enough to thank Ric for his kind words. The young mage began to walk away from the Ranger after that when he felt something hit his head. Only it wasn't something physical that hit him, it was something mental that attacked a special section of his brain that made his eyes widened and glaze over as a new image appeared before him.

Dylan dropped the cup in his hands, causing it to shatter into pieces. He saw something painful and confusing, which was cause enough for the young mage to jump into action. He couldn't bear to let something awful happen to Clare if he could do something to protect her.

Ric jumped in front of Dylan just as the images began to clear. Before Ric could even get a single sentence out, Dylan begged the young man to go with him somewhere. The exact destination was kept a mystery for the moment, but Dylan's pleas didn't go unanswered as Ric decided to join the mage since the vision so clearly bothered him.

* * *

><p>In another area of the Command Center, Connor sat down on a bench with Eric right beside him as everyone else moved around them.<p>

The two sat in uncomfortable silence, numerous questions running around Eric's head as he tried not to pry into what happened between Connor and Zodiark. As much as Eric wanted the details, including the details on these apparent dreams they've been sharing, he knew that it was wiser to let Connor speak on his own terms. He didn't want to push the boy no more than he's already been pushed around by the world and supernatural forces beyond any of their comprehension.

Eric could assure Connor that he'd be there for him. That was easily taken care of by Eric taking hold of the boy's hand, gently squeezing onto it until Connor finally looked into his eyes and began to smile. Connor leaned over to Eric, in response, tenderly placing a single kiss on his cheek before resting his head on the broad shoulder.

"I love you, Eric," whispered Connor. "I'm really sorry about everything that's happened. If I could take it all back then I would."

Wrapping an arm around the skinny boy, Eric pulled Connor closer towards him. A small smile grew on his face as he tried to reassure the boy of everything. "You have nothing to apologize for, Connor," said Eric. "I don't care about all of the mistakes that you've made. I know that you're not at fault. You can control your feelings, you can't control all these actions of your past life, and I certainly can't blame you for Zodiark manipulating you. That bastard uses and abuses everybody, we can barely even hurt him, and so I know I can't blame you for falling for any of his traps."

Connor felt his stomach tying up into knots as he curled up into a ball against Eric. He kept his head against the young man's chest now as he took notice of Kratein and Helios hiding out in another corner. "I just don't' like any of this," whispered Connor. "I wish I knew how to control my past life. If I can just make Samael shut up then maybe I can figure myself out."

Before Eric could even think about opening his mouth, the thunderous flap of wings silenced everyone in the Command Center. The lights dimmed down which was cause for everyone inside the Command Center to turn to their newest guest.

Yahweh stepped into the light as he now appeared in a similar fashion as he had with Luther, but not had a shirt and vest to cover his chest. He appeared far more professional, which was exactly what he was going for as he smiled at the Power Rangers and the villains. "Good luck with trying to accomplish that," said Yahweh. "Silencing Samael will be virtually impossible, Connor. You can't even begin to comprehend where you end and Samael begins due to your close connections."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Connor.

"Who are you!" Jason said, getting on the defensive.

Haley pulled her father back, keeping him from getting into an unnecessary conflict. She shot the same stand down look at her mother, Adam, Cid, and the villains as well. "This is Yahweh," said Haley. "He is a Celestial and…well, I guess we can call him an ally. He helped us to learn about the Sentinel Zords and taught us a great deal about the Dark Lords."

"You're welcome," Yahweh said, grinning from ear to ear. "But back to my point. Connor, you really can't silence Samael because you and Samael are one and the same. You two reside on a level beyond past to present life because your soul is one and the same."

"Isn't that the point of past lives?" said Eric. "Of course they'd share the same soul."

"This is different though," Yahweh said, staring at the human. "Human souls and Celestial souls are different. Samael is a Celestial, one of the strongest and most important of all Celestials, his voice will not go unsilenced in his current body." Yahweh turned away from Eric and ignored everyone else in the room except for Connor. He took a step closer to the boy, placing one hand on the frail shoulder as he stared deeply into the boy's eyes. "The only reason things have gone this far is because of what the Creator did to us. Do you remember what Father did to us, Samael?"

Connor felt his heart beat a little faster the moment Yahweh said that name. It was a similar feeling to the one that he always had whenever Zodiark had spoken to him, but this was the first time that he was actually able to see why that was.

Eric and Yahweh were pushed aside as Connor stepped away from everybody with his hands on both sides of his head. A surge of pain began to assault him as he remembered so much, everything that there was to know about Samael began to rush into him at the same time. Millions of years worth of memories began to flash through his very thoughts until the most important one flashed before him.

"We were punished by the Creator," Connor said, his voice cracking in the process. "Our…the Father found out about our forbidden love and punished us for our sins. He locked you away in the Realm of Monsters, while He…He killed me." Connor placed a hand over his hammering heart as his tears ran down his face. They flowed like a never-ending river as he felt Samael's pain, his pain. "I was killed because you and Orphan loved me most."

An eyebrow was raised as Eric felt like a nerve began to ring in the back of his head. He didn't understand why, but there was something about that name that bothered him. "Orphan?" whispered Eric.

Stepping away from the divide, continuing to ignore everybody else, Yahweh returned to a spot a little closer to Connor. This caused Connor to throw himself at Yahweh with tears continuing to run down the boy's face as he hugged onto the blond Celestial with all his might. "We were Princes of Heaven," said Yahweh, speaking to everybody there. "We were the Creators' First Sons. Over billions of years of peace had passed until travesty finally struck in Heaven. Luther's rebellion against humanity and all mortals caused a dividing line up in Heaven as the Renegades battled the Faithful. The Renegades were defeated and thus punished with the Renegades being expelled from Heaven and sent to Hell. But peace wasn't restored, Father had changed after the war."

"Father's grip on the Celestials and mortals had tightened," said Yahweh. "I'm sure you've all seen Old Testaments, Father wielded a wrath that spoke no name and He used that power however He saw fit. But then came the day when our love was discovered. Father learned that Orphan, Samael, and myself were involved in a romantic relationship. It was forbidden for Celestials to love, but the three of us had discovered a way and kept the nature of our relationship secret for millions of years. Father brought Samael and myself in to face judgment, and our judgment was a means to punish Orphan as well. I was sealed away in Purgatory, unable to act out but able to see it all, while Samael…while Samael was stripped of his existence."

"When Orphan learned of what happened to us, he rebelled against the Creator. He gathered an army of Celestials, including the Fallen, and led them against the Creator. Luther returned with the other Dark Lords and joined Orphan's army, but the aftermath wasn't pleasant. Orphan's rebellion was squelched, the Dark Lords were imprisoned at that point, and the Creator punished Orphan for his disobedience. Orphan has been sealed away since then, silenced but forced to suffer his eternal life alone. And the Creator turned His back on Creation since then. Nobody knows where He's gone or what He is doing, but there has been nothing but silence until now. Only the Creator could've brought Samael back, and He did so by allowing Connor to be born."

Yahweh continued to hold onto Connor, feeling the closeness that he once felt with Samael in the past. It was a feeling he had longed to have, but he knew that he'd never have it so long as Connor continued to exist while Samael slept.

Finally finding the will to speak up, Eric stepped forward until he had Yahweh looking at him. The young man felt something building up inside of him, in his heart, as he tried to figure out where he stood with the boy that he loved. "You're saying that Connor is really a Celestial then?" asked Eric. "He's not even human."

"The Creator has a sick sense of humor," said Yahweh, "but yes. Connor has never been human, not truly, he has always been a Celestial. His Divine powers have been sealed away from him, which has kept Samael silent for the past fifteen years until now though. The actions of the Dark Lords have caused Samael to awaken because of the destruction that is about to take place. It is because of the Dark Lords that the Celestial of Death is awakening."

"You're calling me a killer?" Connor said, pulling back. The initial shock hit him like a ton of bricks, but that all soon seemed pointless as he remembered more about himself. Yes, he could see his true self and understood Samael. "Wait…I already knew this. Samael, he is Death. He is the one who decided the fate of everybody, choosing who continued to live and who died." Connor, without thinking about it, took a few steps closer to Eric and the others. His mind was completely foggy, but being around Eric made things feel better. "But you, Yahweh, you have the power to create life where I can only destroy."

Yahweh kept his distance this time around as he noticed Connor drawing nearer to Eric. He could easily see why Connor put himself in the way of the human, even if neither one could understand the why behind it. "Odd isn't it?" said Yahweh. "You were the most beautiful of all the Celestials in Paradise, but you were the one who held the power of ultimate destruction. There were even rumors back when you were first born that you could possibly reap the soul of the Creator, but none of us were willing to see the consequences of that action. Even Orphan feared the severity of the Creator's death on his own existence."

"Where is Orphan then?" asked Connor. "If Orphan was here then he could stop Luther."

"Orphan wouldn't stop Luther," corrected Yahweh. "Orphan has stopped caring about anything since you were stripped of existence. His pain has reached out through space and time to mark a potential vessel that he will use in order to break free from his prison in Eden, the very Garden that humanity had been given as well as the former seat of power for the Edeonian Empire."

"Zodiark!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers.

Connor clung onto the fabric of his shirt and that of Eric's as he closed his eyes. Now, he could see just how easy it was for Zodiark to manipulate him, to use him how he saw fit. "So…Zodiark is Orphan's true vessel," said Connor. "Just like Dark Knight was for Luther."

Yahweh only shook his head as he began to turn away from Connor and everybody else. As much as he wanted Samael to truly awaken, he couldn't bring himself to push the boy over the edge to do so. "As cocky as he is, Zodiark isn't the true vessel," said Yahweh. "He is only the most active one and easiest for Orphan to control. No, there is another out there who would be better for Orphan, he just doesn't see it yet."

"But I do have one more thing to share with you, Rangers," said Yahweh. "I know I've taken up so much of your time with the truth about Connor, but it is important in order to understand the storm that is coming your way. You have to understand the extremes that our kind is willing to go so that you can see how deep Luther's desires for revenge can go."

"So you know what Luther is planning then?" asked Landon. "Anything you can tell us will be great."

"I can tell you everything since I am only bound not to physically intervene," said Yahweh. "I can give you all the knowledge you need though."

Yahweh took a seat on the couch where Connor and Eric once sat before his divine interruption. The Celestial took a moment to look at each of them in order to see if they could possibly handle the Devil's big scheme. He could tell that they were strong, but whether or not if they were survivors was still a mystery at the moment.

"Luther plans on shattering the walls between dimensions by damaging the balance between the Grids. His overall goal is to open the Dark Gate to Hell and allow his army of Daimons to overrun this world," said Yahweh. "Once the Earth falls then all the other worlds will go down with it. Then the entire universe will be doomed as Luther consumes everything in vengeance. He will then try to usurp the Creator's Throne and restructure the order of the universe to fit his pride."

As the last of the words left from his mouth, Yahweh was gone. All that he left them with was knowledge of the struggles to come.

If Luther truly desired to open the gates to Hell and allow the Daimons to spread then the Rangers needed their own army. Defeating Luther would be their top priority, but if they failed then they would need every single Ranger that they could get a hold of.

* * *

><p>A few scattered shots rained down from the rooftop of a building. Magical blasts crashed against one another, creating a painful ripple effect as a duel between mages began.<p>

Clare's attacks were surprisingly strong as she hurled chains of lightning after Zodiark. Her magick formed a net around the Dark Prince, trapping him in the electrical surge of energy. She had a smirk grow on her face as she conjured a group of boulders from every angle. Her plan was to crush Zodiark, partly to see how he'd counter and partly to protect the Rangers from this awful creature.

The boulders came screeching against the cement roof with Zodiark trapped in the electrical cage. But he didn't seem to even bat an eyelash as he retreated into himself for a moment, the moment passed though and he opened his eyes to release a psychic blast of might.

Zodiark burst through her broken spell chain and charged after her with a surge of chaotic energy gathering into a ball in the palm of his hand. Clare foresaw this and quickly took flight to avoid getting hit as she hurled a new spell chain that would encase her foe in fire.

Glowing runes sprung their trap as Zodiark drew too near. A wave of fire attempted to consume his very being, but once again Zodiark proved that his magick was stronger. He threw his fist up into the air with a new spell awakening that reflected Clare's spell back at her just as she was landing on the rooftop.

The moment that Clare's feet touched ground, the spell activated and trapped her in a ring of fire. The countered spell came as a surprise to her as she looked up at Zodiark with hate-filled eyes. She tried to mouth off a new spell to help her, but her magick was suppressed by her own spell and the countered effects of Zodiark's spell.

"You've come far, Sorceress," said Zodiark, "but the knowledge of the Master surpasses your own. The Master, Octomus, taught me well before he was imprisoned by Legendary Warriors then killed by the Mystic Force Rangers."

Clare knew that she sensed the spells before, but she hadn't realized it was from the deceased Master. It was annoying considering that she had spent so long battling the Master against Udonna and the other Mystic Force Rangers. She should've known better, but her memory seemed to fail her, which wasn't good for a Sorceress.

As Zodiark prepared for his next attack, a spell that would cast stronger flames to consume Clare, an intervention was made.

A spark of magick came through the air as Dylan came running onto the rooftop with Ric running beside him. The duo had made it there just in time to prevent Dylan's vision from coming true as he foresaw the death of Clare.

Ric reacted to the situation by morphing into the Blue Angel Force Ranger. With his powers activated, the Ranger tossed the Glory Hammer after Zodiark to break the concentration of the Dark Prince.

The Glory Hammer barely missed Zodiark, but the Dark Prince lost his focus in the process. His spell was shattered, which gave Dylan the opportunity to act as he invoked magick that he had no business wielding.

Dylan's entire aura flashed as he summoned high-leveled magicks. The first of his spells was focused on helping Clare, while the next would deal with the Zodiark problem.

Aquatic javelins came down from the sky and smothered the flames that encased Clare. The water became a magical eruption that drowned the flames, while allowing rain droplets to partly flood the rooftop.

Next, a group of vines began to sprout and absorbed the water to grow into monstrous proportions. The vines thickened and rose up into the air to ensnare Zodiark's legs, pulling the Dark Prince down to the rooftop. More of the vines began to wrap around him, holding him down so that he couldn't use anymore spells.

Ric powered down and placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder to calm the boy down. The brief contact was able to shatter the mage's concentration enough to where he collapsed against Ric's body, while Clare rushed towards him. The spell that the boy invoked shattered as the vines around Zodairk's legs began to release him before fading from sight.

Turning away from the boy in his arms, Ric glared over at Zodiark as he shook his head. "You're an idiot!" Ric shouted at Zodiark. "We're supposed to be working together to fight Luther, not fight each other! Or did you not get that memo even though you're the one who suggested it?"

"It was Clare who challenged me to the duel," corrected Zodiark. "She knew the risks. Don't blame me for her mistrust in me."

"And you could've stepped down from the challenge," countered Ric. "Better yet, we have very good reasons not to trust you, Zodiark. Clare was wise not to trust you because none of us do. We'd probably be better off without you anywhere near us, but this is a pretty important Apocalypse."

Zodiark huffed at the Earthling before turning his glances over to Dylan. He could tell that the boy contained an enormous well of magick within him, a power that could rival a true superpower if the boy simply had the chance to develop. And who knew if any of them would get that chance now that Luther roamed the Earth.

Ric was ready to throw out another string of curses when his Communicator began to go off. He answered it only to hear bad news, which was something he never liked to hear.

It was about Luther, the Dark Lord King was running around by the ruins of the old Command Center.

* * *

><p>Standing in a chain of cliffs in the middle of the desert, destiny would be fulfilled.<p>

On the very ground where good lost its greatest stronghold, Luther would shatter the very walls that kept reality at balance. The Dark Lord of Pride touched the violated ground of the Command Center where Divatox had defeated the Turbo Power Rangers. It would've been the end of the Power Rangers if it wasn't for Dark Specter calling the Pirate Queen for an important meeting to report that Eltar had fallen and Zordon had been captured.

That very day set of a chain of events that led to the annihilation of the United Alliance of Evil. But it was also a great day for Luther because the destruction of the Command Center revealed the hidden seal that could open the Dark Gate.

Zordon had been an exceptionally wise sage. The wizard had his Command Center built on top of seal that contained the Dark Gate in order to prevent entities like Luther from getting their hands on it. Then when the Power Rangers got a hold of the Zeo Crystal, it only strengthened the containment spell and ensured that Luther could never get his hands on the Dark Gate

But with the Command Center gone and the Zeo Crystal's protection evaporated, there was nothing that could stop Luther from claiming his heart's desires.

Not even those damned Power Rangers. And speaking of Rangers, the Dark Lord King only huffed as he felt their power approaching. He looked back to see that the Power Rangers had arrived with their villainous allies to challenge him once more. It really appeared that these fools hadn't learned their lessons from the first time; it seemed he would have to reteach the course so that they would learn.

"Sadists," growled Luther. "Must we go through this trial again? I have grown bored of battling you insignificant apes."

"We're never going to give up fighting you, Luther!" shouted Red Ranger. "Until our last breath, we will keep fighting!"

Luther sighed as he summoned a sword into his hand. The four black wings on his back began to uncurl as he brought forth chaotic energy that surged all around him. "I suppose then I will just have to execute you all then," said Luther. "What a shame that so many fools must be killed before the main event can begin. Oh well."

The Dark Lord of Pride swung his sword forward, releasing the tide of chaos. The attack ripped through the air as it left Thrax, Zodiark, and the other villains crippled. His powers suppressed their wickedness, leaving the Rangers the only ones left to fight against the Dark Lord.

Charging into the fray, the Angel Force Rangers were united as they rushed into battle. Each one was armed with their swords as they challenged the Dark Lord to a fight.

White Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger used the energy blades of their Twilight Rays against the Dark Lord King. They swung the blades around, attempting to dig into the meat of the Dark Lord, but their attacks were constantly deflected as the Dark Lord spun around them. He easily deflected three attacks at one without even batting an eyelash at them before firing chains of lightning after all three of them.

Those three fell to the ground with the other Angel Force Rangers using their Angel Sword. They brought their powers together to fire a Heaven Power Slash that rushed towards the Dark Lord from every angle. The Rangers' attacks were easily blocked though as the Dark Lord covered himself with his black wings. Once the smoke settled, he uncurled his wings and hurled a wave of energy from his own being after the remaining Rangers.

The wave spread throughout the ruins of the old Command Center, triggering electrical surges throughout the area. Sparks and explosions began to run rampant as the Dark Lord's attack broke through the final layers of protection.

Collapsing to the ground, the Rangers fell before the Dark Lord as intricate runes began to form at his feet. The earth began to break with every quake that coursed throughout the entire planet to leave its disastrous affects.

The sky blackened as a gigantic seal appeared in the sky that looked horrifically bloody. What sounded like bells ringing could be heard throughout the desert and the city, leaving behind a terrifying feeling as the air became thicker.

Luther laughed at how easily defeated his foes were and just how easy it would be to break the order of reality. He threw his sword arm up into the air, firing a bolt of energy against the seal, which began to slowly move away from the desert in the direction of Angel Grove.

"Angel Grove shall be the first city to fall before me!" laughed Luther. "My Daimons will overrun this world and you, Power Rangers, shall know the true meaning of suffering!"

Unleashing his magicks once more, Luther took hold of each of the Rangers and lifted them up into the air. They cried out in pain as they were forced to revert back into their civilian forms before the magick teleported them back to the city.

Now that they were gone, the Dark Lord turned to the villains with a grin on his face. He saw no real use for them as he looked up into the sky to see his precious Dark Gate about to open.

"The world is about to end," smiled Luther. "The Apocalypse begins now."

The seal of the Dark Gate began to break open with the Daimons spilling into the world. The horrifying cries of the demonic creatures could be heard everywhere as they began to drown the world in their wickedness. It was beautiful to Luther as he finally saw true justice in the coming death of the mortals and the end of their corrupted world.

* * *

><p>The sky turned crimson as reality itself began to crumble. Luther's actions caused a chaotic seal to form in the sky with gusts of wind bursting forth as a surge of malevolent energy began to spread throughout the city. Dimensions began to slowly bleed together as Hell itself was forced into the world of mortals.<p>

Daimons slowly multiplied as they escaped from the Underworld and arrived to Earth. The creatures were of every shape and size imaginable. Their numbers grew with every second that passed as Luther kept the Dark Gate open for an indefinite amount of time.

Landon ran down Main Street with the other Angel Force Rangers at his side. They had been so shamelessly defeated by Luther and pushed away from the ruins of the original Command Center. Their powers were weakened, but their wills were still strong as they were forced to watch the horrors awakening before them.

"We need to get back over there," said Landon. "We have to defeat Luther before the Daimons destroy the entire city."

"Let's hurry then!" shouted Haley.

The eight, young heroes were about to charge in when a loud voice called out for them to wait. The Rangers looked back to see Jason, Kimberly, and Adam running towards them with the clones of Tommy Oliver following them. Jason and Kimberly carried their Power Morphers in their hands, while Adam had his Zeonizers strapped to his wrists.

"You're not going to fight this invasion on your own," said Jason. "We're all going to be here to fight alongside you. Everyone of us will be here to make a difference."

"Everyone?" said Connor.

The screeching of tires caught everyone's attention as Storm Blaster came rolling into town with Lightning Cruiser following behind it. Justin jumped out from the front seat of Storm Blaster with Tanya, Kat, and Rocky with him. In Lightning Cruiser, Zack and Aisha were showing up as they reunited with their old friends and the new Rangers.

More faces began to arrive to Main Street as other Veteran Rangers began to arrive one by one.

Streaks of light flashed across the sky as Billy finally arrived with the Delphine and the other Aquitian Rangers. The Jet Jammers came flying into the scene with Leo and Mike coming into the picture with the other Galaxy Rangers. A similar reception was held with the Astro Rangers as Andros, Karone, and Zhane arrived to receive a special welcome from Serena. Trey wasn't too far behind as well as he joined the other Zeo Rangers.

Various trucks rolled into the street as the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers, the Time Force Rangers, and the Wild Force Rangers arrived. The Ninja Storm Rangers rushed into the scene with the Dino Thunder team not too far behind them. A swell of magick began to flood the immediate space as the Mystic Force Rangers showed up with Operation Overdrive. Jayden, Casey, and Scott led their teams in as well as the Angel Force Rangers quickly recognized them.

What would've been a special moment for the Angel Force Rangers to meet all their predecessors was quickly silenced. The Daimon Army was drawing near, forcing immediate action to be taken.

Jason stepped forward with Landon joining his side. All of the other Rangers stayed close together as each one began to retrieve their Morphers. This was going to be the ultimate battle between Good and Evil, there was no point in not jumping in head first.

"We do this together, Rangers!" shouted Jason.

"It's Morphin Time!" shouted the army of Power Rangers.

* * *

><p>Zack held up his Power Morpher for the first time in years. Like the rest of his team, he felt a great sense of nostalgia even as he faced the Daimon Army. "Mastodon!" shouted Zack. Rays of black light began to escape from him as his transformation quickly became complete.<p>

"Pterodactyl!" shouted Kimberly as pink rays of light came forth.

"Triceratops!" shouted Billy with blue rays of light.

"Sabertooth Tiger!" shouted Aisha with yellow rays of light.

"Tyrannosaurus!" shouted Jason as red rays of light escaped.

In a great flash of light the first Rangers that Zordon led on Earth were, mostly, united. Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, Black Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Pink Ranger stood with Green Ranger as they embraced their old powers fully.

"Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers!"

* * *

><p>Delphine, Aurico, Cestro, Tideus, and Corcus held up their Power Coins in the air. They concentrated as they summoned the powers granted to them by Ninjor long ago.<p>

"We call upon Aquitar Ranger powers!" shouted the five Aquitians.

Quickly transforming, the Aquitians became the Aquitar Alien Rangers. White Aquitar Ranger, Red Aquitar Ranger, Blue Aquitar Ranger, Yellow Aquitar Ranger, and Black Aquitar Ranger all stood united in their ninja forms.

"Aquitar Alien Rangers!"

* * *

><p>Kat, Tanya, Rocky, Adam, and Trey stood alongside the clone of Zeo Ranger V Red as they morphed as well.<p>

"Zeo Ranger I Pink!" shouted Kat.

"Zeo Ranger II Yellow!" shouted Tanya.

"Zeo Ranger III Blue!" shouted Rocky.

"Zeo Ranger IV Green!" shouted Adam.

"Gold Ranger Power!" shouted Trey.

Another burst of light rose up from the ground as the Zeo Rangers united together. Pink Zeo Ranger, Yellow Zeo Ranger, Blue Zeo Ranger, Green Zeo Ranger, Red Zeo Ranger, and Gold Zeo Ranger stood united for battle.

"Power Rangers Zeo!"

* * *

><p>Justin stood forward with his rag-tag team. The clone of Red Turbo Ranger was alongside him, plus Blue Senturian and Phantom Ranger. Karone had taken the liberty of taking a Ranger power for herself along with Kapri and Marah. It didn't exactly make sense since those two were involved with the Ninja Storm Rangers, but Justin didn't complain too much, however.<p>

"Shift Into Turbo!" Justin shouted, leading his new group.

Justin became Blue Turbo Ranger with Karone becoming Pink Turbo Ranger, Marah becoming Yellow Turbo Ranger, and Kapri becoming Green Turbo Ranger. Red Turbo Ranger, Blue Senturian, and Phantom Ranger drew closer to the rest of the team.

"Power Rangers Turbo!"

* * *

><p>Andros led Zhane, Cassie, Carlos, Ashley, and T.J. into their morphing call. The six of them simply nodded their heads as they raised their arms up, while Zhane held up a phone.<p>

"Let's Rocket!" shouted the six Rangers. "3, 3, 1!"

Rays of light began to flash all along their bodies as they morphed. Andros became Red Astro Ranger, Zhane was Silver Astro Ranger, Cassie was Pink Astro Ranger, Carlos was Black Astro Ranger, Ashley was Yellow Astro Ranger, and T.J. was Blue Astro Rangers.

"Astro Power Rangers!"

* * *

><p>Leo, Kendrix, Maya, Kai, Damon, and Mike worked on morphing. The first five of the team pushed down a pair of buttons on their Galactic Morphers, while Mike held up his wrist Morphers.<p>

"Go, Galactic!" shouted Leo, Kendrix, Maya, Kai, and Damon.

"Magna Power!" shouted Mike.

Leo morphed into Red Galaxy Ranger. Kendrix was Pink Galaxy Ranger. Maya was Yellow Galaxy Ranger. Kai was Blue Galaxy Ranger, Damon was Green Galaxy Ranger. And Mike became the Magna Defender.

"Lost Galaxy Power Rangers!"

* * *

><p>Carter, Chad, Joel, Kelsey, and Dana stood together with their Rescue Morphers on their wrists. Ryan had his Titanium Morpher, which he held up to his face already ready to go. The other five nodded their heads as they stepped forward.<p>

"Lightspeed Rescue!" shouted Carter, Chad, Joel, Kelsey, and Dana.

"Titanium Power!" Ryan shouted, throwing his fist up into the air.

Quickly, each of them morphed into their Ranger forms: Carter as Lightspeed Rescue Red Ranger, Chad as Lightspeed Rescue Blue Ranger, Joel as Lightspeed Rescue Green Ranger, Kelsey as Lightspeed Rescue Yellow Ranger, Dana as Lightspeed Rescue Pink Ranger, and Ryan as Lightspeed Rescue Titanium Ranger.

"Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue!"

* * *

><p>Wes and Eric were surprised to see that the rest of their team had gotten their so soon. Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip had arrived from the year 3015 in post haste. The Chrono Morphers belonged to the primary team, while Eric had his Quantum Morpher.<p>

"Time For Time Force!" Wes shouted with Jen, Lucas, Katie, and Trip.

"Quantum Power!" shouted Eric.

A flash of light came as the six of them morphed together. Wes became Time Force Red Ranger, Jen was Time Force Pink Ranger, Lucas was Time Force Blue Ranger, Katie was Time Force Yellow Ranger, and Trip was Time Force Green Ranger. As for Eric, he became the Quantum Time Force Ranger.

"Power Rangers Time Force!"

* * *

><p>Cole, Taylor, Max, Danny, and Alyssa flipped their Growl Phones forward, while Merrick held up his Lunar Caller. The six of them nodded their heads as they took the leap forward.<p>

"Wild Access!" shouted the six of them.

Their animal powers came forth as they morphed. Cole became Wild Force Red Ranger, Taylor was Wild Force Yellow Ranger, Max was Wild Force Blue Ranger, Danny was Wild Force Black Ranger, and Alyssa was Wild Force White Ranger. For Merrick, he became the Wild Force Wolf Ranger.

"Power Rangers Wild Force!"

* * *

><p>Shane, Tori, and Dustin were beside each other in their own group. Blake and Hunter were off in their own section, while Cam stood off on his own. Each of them had their own Morphers: the Wind Morphers, Thunder Morphers, and Samurai Amulet.<p>

"Ninja Storm Ranger Form!" shouted Shane, Tori, and Dustin.

"Thunder Storm Ranger Form!" shouted Blake and Hunter.

"Samurai Storm Ranger Form!" shouted Cam.

Embracing the powers of ninja, the six of them morphed together. Shane became the Red Wind Ninja Ranger, Tori became Blue Wind Ninja Ranger, and Dustin became Yellow Wind Ninja Ranger. Blake became Navy Thunder Ranger, while Hunter became Crimson Thunder Ranger. And Cam became the Green Samurai Ninja Ranger.

"Power Rangers Ninja Storm!"

* * *

><p>Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent stood with the clone of their former mentor. It was a little weird, but they buckled through as they held up their Dino Morphers and Draco Morpher.<p>

"Dino Thunder, Power Up!" shouted Conner, Ethan, and Kira.

"White Ranger, Dino Power!" shouted Trent.

The four of them immediately morphed with Black Brachio Dino Thunder Ranger standing at the center. Conner morphed into Red Tyranno Dino Thunder Ranger, Ethan became Blue Tricera Dino Thunder Ranger, Kira became Yellow Ptera Dino Thunder Ranger, and Trent became White Draco Dino Thunder Ranger.

"Power Rangers Dino Thunder!"

* * *

><p>Standing united, Nick was with his team of Rangers. Chip (Charlie), Xander, Daggeron, Madison, and Vida were right there with his parents, Udonna and Leanbow, alongside them. They each called forth on their magick for strength.<p>

"Magical Source, Mystic Force!" shouted the eight of them.

The magicks that they invoked were highly powerful as it transformed each of them. Nick morphed into Red Mystic Force Ranger, Chip was Yellow Mystic Force Ranger, Xander was Green Mystic Force Ranger, Daggeron was Solaris Knight, Udonna was White Mystic Force Ranger, and Leanbow was Wolf Warrior.

"Power Rangers Mystic Force!"

* * *

><p>The Overdrive Tracker and Mercury Morpher were quickly summoned by Mack, Will, Dax, Ronny, Rose, and Tyzonn. The six of them stood united in the face of the coming danger.<p>

"Overdrive Accelerate!"

The Overdrive Rangers were reborn as Mack transformed into Red Overdrive Ranger, Will became Black Overdrive Ranger, Dax became Blue Overdrive Ranger, Ronny became Yellow Overdrive Ranger, Rose became Pink Overdrive Ranger, and Tyzonn became Mercury Overdrive Ranger.

"Power Rangers Operation Overdrive!"

* * *

><p>Casey, Theo, Lily, R.J., Dominic, Jarrod, and Camille unleashed the powers of their animal spirits once more. In a fiery display of energy, the animals within took center stage.<p>

"Jungle Beasts, Spirits Unleashed!"

Releasing even more of their powers, the Spirit Rangers were summoned to join forces with them. With the addition of the trio, the team was fully completed and ready for battle.

"Power Rangers Jungle Fury!"

* * *

><p>Scott, Flynn, and Summer were together with their Cell Shift Morpher in hand. Dillon and Ziggy had their Rev Morphers, while Gem and Gemma had their Sky Morphers.<p>

"RPM, Get in Gear!" shouted all of them.

There was a brief flash of light as the seven Rangers morphed together. Their individual colors illuminating their part of the road as they stood together.

"Power Rangers RPM!"

* * *

><p>Jayden led Mike, Emily, Mia, Kevin, Antonio, and Kaoru into battle. They each carried their Samuraizer, or, in Antonio's case, Samurai Morpher.<p>

"Go Go Samurai!" shouted the majority of them.

"Gold Power!" shouted Antonio.

Their Symbol Powers surged around each of them as they morphed into their Ranger forms. Kaoru had her symbols merge into her as she transformed into Princess Red Samurai Ranger. She held up her Spin Sword, standing alongside Jayden in his Ranger form.

"Power Rangers Samurai!"

* * *

><p>Landon, Ric, Connor, Alice, Haley, Tommy, Eric, and Serena threw their Crystal Morphers up into the air. They summoned their Celestial powers so to be ready to do battle against Luther and his Daimon Army.<p>

"Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted the eight of them.

Colorful feathers began to wrap around each of them as they morphed in the blink of the eye. Their transformation was quickly completed as they stood proud and tall.

"Power Rangers Angel Force!"

Standing all united, the Power Rangers showed how ready they were for battle. The Angel Force Rangers kept to the front of the army with the Mighty Morphin' Rangers standing right beside them.

Red Mighty Morphin' Ranger turned to Red Angel Force Ranger, placing a hand over his shoulder. "I think this is your call, Landon," said the Earth's first Red Ranger. "This is your battle so it is up to you and your team to lead the Power Rangers into battle."

"Thank you, Jason, for the honor," said Red Angel Force Ranger. "I swear that I won't let you down."

As the Daimon horde drew near that would soon become open for debate. The army of Rangers stood strong, however, as they prepared to brace themselves for battle.

But before a single command could be issued, more flashes of light came down from the sky. The crimson sky had been illuminated by these colorful lights that soon proved themselves to be the added reinforcements. This came as a welcome relief as sixteen more groups of Power Rangers had arrived from across the galaxy to join in the largest battle to date.

A Red Ranger stepped forward from the additional forces with a white cape flowing behind him. He wore a full red suit with a rather bulky helmet on his head to protect his identity. "I apologize for being late," said the head Red Ranger. "It took us longer than expected. The Power Rangers Go Squad is here to help!"

"So is Power Rangers J.A.K.Q.!"

"And Power Rangers Battle Fever!"

"Don't forget Power Rangers Electro Squad!"

"Power Rangers Sun Vulcan, at your service!"

"We're Power Rangers Goggle V!"

"And we're the Power Rangers Evolution!"

"Power Rangers Bioman is read to have fun."

"Power Rangers Changeman is over here!"

"You can call us Power Rangers Flashman!"

"Don't leave us out, Power Rangers Maskman!"

"Power Rangers Liveman, ready to rumble!"

"Racing into battle is Power Rangers Speed!"

"The Power Rangers Fiveman is here to party!"

"Power Rangers Jetman will fly into battle."

"And Power Rangers Aura Force is ready as well."

Above their heads, as the surge of Daimons grew in numbers, something else began to happen. There were eight figures that jumped from a time portal to arrive into the battlefield as well. Each one straightened themselves out before holding up a badge that looked like it had a canine at the front of it.

"We got your distress call," said the team's Red Ranger. "From the year 2026, Power Rangers SPD is here to help!"

The army grew once again as all of the new additions gathered together. Their numbers would take a longtime to count, so the grand total would be dealt with later. And that wasn't to mention the rest of the allies that the various teams of Rangers had invited to help in the coming war.

Red Angel Force Ranger stepped at the head of the chaos with the rest of his team beside him. Their hearts were all beating hard against their chests as the Daimons were storming closer towards them. With every second that passed, the battle would only become increasingly difficult as Luther grew stronger.

It all had to end here.

"We fight as one!" shouted the Angel Force Rangers.

"Power Rangers forever!" shouted the army.

The army of Power Rangers rushed into the Daimon Army as they fought for the very survival of the universe.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

In the next chapter, the Power Ranger army goes to war. The Rangers will do everything in their power to protect the universe from Luther's fury. Powers will be pushed to the limits, friends will be in grave danger, and a life will pay the ultimate price to defeat the Dark Lord of Pride. Find out what will happen and more in **Dark Gate pt. 2!**


	37. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: AY! I'm so excited to be reaching this point. I just want to let all the readers and wonderful reviewers know that I'll take a lot more time to write the final chapters. I'm expecting to write 40-50 pages for each chapter so I'm gonna take two weeks for an update. So if you were hoping for weakly updates still, but I'm trying to cram in as much as I can so if things seem a little awkward now you know why! Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Read and review.  
><strong>

**Dark Gate Pt. 2:**

The army of one hundred and ninety-seven Power Rangers charged to face the Daimon invasion that threatened the stability of the universe. Luther's army would stop at nothing until they laid the world in ruins, but the Power Rangers refused to allow that to happen. Under their sworn oath, the Power Rangers would not fail in saving the universe from certain destruction.

Spreading out throughout Angel Grove, the Power Rangers fought against the mayhem that the Daimons unleashed.

To better accommodate the sheer size of their forces, it was decided to split up into units. The Rangers decided to allow the Angel Force Rangers the honor of leading the Power Ranger army. Luther was their responsibility to defeat so it would be up to the youngest generation to make the difference in the Apocalypse.

Angel Force Red Ranger took the largest unit, every single Red Ranger, and went off into battle. If there was anyone who had the power to save the universe from certain doom, it was the Red Rangers. The leaders of their generations and the strongest of their teams, the Red Rangers were the best line of defense against the forces of darkness. That was how the Red Rangers put themselves in the center of all the mayhem that took place in Angel Grove.

Daimons overran the streets, attacking numerous buildings, and forced civilians out into the open where they'd be most vulnerable. As the Daimons tried to grab their easy meal, the Red Ranger intervened to restore justice.

Go Squad Red Ranger jumped above a group of Daimons with his white cape flowing behind him. He returned to the ground, beginning his own assault against the Daimons and effectively saved a group of civilians. The Ranger broke through the demonic line, breaking their bones with swift and decisive blows.

Spade Ace Ranger of J.A.K.Q. threw himself through the line, running interference for the Red Ranger unit. He was joined by Battle J Red and Electro Squad Red Ranger. The three of them got caught up in a group of Daimons that attempted to drown them in a swarm. The Red Rangers weren't about to fall though as they pushed the Daimons back by locking arms with each other and making their charge.

Sun Vulcan Red Ranger, Goggle V Red Ranger, Evolution Red Ranger, and Bioman Red One used their abilities to their advantage as well. Sun Vulcan Red Ranger used his Vulcan Stick to cut through the Daimons, while Goggle V Red Ranger used his Red Ruby Whip to crack apart the flesh of the Daimons. Evolution Red Ranger summoned his twin swords, while Bioman Red One used his Bio Sword against the incoming set of Daimons. The two of them easily diced them apart without even breaking a sweat.

Change Dragon of Changeman wielded his blaster effectively blasting through a group of Daimons that were coming after him. He ran off in another direction, blasting a few more Daimons that were attempting to attack a group of civilians when he passed by Red Flash of Flashman. The other Ranger used his Prism Shooter to finish off some meddlesome Daimons that got in his way. He bemoaned about how annoying they were just when one of those Daimons attempted to grab him from behind. To his surprise, a sword cut the Daimon apart with its wielder being none other than Red Mask of Maskman.

Red Falcon of Liveman and Red Speed rushed through the Daimons with FiveRed of Fiveman shooting up the Daimons behind them. The leading Red Rangers were like linemen, pushing the Daimons out of the way so that their companion could reach touchdown with his blaster.

Red Hawk of Jetman flew above the surge of Daimons with his sharp wings and talons being used to cut through the flying Daimons. He returned to the ground with his blaster in hand, taking liberty to shoot after the creatures that got within range. He was joined by Red Aura Ranger who unleashed a fiery chain after a band of Daimons that burnt them to ash.

Amongst the panicking civilians were Bulk and Spike who had gotten caught up in the Daimon Invasion. The two looked at the army of Daimons and Power Rangers, nearly passing out when they caught sight of this. They weren't the only ones who were both afraid and in awe as many of the civilians didn't understand what to make of this Power Ranger army.

A particularly large Daimon was coming after the lost group when Mighty Morphin' Red Ranger came in for interference. He stopped the Daimon by slashing its legs with his Power Sword, thus gaining the focus of the creature. Zeo Ranger V Red showed up with a fully charged strike from his own sword, while Red Turbo Ranger raced through to slash after the Daimon until it was forced into submission.

Red Astro Ranger and Red Galaxy Ranger had their backs against each other. Red Astro Ranger fired a few blasts from his Astro Blaster, while Red Galaxy Ranger summoned fire that wrapped around the Daimons from his Quasar Saber. As the Daimons dropped, Red Lightspeed Ranger showed his own skill by punching his way through a group of Daimons. Time Force Red Ranger and Quantum Ranger joined in on the beating by pummeling away more Daimons that were trying to sneak up on Red Lightspeed Ranger.

Wild Force Red Ranger sharpened his claws as he cut through the lines of Daimons, while Aquitar Red Ranger slashed away with his blade. Red Ninja Storm Ranger and Crimson Ninja Storm Ranger joined in the assault by using their weapons as well to deal with the worst of the Daimons. Red Dino Thunder Ranger laughed as he jumped into the middle of the fight, using his prehistoric powers to cut through a couple of Daimons to show how tough he was.

Red Mystic Force Ranger consumed himself with a fiery spell as Wolf Warrior threw his son's fiery body up into the air. Transforming into a phoenix, Red Mystic Force Ranger burned through a group of Daimons that were trying to ambush a group of civilians.

SPD Red Ranger shot through a couple of Daimons with Red Operation Overdrive Ranger joining in the shootout. Between the two of them, they easily racked up enough points for a prize on the top shelf, which turned out to be a large and very angry Daimon. The two barely fired a couple of rounds when the Daimon came down for the count with Jungle Fury Red Ranger standing up on top of it and a fist covered in Daimon guts.

RPM Red Ranger worked alongside both Red Samurai Rangers on a particular group of Daimons. The two Samurais used their Spin Swords to hurl a stream of fire after the Daimons, which was effective in burning them to a crisp, but there were still so many. RPM Red felt useful at that point as he used his technological skills to help him weave through the thicker skinned Daimons that couldn't be killed by mystical Symbol Power alone.

Angel Force Red Ranger finished off his Daimon as he drove his Aurora Sword into the heart of a Daimon. He pulled his weapon out with a sigh of relief escaping his throat as he looked back at the Dark Gate still up in the sky.

It was going to be a very long day.

* * *

><p>Leading the Blue Ranger unit was none other than Angel Force Blue Ranger. He proudly led the secondthird largest group into the demonic fray. With his Glory Hammer crushing Daimon skulls, he didn't fear much as he finished off a group of Daimons with only a few swings.

Go Squad Blue was close at his side with Mighty Morphin' Blue Ranger nearby as well. Wielding his Power Lance, Mighty Morphin' Blue threw a few Daimons up into the air, giving Go Squad Blue the chance to pummel a few of them before they were finished off by another Ranger who happened to join them. Blue Swallow of Jetman flew into the gap with her sharp wings cutting into the Daimons that were dumb enough to get in her way.

Dia Jack of J.A.K.Q. and Battle Blue were an interesting pair to watch as they punched through a couple of Daimons that were attacking civilians. The scream of a child caught the attention of nearby Electro Blue Ranger who pushed his scarf back as he slid on the concrete to trip the child-attacking Daimon. He was joined by Sun Vulcan Blue who suddenly showed up to body slam the Daimon into submission. The child thanked the Rangers before running off to someplace that was a lot safer for him. Goggle V Blue Ranger went after the kid, escorting a group of civilians that he saved as well so that they could all get someplace safer.

Evolution Blue Ranger joined Bioman Blue Three in a fight against a particularly beefy Daimon. The two Rangers grabbed the Daimon, successfully pushing the wicked beast to the ground before driving their elbows into its chest. The Daimon growled as fire spewed out from its mouth, but the Rangers didn't give up as they called for backup from Change Pegasus who finished the giant Pegasus Zooka, killing the beast with a single shot.

Blue Flash finished his Daimon foe with a kick to the chest that knocked all of the air out of the demonic creature. He turned his sights on another Daimon that had attempted to grab him by the shoulders, but the Ranger pushed him aside before punching the Daimon square in the jaw. He spun to kick back at a Daimon, but was stripped of this as Blue Mask took the Daimon down with a punch to the gut. Blue Mask saluted the other Ranger before leaping back to backup Blue Dolphin of Liveman who finished off a Daimon with her bow and arrow combo.

Blue Speed and FiveBlue pulled their energy together to unleash a focus blast of energy that Blue Aura Ranger. The ball of blue energy rapidly approached a group of Daimons, but Blue Aura Ranger manipulated the attack a little so that it grew in strength. Then Blue Aquitar Ranger came into to add his powers to the mix, slashing the energy blast to trigger a powerful wave that tore the Daimons apart.

Zeo Ranger III Blue and Blue Turbo Ranger were reunited in battle. Since it was Blue Turbo Ranger who took the Turbo power before the Zeo Ranger had the chance to access it, there was always a certain level of guilt for the Turbo Ranger. But those feelings were pushed aside today as the two joined forces to strike out at a surge of Daimons.

Astro Blue Ranger spun around in a cyclone as he hacked apart a group of Daimons with his axe. Blue Galaxy Ranger showed up, hurling a stream of water that came through his Quasar Saber, while Blue Lightspeed Ranger and Blue Time Force Ranger shot Daimons with their blasters on full charge.

Wild Force Blue Rangers used his Surging Shark powers to his advantage as he slashed through a couple of Daimons. Then Blue Ninja Storm Ranger and Navy Ninja Storm Ranger had to go and steal his thunder by taking out even more Daimons then he did. Blue Dino Thunder Ranger told the other Ranger to buck up as he came in, shooting after a couple of Daimons before taking off to fight some more.

Blue SPD Ranger bucked down to one knee, firing a few rounds from his blaster. He sprung back up to his feet and pummeled an incoming Daimon with a rod when Blue Mystic Force Ranger came up behind him. She wielded her aquatic spell to drown a couple of Daimons just as Blue Operation Overdrive Ranger showed up on the opposite end of the street to fire at a few stray Daimons with his blaster.

Blue Jungle Fury Ranger and Blue Spirit Ranger pulled their powers together to fight an incoming group of Daimons. They allowed the animals from within to be unleashed in a fiery display of their powers, while Blue RPM Ranger and Blue Samurai Ranger jumped in to throw their couple of cents into the mix. Firing a few rounds from his cannon, Blue RPM Ranger handled a couple of Daimons, while Blue Samurai Ranger cleaned up the rest of the mess with his Hydro Bow.

The Blue Rangers cleared up a lot of the mess, but Blue Angel Force Ranger knew that it would still take a lot more work to really save the city and the universe.

* * *

><p>Black Angel Force Ranger led his united of Rangers into battle. With his fellow Black Rangers and inner core Green Rangers, the young Ranger knew that he could face the Daimon army without any fear.<p>

A particularly large Daimon stepped forward, looking down on the Rangers like a giant. Most of the Black Rangers and Green Rangers spread out to deal with the other Daimons that the giant led, but not the young Ranger. Black Angel Force Ranger pulled back the bowstring on his Heaven Bow, firing mighty arrows into the flesh of the giant Daimon.

This didn't stop the creature, but it did cause enough of a distraction so others could help him out. Mighty Morphin' Black Ranger used his Power Axe to blast the Daimon at full throttle with Lightspeed Green Ranger backing him up. And the clone of Dino Thunder Black Ranger used his prehistoric powers to launch a destructive orb of energy that tore apart the Daimon, riding the world of its stench.

Green Samurai Ranger hauled ass into a fight, using his Forest Spear to stab a couple of Daimons in the chest. He was backed up by Black Astro Ranger who used his Lunar Lance to hoist a few Daimons up into the air. SPD Green Ranger showed up at that point, firing at the Daimons that were hurled up to clean up the mess that was made.

Black Aquitar Ranger slashed his way through a crowd of Daimons with a mighty yell escaping from his throat. Black Spirit Ranger swooped in at that point, slashing Daimons with the Jungle Fan as Black Condor flew through the crowd to finish them off. Green Spirit Ranger was also present, stomping down survivors with the Jungle Mace.

Black Wild Force Ranger tackled a few Daimons to the ground before springing back on his feet to jump a particularly large Daimon. As the fallen Daimons got back on their feet, Green Two of Bioman and Electro Green Ranger teamed up to bring them down with their blasters

Clover King of J.A.K.Q. fought alongside Go Squad Green in a showdown by a nearby building. A group of civilians' lives were at stake, so the Rangers fought bravely and came out victorious against the Daimon threat. But just as the final Daimon was cut down, another Daimon showed up and knocked the Rangers down to the ground. The Daimon was about to have a feast too when it was defeated by Battle J Black of the Battle Fever Rangers. Battle Black defeated his foe with a sharp blow to the head, taking down the Daimon in a single hit.

Goggle V Black Ranger kicked a Daimon in the chest, knocking away an opponent as Change Griffon Ranger showed up to drag another Daimon down to the ground. Black Evolution Ranger came to assist them as he mowed down a group of incoming Daimons before they had the chance to attack his fellow Rangers.

Green Flash Ranger and Black Mask Ranger were fighting side by side as a crowd of Daimons got dangerously close to them. The duo managed to push the Daimons back, but their numbers kept on growing, which was beginning to become a serious problem. But fortunately for them, Black Bison and Green Rhino of the Liveman team both intervened, taking the added numbers of Daimons down with their combined numbers.

Black Speed Ranger managed to do a hit and run at a group of Daimons, leaving the remaining five up to FiveBlack Ranger. His companion shot up the remaining Daimons before returning his blaster into the holster. The two applauded one another when a very large and angry Daimon showed up behind them. The two were about to attack when a group of blasts destroyed the Daimon before they had a chance to act. Green Time Force Ranger was with Green Turbo Ranger (Marah) who kept on going about how cool being a Power Ranger was.

Under attack by a large number of Daimons, Green Aura Ranger stood alongside Mystic Force Green Ranger and Green Galaxy Ranger. The group of Green Rangers pulled their energies together to create a vortex mixed with earthly and windy energy. They unleashed their attack at full throttle, which easily decimated the Daimons that got caught in the path.

Zeo Ranger IV Green kicked down a couple of incoming Daimons before retrieving his blaster. He easily shot down more Daimons just as Black Operation Overdrive Ranger came in to let out a few rounds of cover fire. The two of them managed to suppress the charging Daimons, but still had a few more to deal with. Luckily, RPM Green and Black Ranger were there for that. RPM Green Ranger jumped into the air with RPM Black Ranger shooting at Daimons to stun them before his partner came down to slash them with his giant axe.

As the numbers of Daimons declined, the Rangers felt a little cocky about what the final outcome might be. Black Angel Force Ranger knew not to be so stupid though as he felt more Daimons coming out from the Dark Gate.

* * *

><p>One of the arguably largest units of Rangers was the one under the command of Yellow Angel Force Ranger. The number of Yellow Rangers that she had backing her up was either larger or smaller then her fellow Angel Force Ranger that liked to wear blue. She led the charge with all her fellow Yellow Rangers taking charge.<p>

Go Squad Yellow Ranger was at the head with Mighty Morphin' Yellow Ranger right behind him. Throwing her Power Daggers at nearby Daimons, Mighty Morphin' Yellow Ranger managed to create an opening for Go Squad Yellow Ranger to lay down the law with a few punishing blows to the skull.

Yellow Owl of Jetman took to the sky with Wild Force Yellow Ranger and Dino Thunder Yellow Ranger flying alongside him. The three Rangers took to the skies to strike the Daimons down, reducing the number of demonic creatures that their fellow Yellow Rangers had to face.

Pooling their ninja resources together, Yellow Aquitar Ranger and Yellow Ninja Storm Ranger attacked as one. They hacked and slashed the Daimons apart without even the slightest bit of mercy when they paused just as a snarling Daimon came charging after them. The two were briefly stunned when Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger tackled the Daimon down before climbing on top of it to smash it in the skull.

Sun Vulcan Yellow Ranger climbed on top of a broken lamppost and used that to give him a boost as he jumped on top of a Daimon. He landed on the damned creature, causing it to take a crash landing before he got out of the crash zone. As the Daimon was clawing its way back on its feet, Electro Yellow Ranger ran right through it and slashed the Daimon apart with a mighty blow.

Goggle V Yellow Ranger and Evolution Yellow Ranger were side by side as they fired a couple of rounds. As a Daimon tried to escape, Goggle V Yellow Ranger pulled the Daimon back with his whip. The whip snapped the Daimon back towards them which was finished off as Zeo Ranger II Yellow charged in to kick the creature in the chest for a fatal blow.

Yellow Speed Ranger and Yellow Turbo Ranger (Kapri) charged through a crowd Daimons with their fists flying all over the place. The duo easily put their speed to the test as they mowed down the Daimons with Yellow Turbo Ranger constantly cheering about how cool she was.

Yellow Four of Bioman was with Yellow Flash Ranger in a fight that the ladies easily hacked their way through as the cut Daimons apart. Their skill was actually put to the test but they were denied the privilege of cutting down the final Daimon as Yellow Mask Ranger took that liberty from them.

Yellow Lion of Liveman and FiveYellow of Fiveman shot their way through a crowd of Daimons to give Operation Overdrive Yellow Ranger timed to plan out her attack. Grabbing her claws, Operation Overdrive Yellow Ranger finished off what her fellow Rangers started as she stomped them down. As the last of the Daimons were taken care of, RPM Yellow Ranger was running down the street to clean up the rest of the mess. She sliced her way through the remaining Daimons without much difficulty but a grin was underneath that helmet.

Hiding civilians behind a barricade, a group of Yellow Rangers fired at nearby Daimons. Yellow Time Force Ranger, Yellow SPD Ranger, Yellow Lightspeed Rescue Ranger, and Yellow Astro Ranger shot down the approaching Daimons with their blasters so to cut open a path for the civilians to escape to. They weren't going to allow any innocent lives to be harmed as they shot down the last of the Daimons with gleeful joy escaping them as they helped the civilians to escape to someplace much safer.

Yellow Aura Ranger was running down the street with Yellow Mystic Force Ranger and Yellow Galaxy Ranger not too far behind. The Aura Ranger hurled a blast of psychic energy from his body that managed to stun the Daimons that circled around them. Yellow Mystic Force Ranger and Yellow Galaxy Ranger pulled their electrifying resources together to unleash shocking bolts of lightning after the Daimons that easily took their numbers down a couple of notches.

Fighting to protect a little girl and a little boy, Yellow Samurai Ranger fought off a group of Daimons on her own. She caused her enemies to step back by tossing her Earth Slicer after them, slashing them to pieces with the boomerang before it came back to her. A Daimon got too close to her though and was easily able to knock her down, which left the kids vulnerable to an attack. The Samurai Ranger managed to retrieve her Spin Sword that had fallen on the ground and struck the Daimon from behind just in time too. Relieved to see that mess over with, Yellow Samurai Ranger forced herself back onto her feet and got the kids out of there.

Yellow Angel Force Ranger charged over a group of Daimons as she landed next to a car with a broken window. A smile formed underneath her helmet as she touched the door, which caused the engine to ignite. She sent the car charging towards the Daimons, using it to mow the initial charge down before taking down the survivors with her Holy Pistols.

As more Daimons fell, Yellow Angel Force Ranger was allowing herself to believe that they actually stood a chance. But she knew that they couldn't afford to get ahead of themselves, they still had a Dark Lord to deal with.

* * *

><p>Pink Angel Force Ranger led her fellow Pink Rangers into battle against the Daimon Army. The Pink Rangers might have been thought of as the cute, weaker members of their Ranger teams, but today that rumor was about to get debunked. The Pink Rangers were going to show off how tough they really were as they fought to protect the world.<p>

A mother-daughter pair took the main challenge as Mighty Morphin' Pink Ranger and Pink Angel Force Ranger took on a horde of Daimons. The mother and daughter fought valiantly against the Daimons. Pink Angel Force Ranger took out her Sacred Claws, using them to cut down the Daimons one by one with intense ferocity. Mighty Morphin' Pink Ranger showed her daughter how it was really done as she used her Power Bow to decimate their numbers with a barrage of arrows.

Go Squad Pink Ranger worked alongside Heart Queen (J.A.K.Q.) and Battle Pink Ranger against a particularly large group of Daimons. The trio knocked the Daimons out of their way as they pushed onward against the demonic army that they were up against. Battle Pink Ranger threw herself against a massive Daimon, while Heart Queen and Go Squad Pink Ranger used powerful blasts of energy to back them up.

Electro Squad Pink Ranger ducked out of the way of a Daimon's giant fist. She retrieved her blaster that she had dropped on the ground and took aim right between the Daimon's eyes. The laser blast stunned the Daimon long enough for Evolution Pink Ranger and Pink Galaxy Ranger to go in for the final blow. Evolution Pink Ranger slashed the beast with her Rose Saber and Pink Galaxy Ranger dug her Quasar Saber into the Daimon's back to bring the Daimon down in defeat.

Goggle V Pink Ranger cracked the air with her ribbon as she ensnared it around a bulky Daimon that just didn't know when to quit. She dragged the beast down to the ground with all the strength that she could muster up. With that Daimon down, she joined Pink Five Ranger to knock down another Daimon that was proving to be a pain in the ass.

Change Phoenix dove in to stomp down a Daimon that was about to ambush a group of civilians. She used her full body weight to knock the Daimon down, giving the civilians a chance to escape when more Daimons started to interfere. The civilians screamed in terror just when the Daimons were gunned down by Pink Speed Ranger, Pink Flash Ranger, and FivePink Ranger. The trio shot down the Daimons, bringing their terror to an end, which allowed the civilians to escape to higher ground.

Pink Mask Ranger kicked a Daimon away from her before leaping down from the platform she was on top of. She landed beside Zeo Ranger I Pink and Pink Astro Ranger who were busy fighting off their own Daimons. Zeo Ranger I Pink used her Zeo Power Disc to knock her opponents down, while Pink Astro Ranger shot them down with her Satellite Stunner.

Pink Turbo Ranger loved being back in all of the action as she jumped above a Daimon. Being a queen kept her away from fighting, but she enjoyed the thrill that she got as she kicked her enemy in the throat before turning to the next Daimon with her elbow knocking into its ear. With the Daimon's equilibrium shattered, she finished it off with a few blasts from her Turbo Wind Fire.

Pink Aura Ranger saw herself outnumbered by a group of Daimons. They were coming dangerously close to her, while she simply stood still and waited for them. When they were just about to grab onto her, the Ranger unleashed the power that she had been storing within her. Her aura lashed out violently against the Daimons, cutting them to piece without so much as any resistance.

Avoiding a breath of fire, Pink Lightspeed Rescue Ranger got out of the way of getting burned with relative ease. She held up her blaster and shot at the vulnerable Daimon before charging in, using the baton mode to pummel her opponent down to submission. With the Daimon down for the count, she mumbled something about not playing with fire before rushing off to fight more Daimons.

Pink Time Force Ranger and Pink SPD Ranger fought side by side against a wave of Daimons. The two were known for being far more aggressive, at least the Time Force Ranger was currently known for that. Pink SPD Ranger proved herself to be a talented fighter as she picked a Daimon up by its leg before throwing it at a nearby Daimon. She kicked another Daimon in the face and ducked as Pink Time Force Ranger jumped above her. Using her Chrono Sabers, Pink Time Force Ranger showed off her strength as she cut a group of Daimons down.

Operation Overdrive Pink Ranger ran down the street and fired laser blasts from her blaster as she looked back to see a very big Daimon running after her. She turned back to shoot the Daimon, but her lasers weren't enough. Much to her relief, Pink Mystic Force Ranger and Pink Samurai Ranger jumped in for backup. The two Pink Rangers brought their Magi Staff and Spin Sword together to unleash a vicious cyclone that met the Daimon halfway. Their wind proved to be too powerful the Daimon as it tore the damned thing to bits.

The Daimons were dying down as the Pink Rangers proved their worth. Pink Angel Force Ranger climbed on top of a Daimon that she had slayed with her claws and looked up to the Dark Gate, well aware that things were only just beginning.

* * *

><p>White Angel Force Ranger led the White Rangers and a few others into battle against the Daimon Army. Currently, Mighty Morphin' Green Ranger and White Aura Ranger, who looked exactly like Mighty Morphin' White Ranger, were at his side. Green Ninja Storm Ranger wasn't too far behind either. As eerie as it was, White Angel Force Ranger tried not worry too much as he faced the Daimons.<p>

Mighty Morphin' Green Ranger hurled a bolt of energy from the Dragon Dagger that stunned a few Daimons. The attack was effective enough, giving an opportunity to White Aura Ranger to leap in with his Byakko as he used the mighty saber to slash apart the Daimons until they all dropped down to the ground in defeat.

Change Mermaid Ranger jumped in a bit of Daimons after catching a ride from White Swan of Jetman. Change Mermaid Ranger fought through the lines of Daimons with every bit of strength inside of her when a mighty roar caught her attention. She briefly turned away as she caught a Daimon in a headlock. Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger and White Wild Force Ranger jumped in to back up their fellow Ranger. White Wild Force Ranger slashed through her opponents with her sharp talons, cutting Daimon after Daimon down. Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger used his Claw Morpher to unleash a variety of high powered energy slashes that cut the Daimons that got in his way apart. Change Mermaid Ranger smirked as she knocked down the Daimon she had as her captive before running off to help others.

White Swan flew off above the Rangers before landing at her intended destination. She touched the ground that was not too far from White Dino Thunder Ranger. She joined him in battle as they sliced through the Daimons that were in the way. White Dino Thunder Ranger finished cutting down a couple of Daimons with a barrage of arrows as White Swan took to the sky again to strike the Daimons from an aerial advantage.

Big One of J.A.Q.K. found himself quickly surrounded by the Daimons. He didn't seem to care though as he threw his cape back and took charge with his long staff in hand. He easily fought through the Daimons, knocking them all down without any bit of mercy. When one of the Daimons tried to fire lightning from its mouth at him, Big One simply threw his staff into the Daimon's mouth, causing the attack to backfire on the Daimon as it fell to defeat.

Omega Ranger turned away from a group of incoming Daimons with a heavy breath escaping from his chest as he crouched down. The Daimons were nearly upon him as he restored himself back to full strength. He began to charge up the throttle in his Omega Morpher to boost his strength before releasing a charge blast of electricity that shot the Daimons down when a Daimon the size of Goliath came running down the street. Omega Ranger gulped as he fixed the throttle up once more before firing an intense beam of light that hit the Daimon in the chest with all of its might. If that didn't take care of the Daimon then nothing in his arsenal could. Lucky for him, the attack did succeed in taking down the Daimon, which left the Omega Ranger relieved as he turned around to fight more Daimons.

White Mystic Force Ranger used her sorceress magick to hurl a storm of snow after a band of Daimons that were after defenseless civilians. Her good magick protected the innocent people as the blizzard grew strong and began to viciously attack the Daimons. With a tight grip on her Snow Staff, she charged into the middle of her own blizzard and used her weapon to slash her opponents down with her full fury until each one was done for.

White Aquitar Ranger stood perfectly still as she crouched down to the ground to concentrate on the giant Daimon that was stomping towards her. She had already taken down a dozen of those mindless creatures with this bag daddy being the only thing that trouble her. Unsheathing her blade, White Aquitar Ranger jumped into the air and performed a series of high powered attacks that tore the Daimon apart. Upon landing to the ground, she returned her sword to its sheath as the Daimon dropped face first into a pile of its own blood.

Green Ninja Storm Ranger removed his sword from its sheath before taking charge into a river of Daimons. He hacked and slashed through each of them as quickly as he could and managed to do so without being hit once. One Daimon did get lucky enough to attack the Ranger from his back, but the armor protected him from harm, which allowed the Ranger to strike back before it was too late. He slashed the Daimon down to the dump with a grin forming underneath his helmet as he straightened himself out.

Now, White Angel Force Ranger protected civilians with his Solar Blade against a very bloodthirsty Daimon. He brought the Daimons down by hurling the strongest blasts of light that he could from his body until each Daimon dropped to the ground, groaning in its defeat. The White Ranger turned back around to face the civilians that he quickly got to work on getting them far away from this war torn zone.

Seeing the chaos that went on around him, White Angel Force Ranger knew that this was going to take a lot of work to clean up.

* * *

><p>Orange Angel Force Ranger only had two Orange Rangers to fight alongside him, but he had his father as the Quantum Ranger, Black Lion Warrior, the Gold Rangers, and Phantom Ranger to back him up. They all took charge against the Daimon with Orange Angel Force Ranger leading them into the middle of all the mayhem.<p>

Battle J Orange rolled on the ground to avoid an attack from a Daimon before springing back up to his feet to kick another Daimon. He grinned as that Daimon went down as he turned back to attack his former attacker. He grabbed the Daimon's fist then pulled the creature close to him before slamming his elbow against the Daimon's face. The creature went down as its neck snap, which allowed the Ranger to turn to fight more Daimons.

Gold Zeo Ranger jumped above some Daimons with a smile underneath his helmet as Phantom Ranger fought alongside him. The two of them managed to knock a solid chunk of the Daimons down without too much of a strain. Using his Golden Power Staff, Gold Zeo Ranger unleashed a shockwave of energy that successfully took a majority of the Daimons down. The few that remained were easily finished off by Phantom Ranger as he turned invisible to pummel them down into submission.

Solaris Knight conjured up his magick to form a protective ring around him. The spell burnt the Daimons that tried to come near him. Once the attacks began to get a little too taxing for him, he knew that he needed to put the Daimons out of their misery. He pulled out his Solaris Laser Lamp to finish off the last of them.

S.P.D. Kat Ranger jumped above Daimons that were harming innocent civilians. She saw one of the men who fought bravely to protect the group suffering from a grave injury so she hurried to intervene before it was too late for him. She snatched the attacking Daimon by the arm before pushing it back with a heavy kick. She took out a standard blaster to gun down the Daimons before they could harm anyone else. With the Daimons dealt with, Kat Ranger assisted the injured man and the civilians as she hurried to get them all to safety.

RPM Gold Ranger and Gold Samurai Ranger avoided a breath of fire from a draconic looking Daimon that had certainly seen better days. The duo nodded at each other as Gold Samurai Ranger unsheathed his Barracuda Blade and took off running. RPM Gold Ranger pulled out his SkyShift Blazer, setting it on full power as he took shots at the Daimon to keep it weak enough not to avoid what they had planned. As the Daimon stumbled around, Gold Samurai Ranger went in for the finishing blows as he unleashed serious attacks that defeated the Daimon with ease.

Black Lion Warrior fought through the invasion without much trouble. He used every bit of strength that he had in his body to take down Daimon after Daimon. This was his chance at true redemption, every battle before now had just been the road to recovery. He bravely cut through the lines of Daimons, not skipping a beat at protecting innocent lives and the world.

Father and son fought together as the Daimons drew closer towards them. Quantum Time Force Ranger had his Quantum Defender out as he shot after the Daimons, while Orange Angel Force Ranger attacked with his Celestial Lance to lay down the law. The two of them fought well together as the Daimons began to drop like flies all around them. Quantum Ranger slashed what seemed like the last of the Daimons down with his Quantum Defender before looking back at his distracted stun.

Orange Angel Force Ranger had his eyes on the sky. The Dark Gate looked positively vicious as it blocked out every bit of light from the sun and even the moon. He tightened his grip on his lance, reminding himself that he needed to be focused on saving the world and the ones that he loved most.

* * *

><p>Violet Angel Force Ranger had Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger, Green Chameleon Warrior, SPD Shadow Ranger, the Silver Rangers, Blue Senturion, and Magna Defender fighting alongside her. The presence of her father was encouraging to her, but she was just mainly happy she wouldn't be alone as she led the charge.<p>

Magna Defender ducked for cover as Blue Senturion from his Senturion Synergizer. Once the first couple of Daimons were brought down for the count, Magna Defender got back on his feet as he fired a couple of blasts from his own Magna Blaster. Their blasts worked pretty well and as the last couple of Daimons continued to stand, they charged forward with their blades to slash their opponents to bits.

Titanium Ranger avoided a chain of explosions by a nasty Daimon that was fond of explosions. A groan of pain escaped from him as he took out his Titanium Laser to gun down the Daimon with his blasts being joined by a few more rounds that took him by surprise. He looked back to see Wild Force Wolf Ranger and Operation Overdrive Mercury Ranger joining him in the gunfire. The three of them worked together to suppress the Daimon before it finally decided to go down for the count, causing an explosion to backfire on itself.

SPD Shadow Ranger fought alongside Green Chameleon Warrior against the wave of Daimons. Shadow Ranger groaned about he was getting too old, in dog years, for this job as he charged in to fight with his Shadow Saber. Not liking getting shown up, especially by a dog, Green Chameleon Warrior was off in a hurry as she cut the Daimons down with her sai. The two of them succeeded in taking down the Daimons with happy grins crossing their faces.

RPM Silver Ranger went solo to protect a civilian that had wandered into the streets. She used herself as a mini-shield against a heavy-armed Daimon that was hungry for some human flesh. The civilian cried out in fear as she saw the Ranger go down from the attack. But just when the Daimon was about to attack the civilian, RPM Silver Ranger surprised her enemy by slashing her Cloud Hatchet at the back of its leg before going for the head. Now that problem was solved, she called for the woman to get out of there.

Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger weaved through many attacks that were hardly a challenge to his quick thinking. He caught a couple of attacks, he countered with a few of his own, and he even surprised Daimons by his brilliance. When the last of the Daimons were charging after him, he held up his fist to charge up an attack that would work wonders. Streams of violet energy began to wrap around his legs, which he kicked forward to decimate the remaining Daimons in a stunning display of his Wolf Spirit.

Silver Astro Ranger and Violet Angel Force Ranger had their backs turned to each other as the Daimons swarmed them. The father and daughter broke apart to face the charge without so much as batting an eyelash. The Astro Ranger and king slashed through every Daimon that got in his way before turning back to rush to his daughter's side. Much to his surprise, Violet Angel Force Ranger held her own as she unleashed a surge of stars from her Divine Wand that cut down all of the Daimons that got in her way.

Smiling underneath her helmet, Violet Angel Force Ranger was a little relieved to know that they had handled the Daimons well. But all it took was one look at the Dark Gate to see the violent energy that surged around it. Clenching onto her chest, she understood that they needed to continue to remain strong if they were going to defeat Luther.

* * *

><p>While the Power Rangers fought to subdue the Daimon Army, the villains worked on challenge Luther at the ruins of the old Command Center. The spell that the Dark Lord trapped them with had been broken the moment that the Dark Gate had been opened. Luther's concentration had been spread too thin, which is what gave the villains an opportunity to strike against the Dark Lord of Pride.<p>

Rushing against the brief window, Bakari summoned all five of his swords at once as he attempted to execute the Dark Lord. The five blades cut through the air by the magick of his mind, but were all stopped before they came even close to hitting the Dark Lord. Luther opened his eyes with an annoyed grunt escaping from the back of his throat as he pushed the swords back at their wielder.

Bakari caught two of his blades, while the other three were broken upon landing. The General jumped over a pile of rocks before swinging both of his swords at Luther. The Dark Lord caught the first of the swords, while allowing the second to harmlessly pass by him. Luther barely even looked remotely entertained as he pushed the General aside before drawing his own sword to slash the man in half.

As the blade got dangerously close to his head, Bakari was lucky as another sword intervened. With a sword covered in light, Helios defended his companion from harm as he pushed the Dark Lord back with all of his might. Helios attempted to stab at the Dark Lord with his glowing sword, hoping that he could get just one attack to pierce through that evil chest.

Luther barely even had to put an effort to dodge the attacks. He simply stepped off to the side as each attack whizzed right past him like a harmless butter knife. The Dark Lord finally caught the sword with its bright light not burning him as it would an ordinary foe.

Helios grunted as he tried to break his weapon from the grip of the Dark Lord. Amused by his frustration, Luther gathered a ball of light in the palm of hand before holding it up against the Guardian's chest. Helios's eyes began to widen but nothing could be done as Luther's attack hit his armored chest with full force. The Guardian was easily thrown across the desert path, crashing into Bakari in the process and caused the both of them to easily be knocked down.

Turning back, Luther caught another blade that had attempted to sneak up on him. The Dark Lord came face to face with Kratein, who's eyes burned with youthful hatred for Pride.

"Did I hurt your boyfriend?" mocked Luther.

"I can't wait until you die!" shouted Kratein.

The Prince pushed himself away from the Dark Lord just in time too as Luther swung his sword forward and would've easily sliced him in half. Luther kicked his feet against the ground though to give him a little boost as he flew towards the young Prince with a vicious smile on his face. Kratein jumped over a pile of debris as he clenched his sword tighter, avoiding another attack from the Dark Lord.

Upon landing, Kratein gathered all of his might into a single attack. He created a ball of chaotic energy that he hurled after the Dark Lord. The power attack flew across the desert, but it was blocked as Luther held his sword up to withhold the Prince's blow. Luther slashed the attack apart like it was nothing before beating his mighty wings to unleash a gust of wind that overpowered the Prince. Pieces of Kratein's armor was broken in the process as the youth was disarmed before crashing to on the ground, defeated.

Luther didn't even have to beg for another challenge as he felt a ball of light coming after him. The Dark Lord took to the sky when he saw something coming straight at him. He took notice as Lightning was flying after him, seemingly, walking on the wind with her Gunblade fully drawn and ready to dice into his meat.

This seemed interesting to the Dark Lord as he turned to face her head on. He swung his sword forward and easily connected blows with Lightning. The two forces collided, creating a powerful shockwave that shattered more of the violated remains of the Command Center.

"I know that face," said Luther as he leaned closer to Lightning. "So you were brought back from damnation too, huh sister? It seems nothing can keep us Fallen down for long."

"To Hell with you!" shouted Lightning as she pushed him back.

Luther landed on a broken pillar with Lightning landing not too far from him. He tightened his grip on his sword as he gathered a ball of violet flame in the palm of his hand. "Quite the tongue your vessel has, Barachiel," said the Dark Lord. "Or is this you speaking? I could never tell. The Lightning of God, you were always the snippy one. None of the boy Celestials up in Paradise wanted to play with you. It seems like you're going through the same sexual frustrations in this life."

Feeling a swell of power rushing through her, a power that belonged to a Fallen Celestial, Lightning hurled a blast of gravitational energy after Luther. However, the Dark Lord expected something just like that as he hurled the violet fire that had been burning his hand. The Dark Lord's powers ripped through the vessel of a Fallen, crashing into Lightning as it left a wicked burn that irritated her flesh like no other.

Another blast of energy ripped through the air though, one that Luther wasn't surprised to see. He could see Thrax coming up after him with the entire Z-Staff glowing in magical energy. The Dark Lord lunged forward to block an incoming attack with his sword that the angry mutant was attempting to hit the Dark Lord with.

Luther locked eyes with Thrax before huffing at the mutant like the insignificant cretin that he was. "Now, you're just a pathetic slob," said Luther. "You really need to get over yourself."

"Sounds like you should be taking your own advice!" Thrax growled.

The two kept their weapons locked together before Luther yawned in boredom. Before Thrax even had the chance to blink, Luther unleashed a tide of energy that travelled from his forearm through his sword. Thrax was easily blown away, crashing into a broken pillar before slipping away into a semi-conscious state.

Umbra and Zodiark came in after that as they struck Luther was one. The combined force of their blades was enough to push Luther back, but it wasn't enough to defeat him. The power that was behind it though brought chills to the Dark Lord's spine as he tried to recognize it. Luther could tell that Zodiark was a vessel for Orphan, but Umbra was something else. The mystery bothered him, irritating him to no end as he broke away from the Dark Prince and the Ranger Hunter.

The homicidal Ranger Hunter gathered a ball of fire into his hands with an awful grin forming on his pale face. Umbra unleashed the fire, but it spread like a deadly inferno that completely consumed the Dark Lord in its wake.

Luther belched the attack aside as he consumed the flames in a single gulp. The Dark Lord returned the gesture by hurling a proper blast of fire after Umbra that easily brushed the Ranger Hunter aside, leaving him alone with Zodiark.

The Dark Prince drew his blade once more against the Dark Lord. Luther had similar manners as the two began to walk circles around each other, waiting for one of them to make the first move. Not like it mattered much, Luther already knew that the match would be his, especially since he sensed that Zodiark was a little tired.

Yes, the fight against Clare had proven to be far more taxing then Zodiark was willing to let on.

Without skipping a beat, Zodiark hurled a bolt of energy from his sword that was deflected by the Dark Lord. Upon seeing this, Zodiark charged in order to strike with what would have been a fatal blow to his enemy had Luther not expected such a simple trick.

Luther guarded against the attack but he had also managed to knock Zodiark in the shoulder, doing some unpleasant damage to it. The Dark Lord grinned as he dismissed his weapon and began to walk away from the Dark Prince as he dropped to one knee. "Orphan was much better at that trick then you are," mocked the Dark Lord of Pride. "It's no wonder that you're not worthy enough to be a True Vessel, boy."

"What!" Zodiark hissed, clenching onto his shoulder.

A smile quickly began to spread across Luther's face as he turned back around to gaze upon the injured Dark Prince. The amount of amusement he felt rising throughout him knew no bounds as he gathered a ball of light in the palm of his hand. "What an arrogant bastard you are," said Luther. "You actually thought you mattered? Fool, you're just a tool and not even a good one at that. You're just so easily manipulated. Orphan's little bitch that's what you are, boy."

Hurling the orb of light into the air, Luther unleashed a gravitational force that began to lift all of the villains up into the air. They tried to fight his attack, but the power of the Dark Lord trumped everything that they could muster. Zodiark still had his eyes on Luther though as the Dark Lord blew him a kiss.

"Send my love to the Power Rangers for me," said Luther, "if they're still alive."

The attack was harmless, but it was meant for something. Luther used his magick to transport the villains away from him, sending all of them to the heart of Angel Grove where the Power Rangers fought the Daimon Army. Luther wanted all of his enemies at one place as he planned to eradicate them all in a single blow.

Power Ranger, villain, Daimon; they were all going to die at the end of today. Luther would make certain that nothing would stand up against him as he displayed the power of a true Celestial.

* * *

><p>Watching all the mayhem, the results of the battle was becoming rather sickening. Inside the Command Center, Cid was with Alpha 8 and a recovering Dylan where they watched the Power Ranger Army fighting valiantly against the Daimon Army. No matter how many Daimons were killed by the Rangers, another would always rise up to take its place.<p>

The battle would eventually tip to the point where there would be no return.

Cid clenched his fist as Alpha 8 uttered softly about how much danger they were all in. Even with all the numbers they had gathered to fight the Daimons, things still weren't looking that good. Even though Clare was hunting down more powerful allies to help fight the Daimons, there wasn't much that could be done to tip the scales.

Dylan felt his stomach tightening up into a ball as he saw Blue Angel Force Ranger getting knocked down by a Daimon. As the creature was about to attack, the Ranger was saved by other Blue Rangers who fended off the Daimon before slaying it.

That would be the final straw for the recovering mage as he shot up to his feet. He fought through the exhaustion he felt from pulling Zodiark and Clare apart from their duel as he began to stagger towards a door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cid asked, snatching the boy by his arm. "You are in no condition to do anything."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing!" said Dylan. "I have magick. I can help the Rangers fight the Daimons."

"You're too weak," said Cid. "The Daimons could easily kill you."

"Then come with me," urged Dylan. "I know that you're worried about Serena. We can fight together and help our friends save the universe."

A light sigh escaped Cid as he realized just how easily manipulated he was by this kid. He was gravely concerned for the safety of his princess, he'd never forgive himself if something were to happen to her. Biting down on his lip, Cid caved in as he gave into the demands of the mage. He turned to Alpha 8 and didn't even have to say a single word as Alpha 8 already got to work on teleporting the two of them to the battlefield.

Entering the warzone, Cid and Dylan were in for a big surprise as they came face to face with their first Daimon. The giant creature roared as it stormed across the road upon catching the scent of fresh meat. Cid responded immediately to this by retrieving his whip and cracked it against the skull of the Daimon before feeling a sword in his hand.

Cid looked back at his companion to see that it was Dylan that conjured the weapon for him. The young soldier began to grin as he charged after the Daimon to perform the finishing blow. The sword created out of magick pierced the flesh of the creature, ending its soulless existence with only one strike.

As the Daimon dropped and faded away, another Daimon was coming down the road not too far behind.

This time, Dylan stood in the way as he held up his hands. Fighting past the feeling of exhaustion, the young mage conjured numerous vines that broke through the ground and began to ensnare the Daimon. With the Daimon caught in his trap, Dylan hurled the beast into the air with the vines sprouting vicious thorns that finished the damned creature.

More Daimons began to rush towards them not that the young man and the boy had their undivided attention. Since they were in an area of Angel Grove where the Rangers weren't too close to, it was all riding on their backs to fend off this attack.

Cid and Dylan charged into the fray, however, willing to deal with the consequences that would be spawned from this fight.

* * *

><p>So much violence spread as the Power Rangers did everything in their power to preserve order. The fighting was spreading them too thin though as they could no longer focus on their groups, which forced many to go solo into the Daimon Invasion. Knowing that their lives could easily end, the Rangers weren't afraid to pay the ultimate price in a battle that held the fate of the universe on the line.<p>

Ranger after Ranger found themselves fighting alone against what felt like overwhelming odds.

Amongst the loners was Black Angel Force Ranger. He had been separated from the Green Rangers and his fellow Black Rangers when the wall to a building collapsed nearby. He had wandered into another part of town, fighting Daimons there, with hopes of reuniting with another Ranger later on. He didn't hold his breath though when he saw a large, muscular Daimon rise up from the ground.

"Fuck me," groaned Black Angel Force Ranger. The Daimon snarled at him, signaling to the boy that he was hungry. As the Daimon rushed towards him, the Ranger held up his Heaven Bow to fire a few arrows into the head of the creature. Every arrow managed to pierce the target, but the stubborn Daimon refused to just die.

So much for being the Celestial of Death, thought the Ranger. He switched his bow for his Angel Sword as he stormed off towards the Daimon without so much as a second though. The boy swung his sword forward once he was close enough, succeeding in severing the Daimon's arm, which was pretty cool.

The Ranger turned back around just as the Daimon yelled at the bloody stump that was its arm. The Daimon tried to lash out at the Ranger with its one good arm when it too was severed off, but not by him.

Leaping besides the boy was Orange Angel Force Ranger who managed to find his lover in all of the chaos. The Daimon gave out a heavy cry of pain before the Ranger through the Celestial Lance through its throat to finally silence the damn thing.

With the Daimon now dead and no more running around the immediate area, the two Rangers dropped to the ground as exhaustion began to take them both. Slowly, they unbuckled their helmets to take in a fresh breath of air and clean off some of the sweat that coated their skin.

"How many more are out there?" whispered Eric.

"Millions," said Connor, "if not more. There are so many Daimons in the Underworld, they could possibly be in the billions. We've got a long way to go before this fight is over."

"Damn," Eric said, biting his tongue. "Then I guess I really don't have much of a choice. We might not make it out of this battle alive, especially if we have to fight a billion Daimons."

"Please don't talk like that," begged Connor. "I really don't want to think about dying…again."

Eric nodded his head as he got the meaning behind that plea. Since their talk with Yahweh, Connor was reeling from the fact that he was the Celestial of Death and that he had been killed by the Creator, Himself. It was a thought that made Eric a little sick to his stomach now that he thought about it. Connor was really Samael, a being that has been around for billions upon billions of years. And here he thought that he was the child molester in the relationship, the young man had nothing on the boy in terms of age.

"None of this is pretty," said Eric, "but I just know that we have to keep fighting. We won't have any hope at fixing the world if we give up." The young man pushed himself back onto his feet and was soon joined by his boyfriend. He saw the look of hope in Connor's eyes, but also the fear, sparked Eric to reach out to touch him. Eric gently reached out for the boy's hands as he pulled him close so that his breath touched the youthful flesh. "I promise, Connor, that I will protect you from everything. No matter what happens, I won't allow anything to hurt you."

"There's no way you can promise that," Connor said, shaking a little.

"I have one suggestion how I can remedy that," whispered Eric. "I have something that can motivate us both to survive this war. If you say yes then I will give you my body, my heart, and my soul, but you have to say." This caught Connor's attention as he looked up to the young man. Eric took hold of the boy's face, lightly placing a kiss over his lips before moving so that their cheeks touched as he whispered those words into his ear. "Will you marry me, Connor Song?"

Connor's eyes widened to the point where they nearly came out from their sockets. The boy had to look at Eric's face to see if this was a joke or not. When he saw just how serious that the young man was, oddly enough Connor felt all his fears melt away. He should've been angry since the middle of the Apocalypse was not the time to purpose marriage to someone. But it was something so normal, it was what something that Connor never believed he could have, right now though it was staring him in the face so he jumped at the opportunity.

"Yes," said Connor, "yes, I'll marry you."

Eric smiled as he embraced Connor in his arms. Even as an explosion went off in the distance as Rangers and Daimons fought for supremacy, for one moment all of that was nonexistent. For a single moment, there was happiness in the world as Eric and Connor found solace with each other.

* * *

><p>High above everything, Luther gazed out into the city as the Daimons ran completely wild. The mindless creatures attacked every man, woman, and child that was fool enough to be out in the open. But the Power Rangers would always intervene, protecting the "innocent", fighting the scary, evil Daimons.<p>

It was oddly hilarious to the Dark Lord of Pride as he stepped away from the edge of the building and sat down on a chair. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest up a little with visions of happier times assaulting his mind. These horrid images did not belong to his normal train of thought or even had anything to do with his current emotions. Someone was tampering with his thoughts and he had a sinking suspicion that he knew exactly who it was.

But Luther remained silent though as he sat on the chair. His mind played the beautiful images of the Elysian Fields that he roamed with his twin brother, Mikhail. The two of them locked arm in arm, embracing the magnificence that was their life in Paradise. Everything was so blindingly perfect as they were Divine Celestials who held bountiful respect for being born from the High Celestial, Adam. Only the Old Ones were above the two of them.

Clenching his chest, Luther whispered for the images to stop when he began to hear growls. He opened his eyes to see over two dozen Daimons on the rooftop with him. The Dark Lord didn't have the chance to say a single word as the first of the Daimons was cut down in a single blow.

The sound of a sword cutting the air and Daimon bones permeated the Dark Lord's ear canal. He saw a single swordsman on the rooftop with him, fighting the Daimons without so much as breaking a sweat.

Yahweh had returned once more for reasons that only Luther could guess.

The Old One, the Second, continued to wear the suit that he wore with his little meeting with the Power Rangers. He carried his sword like an extension of his arm as he moved with fluid grace before slicing another Daimon apart.

Four Daimons tried to jump the Old One at once, but Yahweh was far quicker, stronger, and clever then they were. It only took a single blow for him to slice them all apart before turning his sights on the few Daimons that remained on the rooftop.

By holding up his palm, Yahweh obliterated them all in a blast of divine light that left a slight burn against Luther's flesh as he set his full attention on the Old One.

"You promised that you wouldn't intervene," uttered Luther. "Are you a liar now, brother? Is that why you're importing these poisonous images into my mind? Are you here to pass judgment on me? Kill me before the Dark Gate destroys everything."

Yahweh rolled his eyes as he returned his sword into its sheath. He began to walk towards his brother, while rubbing off some Daimon blood that had stained his left cheek. "Oh calm down, drama queen," said Yahweh. "I'm just here to talk. It's not my fault that your retarded pets attacked me first. They're the fools thinking that they could cut themselves a slice of angel food cake."

Luther gave a light chuckle as he sat back against the chair, presenting another one for Yahweh to sit in. The kind gesture didn't go unnoticed as Yahweh sat down beside the Dark Lord, kicking his feet on top of a half-broken table. Yahweh conjured them both a glass of wine then took a generous sip from his own glass.

"I am only watching out for my interest," Yahweh said to Luther. "But know this, Luther, I will intervene if my interest becomes gravely endangered by you."

"You act like there's a human out there worth saving," laughed Luther as he drank his wine. "Yes, I won't break Orphan's vessel, but there is no harm in slapping him around a bit. As I recall, that was a sport in Paradise long ago that's still practiced today in less than polite circles."

"Ah yes," said Yahweh, "some of our brothers and sisters are a little barbaric. But no, I am not concerned with Orphan's vessel. Zodiark will say yes to Orphan when the opportunity presents itself, but that day is not today."

Luther huffed as he finished the last of his wine. He looked at his brother, eyes narrowing as he tried to picture exactly what it was that Yahweh meant by that. "You act as if I will fail," said Luther. "I have come too far to be stopped. There isn't a power on this miserable rock that can defeat me."

Yahweh nodded his head as he chugged down his wine before filling the glass up once more. He took another sip just too wet his whistle a little when he decided to fill his little brother in on some of the finer details. "There might not be a power that can defeat you, Lucy," said Yahweh, "but that still doesn't make you invincible. I would practice an air of caution around the Power Rangers and their allies. You were a key player in the construction of the Dark Nexus and the Universal Morphing Grid, b1ut that power is not rightfully yours." Yahweh quickly took down all of his wine in a single gulp before standing up from his chair. "If the Rangers and their allies find a way to turn the powers of the Grids against you then nothing will be able to save you."

If those words were true then the Dark Lord King had much to fear.

Yahweh was right about one thing, the powers of the Grids was something he could not fully wield. The purpose of their design was to create a power source that would create balance for the universe, maintaining the ultimate level of order. Luther's was a paradox to his own system, he was the creator of the system, but he was now the greatest for of imbalance in the entire universe.

Luther swallowed the words of his superior, clenching onto the glass as he held back his tongue. The last thing he needed to do was to lash out against someone was powerful as Yahweh. It also kept him from saying anything else that he might regret, especially pushing details about what it was that Yahweh found so interesting.

Maybe it had something to do with Yahweh's pathetic fascination with humans. The Old One always was a bit of a sympathizer, at least before his confinement to Purgatory. Yahweh thought the little, hairless apes were the most peculiar of creatures that their Father had breathed life into.

Sensing that he was wearing out his welcome, Yahweh took both of their glasses and threw it from the top of the building. He allowed them to drop on the skulls of a pair of Daimons, killing them when the glass shattered.

"Farewell, Lucy," Yahweh said, waving dramatically. "May the Creator have mercy on you, if He's listening."

The thunderous flapping of wings caused Luther to hurl a bolt of energy at the spot where Yahweh once stood. The damned Second was a constant annoyance that Luther wished he could deal with properly, but he did not have the power to do so.

But what Luther wanted to know was what such a great interest to the Old One was. There wasn't much that Yahweh would find interesting, mostly due to the fact that he didn't exactly have the longest attention span. Yahweh had a bit of a childish curiosity, which led to him always jumping around from one subject to the next. But when he was serious though, only Orphan could be more frightening then Yahweh. It was a sight that Luther did not want to live through again as he rose up from the chair.

Luther looked down to the fighting below him, watching as the Power Rangers continued to fight the Daimons.

There were only a few moments longer before it would be too late for anything to be done to save this miserable world. In the hands of the Dark Lord was an ancient power that he would wield into combat against the Power Rangers and all of their little friends. The power he would awaken would crush them all as he prepared to unleash the power of destruction upon their miserable existence.

* * *

><p>Crashing into the middle of Angel Grove, Lightning found herself alone amongst the chaos that spread like wildfire. Her armor cracked as she rose back to her feet to retrieve her weapon that struck the ground not too far from her. A slight groan escaped her lips due to the added injuries she sustained during the fight against Luther. For the second time, the Dark Lord King had proven to be too strong for her, which she had taken as a grave insult.<p>

With her pride wounded, Lightning turned her attention to the Daimons that ran wild down the streets. Each one was a hideous mess that spewed hate and evil from their very existence. She pulled her Gunblade from the ground, charging into the middle of the invasion that threatened the life of the universe.

The first Daimon she struck down was easily as tall as a bus. She slashed her weapon against the creature's throat, causing it to bleed to death as it dropped down to its hands and knees. The Daimon died on the spot with Lightning running off to battle against more Daimons that were slipping through the cracks.

She stopped though when she saw a pair of young men under attack. There was a swarm of Daimons that surrounded them, which caused Lightning to spring into action as she jumped into the middle of the fray. Her Gunblade cut the air like a knife as she wielded it with the utmost of grace, cutting the Daimons apart with every swing.

Blood scattered everywhere as the Daimon corpses dropped like flies. The stench of death filled the air with the corpses quickly rotting on the streets before fading away into oblivion.

Lightning turned to see that the men she saved were none other than Cid and Dylan. Both of them were covered in blood, whether it was theirs or the Daimons she couldn't tell. She withdrew her weapon with her attention onto these, somewhat, powerless duo.

"Getting into a fight with an army of Daimons isn't the brightest thing to do," said Lightning. "Neither one of you would be of any real use in the fight." She pointed at Cid, who straightened himself up like a proper soldier as he carried his whip and the sword Dylan crafted for him. "You might be a fully-trained soldier, but that isn't enough to save you." Her attention focused on Dylan next as she stared the exhausted mage down. "And you're still just an Apprentice Mage. Your magick is nowhere near strong enough to protect you from hundreds of Daimons."

"I fended off Zodiark well enough," mumbled Dylan.

"That was sheer dumb luck," corrected Lightning. "If Zodiark attacked you head on then you'd be dead, witch."

Dylan had a few more words that he wanted to say, but Cid cut him off before the boy could say something he'd soon regret. Cid kept the young mage back as he thanked the warrior woman for the assistance. "We might not have power like you," said Cid, "but we are both willing to do what it takes to protect the universe. The Power Rangers aren't the only ones who can fight this calamity."

Lightning nodded her head as she heard a ferocious roar in the distance. She pulled her Gunblade out from her sheath with all eyes on the sky as something that appeared to be a dragon came flying in from above. "This suddenly got really ugly," she said, calmly. "I recommend that the both of you get out of here, quickly. If you want to make yourselves useful then I suggest that you either find some Rangers or anyone else with real power that can back me up!"

The warrior woman took charge against the Daimon dragon. She threw herself up into the air with her weapon drawn as she hurled bolts of thunder from the palm of her hand. The bolt struck the Daimon, managing to slow the ferocious creature a few heartbeats, but it still snapped its head forward to take a bite out of Lightning.

The Daimon's attack was avoided though as Lightning threw herself against a building. She raced up the wall as the Daimon hurled a mighty gust of wind that shattered windows as it took chase after her. She jumped away as the Daimon slammed itself against the building and used this opportunity to fire round after round of gunfire at the Daimon.

Down below, Cid and Dylan were forced to watch the horrifying match. They were both well aware that the only backup that Lightning would get would be from them. Nobody else was anywhere near them in this end of town, which meant that they had to do something or else an ally would be devoured by a Daimon.

Cid began to formulate a plan as he counted the links on his chain whip. He tried to piece together something that could grant him enough of a lift and power to strike the Daimon down long enough for Lightning to perform the final blow. If he only he had some real power, be it supernatural or from the Morphing Grid, either one would be useful right about now.

Meanwhile, Dylan closed his eyes as he felt a heavy burden fall on his shoulders. Lightning was right about him, he was just an Apprentice. He had no real power or skill to offer, he was a fool to think he could do anything great with his life.

The feeling of inadequacy began to eat away at Dylan until he felt his body go numb. Correction, it wasn't so much that his body was numbing, it was his mind which began to drift away from the physical world.

Dylan felt himself being pulled out from his own skin until the next thing he knew he was floating on a cosmic realm. His ethereal form touched the ground of this empty space until he felt an overpowering presence coming up to him. The young mage gasped as he recognized the spirit to be none other than the Empress of Good Magick, herself.

She appeared before him in a glowing gown of ethereal beauty. The pale radiance of her flesh reflected the centuries that she had lived and the trials that she had survived. Her hair was stark white as she took soft steps towards the young mage, carrying in her hands what was her Magi Staff.

"_Mystic Mother!"_ Dylan said, dropping to his knees. _"What is it can I do for you, Empress?"_

The Mystic Mother grinned as she looked upon the youngest of the Apprentices. The former Empress of Evil, Rita Repulsa, reached out to the boy with an offer that he could not refuse. _"It is not what you can do for me, Dylan,"_ said Mystic Mother. _"It is I who needs to give you a gift. The world is close to the breaking point. Good will not prevail at its current rate. I must intervene so that the balance may be restored."_

"_How will you do that, Empress?"_ asked Dylan. _"Do you plan on leaving the Mystic Realm to fight?"_

"_I cannot fight, Dylan,"_ said Mystic Mother. _"No, I'm afraid that my time as Empress is almost over. The wickedness that is my son, Thrax, and the calamity that is the Dark Lord King, Luther, are forces beyond me. I'm afraid it is time for a new Ruler of Good Magick to rise. It is only through the innocence and light within the young that good magick can survive."_

"_What are you saying, Empress?"_

"_Dylan, I wish to give you my powers,"_ said Mystic Mother. _"The light within your heart, the strength of your spirit, and the innocence of your soul will allow you to attain a level of magick that can protect this world. You must take my powers in order to stop Luther and the Daimons from overrunning this world with darkness. Please, Dylan, accept my gift and use it to help the Power Rangers to save the universe. Grant me this chance at true redemption."_

Dylan paused as he looked up to Mystic Mother, seeing how true she believed this to be. Never in his wildest of dreams could he believe that such an opportunity would be bestowed upon him. Here was opportunity knocking on his door, offering him the chance at becoming the strongest mage in the world when the world needed someone strong to protect it from evil.

"_I will do it, Mystic Mother! I will protect this world with your power."_

Mystic Mother could only smile as she extended her hand out to her successor. The godly glow of good magick began to leave her body the moment that Dylan took her hand into his. _"Blessed be, Mystic Father,"_ were the final words of Mystic Mother. She began to fade away from the world just as Dylan was forced to return back to reality.

The roar of the battle between Lightning and the Daimon dragon were the first things that Dylan heard upon opening his eyes.

Cid pulled the newly awakened Dylan out of the way as a section of a nearby building was about to fall on their heads. The soldier got them both away being crushed to death just when a jet of fire escaped from the Daimon's mouth. Up above them, the two saw Lightning guard herself with her shield before she hurled bolts of ice from her Gunblade that froze the flames.

Sensing the need to act, Dylan broke away from Cid as he jumped on top of the wall. The young mage heard Cid trying to call him back, but those words were ignored as Dylan began to chant as Lightning came crashing down to the ground from the Daimon's attack.

The Daimon had struck the warrior down with its heavy claws. Lightning landed and found herself in a world of pain as the Daimon dragon came flying down towards them all. She looked to see that Dylan and Cid were still here, cursing under her breath for their stupidity.

As the Daimon came towards them, Dylan was still busy chanting his words when Cid chose to do something. Grabbing the sword in his hand, Cid threw the weapon that Dylan had crafted for him and made sure that the sword was aimed for the Daimon. Just as the sword left his hand, it became bathed in a wave of light that pierced the Daimon through the chest, causing the creature to suffer a world of pain.

Dylan finally finished his chant as his eyes began to glow pure white with his body taking flight. Chains of mystical runes began to circle around him as the boy truly became the successor to the Mystic Mother, the Mystic Father. He brought his hands together as if he were to pray when blue and green wings of magick began to sprout from his back.

"Judgment!"

Light erupted from Dylan's body and ascended up into the chaotic sky. The Daimon dragon turned its sights onto Dylan, despite the miserable amount of pain it felt racking its body. The creature extended its head to swallow the mage just when beams of light were shot down from the sky. Over six beams of light came down from the heavens and struck the Daimon all at once, tarring the Daimon apart in a single spell.

The Daimon growled horrifically as it was killed by Dylan's spell, while the boy fell back onto the wall as crippling exhaustion racked his body. Dylan looked to see the last bits of the Daimon fading away just as Cid and Lightning reached him on the wall.

Cid helped the boy back on his feet, while Lightning was forced to grin at the kid.

"It looks like I was wrong about you, mage," said Lightning.

"That's Mystic Father to you," smirked Dylan.

Both Lightning and Cid were taken off guard by that comment when more roars caught their attention. The three of them looked out to the distance to see Daimons rushing in their direction. But as the Daimons were coming towards them, Lightning's other companions could be spotted as well. Bakari, Kratein, and Helios were with a group of Rangers, all of them getting tangled up into a battle against the Daimons.

Dylan looked towards Lightning and Cid who took the hint. The three of them fought passed their exhaustion as they went off to battle, but not until after Cid retrieved his magical sword from the remains of the Daimon dragon.

* * *

><p>Hurled into the chaos, the Angel Force Rangers managed to find a reunion towards the edge of town where the desert laid beyond them. Orange Ranger and Black Ranger were together as they discovered Pink Ranger fending off a group of Daimons. Not long after the three of them found each other, Red Ranger and Blue Ranger arrived. Yellow Ranger wasn't too far behind as she came with White Ranger and Violet Ranger.<p>

The eight of them were relieved to see each other even though they weren't sure how well the rest of the Ranger army was faring against the Daimons. There was so much madness going on in Angel Grove that it was virtually impossible to get any information passed. The presence of the Dark Gate had shut down communications with the Command Center, which prevented effective organization.

Still, being all together was something that the Rangers were happy about. Their happiness was silenced though when they soon saw Zodiark, Umbra, and Thrax coming their way. That is when the Rangers learned of the battle that the villains had gone through in the desert against the Dark Lord King.

"The Devil kicked your ass then too?" chuckled Blue Ranger. "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised."

"You should really watch your tongue, boy," growled Umbra.

Red Ranger kept his comrade back as Zodiark ushered Umbra to stand down. The last thing that any of them needed to do was to fight each other when they had an army of Daimons to worry about and Luther still very active.

As if just thinking of him was enough, descending from one of the taller buildings was Luther himself. The Fallen Celestial flew towards the enemies that had gathered before him, landing on the ground with his divine grace as he held up the sword that belonged to his twin. His four wings curling back to rest as the Rangers and the warriors all turned to face the Dark Lord King.

"Here are all my darlings," laughed Luther. "Now, I can kill you all in one swoop. Thank you, for saving me the time and trouble it would require to hunt each of you down."

Pulling away from his friend, Black Ranger marched out of the pack to face the Dark Lord. He had in his hands the Angel Sword, which he had pointed at the foe. "Stop this at once, Luther!" shouted Black Ranger. "What you are doing has done more harm than good to your own cause. The Daimons do not belong to this world, the Dark Gate will destroy everything." The Ranger kept his guard up as he saw the intense look of hate he felt spewing from the eyes of the Dark Lord. It made his knees a little weak, but he reminded himself who he was and that was Samael, the Celestial of Death. "All you have done is awaken the key to your own defeat!"

Luther began to growl as he pointed the Sword of Mikhail at the boy. "And who are you to criticize me, mortal!" yelled the Fallen Celestial. "There is nothing worthy about you. I will kill you and your kind. I refuse to be subservient to humans!"

"Use your reason, Luther!" said Black Ranger.

"I am through with reason!" spat the Dark Lord. "I demand your death!" The Dark Lord leapt at his chance to strike. He moved with such speed that none were able to foresee the attack, but Black Ranger who held the Dark Lord back with all of his strength.

Seeing this, Luther was forced to rethink himself. The Angel Sword in the hands of the Ranger was glowing with an unearthly aura that puzzled the Dark Lord to no end. "Impossible," said Luther. "Who are you? No human can stand against an attack like that." Luther retreated back for a moment, calling forth a chaotic blast of energy. "It was dumb luck. You won't survive a second attack from me!"

Once more, the Dark Lord of Pride struck without any mercy as he hurled his attack at the Ranger. When Black Ranger turned to defend himself though, he was surprised as Zodiark jumped in front of him. The Dark Prince held up the Dawn Shard and used it against the attack that Luther had unleashed.

A vortex of cosmic energy absorbed the Dark Lord's attack and sent it into oblivion.

Zodiark continued to hold onto the Dawn Shard, despite it burning from the energy. His hand was scorching, but he refused to submit as he glared at the Dark Lord, the instincts that the vessel had to protect Orphan's mate could not be ignored.

Luther grew frustrated as glared at all of his opponents. At that moment, what was left of his sanity snapped as he called forth another sword that appeared in a surge of chaos. The blade was far longer than the one that belonged to his brother, it was curved towards the end, and it was made out of black steel. In his hands was a power that no human could possibly dream of wielding, he carried the weapon only a true Celestial could wield.

"You will face true execution!" said Luther. "Sword of the Destroyer, I will use you to defeat all of my enemies! _Oh Dinivas, deliverer of dark and dread, ruler of the ancient shadows, grant me your power. Vitae!"_

"Creator, no!" shouted Black Ranger.

"Not good," said Violet Ranger, "not good at all."

A bolt of light came down from the sky, consuming Luther's body completely. The light caused the Dark Lord King to grow into the size of a giant, but it did not end there. What Luther had unleashed was far worse than him simply growing into a giant, he unleashed the power of a Sentinel.

Black armor began to cover his flesh as the red core of the Sword of the Destroyer continued to radiate its magnificence. At the heart of the armor was a fiery center that burned ferociously with a mane of charcoal, red, and white hair blowing in the breeze.

"What is that?" said Yellow Ranger.

"It certainly isn't pleasant," said Pink Ranger.

"Connor, can you fill us in on the details?" asked White Ranger.

"That is a true Sentinel," said Black Ranger. "Our Sentinel Zords are merely a reflection of the Sentinels that the Celestials use in combat. We stand no chance at defeating Luther if we do not fight him all together."

Thrax struck the ground with his Z-Staff as he looked up at the giant Sentinel that stood in the desert. He was going to enjoy this as he held his staff up into the air. "Then I guess that is where we come in!" laughed Thrax. "Finally, I get to have some real fun! Vengeance shall be mine, Luther!" A bolt of energy escaped from the Z-Staff and wrapped around his wicked body as it caused him to grow into a giant as well.

Zodiark and Umbra didn't bother to say a word as they threw their fists up into the air. At that moment, the Solar Celestial Megazord and Shadow Fortress Megazord came down from the sky. Since their battle a few months ago, the pair of villains had apparently taken a great deal of time to repair their Zords. The repairs would be put to the test though as they fought against a power greater than the Rangers' Sentinel Zords.

And speaking of the Rangers, the eight of them all stood together as they looked up to Luther and Dinivas the Death Knight.

"Now would be a really good time to do something," said Orange Ranger.

"Sentinel Zords, power up!" shouted Red Ranger.

"Sentinel Zords, power up!" shouted the others.

The Rangers summoned their Sentinel Zords and immediately entered the cockpits. They inserted the Crystal Morphers into the power slots, quickly combining to form Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord so that they could be prepared for the final battle.

* * *

><p>Dinivas the Death Knight stood at the center of the desert with the Sword of the Destroyer struck into the ground. Within the Sentinel, Luther waited for his opponents to come to him, which they eventually did. One by one, they all arrived with Thrax in his giant form, Zodiark and Umbra in their Megazords, and the Rangers' piloting the Ultrazord.<p>

The heavy footsteps made the ground shake, but Luther did not weave and the mechanical Dinivas held far more power than any of them could've possibly imagined.

Fighting broke out as Thrax was the first to charge into the heart of it. The mutant went rabid as he went after the Dark Lord within the Sentinel. He hurled a bolt of energy from his Z-Staff, growling with all of his might as his attack struck the Sentinel at full force.

However, Dinivas didn't even budge an inch as Luther's laughter escaped from within the Sentinel. This only infuriated Thrax more, causing him to lash out with more dark magick that attempted to break through the armored defense. Each spell though failed and proved that Thrax was out of his league in this one.

Umbra piloted Shadow Fortress Megazord within perfect range as he pushed Thrax aside. He activated the blasters on the wrists of the Megazord as well as the missiles housed on the back. The Ranger Hunter unleashed the firepower of his Megazord all at once, believing that he had the power to defeat the Dark Lord.

The missiles and blasters cracked against the Sentinel, but it proved to be as effective as Thrax's initial assault. No matter how many times Umbra shot Dinivas, there was nothing at all that could be done to lay a dent on the armor.

Zodiark intervened as he flew the Solar Celestial Megazord above the head of the Sentinel. He charged his beam rifle at maximum power, taking aim at the core of Dinivas the Death Knight in order to put an end to Luther's attack. Pulling down on the trigger, the rifle was fired and it crashed directly at the heart of the Sentinel. A few explosions began to scatter all around Dinivas the Death Knight, but it was purely just for show.

The attack didn't even leave a scratch on the Sentinel. Dinivas was still in perfect condition as Luther lifted the head up as Zodiark piloted his Megazord back on the ground. The fingers of the Sentinel twitched as Luther was waiting to make his move.

Inside Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord, the Rangers flew in front of the Dark Lord and the Sentinel with the Centennial Ultra Sword in hand. This wasn't going to be easy, but the Ranger pulled their powers together to unleash the beast attack that they could. Unleashing the Ultrazord's power, the Rangers attacked Dinivas directly with Cosmic Final Arcanum with high hopes of being able to defeat their foe.

Yet again, they were met with disappointment as Dinivas didn't waver to their attack. Luther's laughter grew louder as the Sword of the Destroyer was lifted up against them.

"My turn," said Luther.

Striking the Ultrazord with the blade, Luther easily sent the Rangers tumbling down. Dinivas walked over the damaged Ultrazord as its sights were now on Zodiark and Umbra's Megazords. The Sword of the Destroyer grew hungry as he lashed out against them both. Unleashing a flurry of high-powered slashes, Luther used the Sentinel's powers to bring the both of them down in defeat.

As the Megazords were brought down, Thrax stepped forward to strike with his Z-Staff. He hurled chaotic bolts of energy at the Sentinel, but it proved to be useless as Luther turned his super weapon around. Bolts of true chaos began to appear around the Death Knight as Dinivas held up his sword against them. The attack became like javelins as it stabbed Thrax with its ruthless fury.

Thrax dropped down on his back, unable and unwilling to get back up, while Luther turned his attention back onto the Megazords and Ultrazord.

Dinivas the Death Knight struck the Megazords with its full might. The Sentinel wielded its colossal sword without mercy as Luther used its power to dispose of his opponents. Every blow was heavy and painful as laid an ungodly amount of harm. Solar Celestial Megazord and Shadow Fortress Megazord collapsed from the pressure of the numerous sword slashes.

As the two succumbed to the ruthless power of the Sentinel, Luther had his sights now focusing onto the Rangers. The Ultrazord was still down on the ground with its shields down, leaving it completely vulnerable to any attack. The Dark Lord didn't miss an opportunity to destroy his opponents which led him to use the Sentinel to jump on top of the Ultrazord.

The Sword of the Destroyer was pointed down at the core of the Ultrazord, exactly where the Rangers piloted the Zord. In a second, the sword was coming down on them and would easily kill them with a single blow if something wasn't done.

Orange Ranger gave out a loud roar as he slammed his fists down on the controls. A stream of orange energy began to leave from his body and merged with the functions of the Ultrazord. The Sword of the Destroyer was nearly upon them with a powerful force field awakened to shield the Ultrazord from the attack.

This completely caught Luther by surprise as Dinivas's power was withheld.

When the attack ended, Orange Ranger nearly passed out on the controls as he felt his energy being greatly expended. Violet Ranger and Blue Ranger helped him from falling face first, while the other Rangers prepared to counter now that their friend had gave them a perfect opening.

Seeing what happened to his soon to be fiancé, Black Ranger yelled angrily as he grabbed the controls of the Ultrazord. He swung the right fist of the Ultrazord, smashing it against the leg of the Sentinel, causing Dinivas to get off of them.

"Try and use my powers against me, Luther," said Black Ranger, "and I'll show you the meaning of pain! Dinivas the Death Knight is my Sentinel. He is bound to follow the commands of its master, Samael!"

Upon hearing the voice of its true master, Dinivas the Death Knight paused for but a moment. At that moment, Luther found himself unable to move as the Sentinel left him trapped within his own body. This angered the Dark Lord until it finally dawned on him why Black Ranger seemed so odd to him.

"Samael," said Luther, "you're alive."

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord got back on its feet along with the others. Solar Celestial Megazord and Shadow Fortress Megazord joined the Ultrazord as the Sentinel was left standing there.

During its shutdown period, Dinivas the Death Knight was in for a great surprise. Thrax was back on his feet and used his Z-Staff to bring the two of them together as he held the Sentinel from behind. The ghoulish laughter of the mutant made Luther's head numb, while Thrax squeezed his hold on the Sentinel and its operator.

The Z-Staff began to glow with a chaotic surge of energy as Thrax's own body had an eerie glow to it. The mutant's laughter only intensified as he turned his sights on the Rangers now that he had the opportunity to achieve his true ambitions. "Strike us now, Rangers!" shouted the mutant. "I will use my body as a living bomb. I will take Luther down to Hell, but you must strike now to weaken his defenses so my spell will work! Hit us with everything that you have!"

"But first things first!" said Zodiark. Solar Celestial Megazord raised its arm up to fire a blast of energy from its rifle. The attack managed to successfully strike the arm of the Sentinel, causing the Sword of the Destroyer to be shot from its grip. "Now your powers will wane, Luther! You cannot hide behind Dinivas the Death Knight any longer."

"And now we can kill you," laughed Umbra.

Shadow Fortress Megazord activated all of its armaments at once. The target was set as Umbra aimed for Dinivas with the full power of his Megazord backed behind the attack. Once the charge was set and the ammo was loaded, Umbra rained hell down as he fired every single possible attack that he had. The rifles on the back unleashed their blasts, the missiles were launched, and the beam blasts were released.

Zodiark once again charged the rifle of Solar Celestial Megazord to full power. The sensors locked on the core of the Sentinel so all that needed to be done was pull the trigger. A smile formed on the Dark Prince's face as he would enjoy killing Luther and Thrax at the same time. The trigger was pulled and the fully charged beam rocketed out from the rifle, tarring the ground apart as it made way to its intended target.

Inside Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord, the Rangers were back on their feet as they focused all their power on one final attack. Red Ranger grabbed onto the controls, pouring all of his might on what would be their last chance to defeat Luther. If this attack was to fail then nothing could stop the Dark Lord King.

But he did not allow his fears to get the best of him. Red Ranger turned to his friends, asking them to lend him strength as he charged the Centennial Ultra Sword to its maximum power. The other Angel Force Rangers gave their powers to the attack with the greatsword igniting in an aura of red energy that was mixed with streams of their individual powers.

"Cosmic Heaven Annihilation!" shouted the Rangers.

Raising the greatsword forward, the Rangers unleashed their full power upon the Sentinel, Luther, and Thrax as well. Their attack merged with the ones set out by Zodiark and Umbra, creating a frenzied superpower that crashed into the Sentinel and Luther. Upon impact, Thrax unleashed the full might of his spell as a surge of mystical energy erupted from his being and completely consumed himself as well as his enemy.

Dinivas the Death Knight shattered in defeat with the armor crumbling away as Luther was left standing there alone. Thrax's spell had caused the mutant's body to vanish from sight, but its magick lingered as it caused Luther's body to twitch with open wounds forming all over his flesh. The black feathers that were part of his wings began to molt as it decorated the ground with its terrifying beauty.

Luther held out his hand to his enemies before his eyes rolled back as he dropped to his knees. The feathers ascended to the sky all at once as the Dark Lord of Pride was vanquished in an eruption of cosmic energy. His demise triggered a colorful explosion that shattered the sensors of the Ultrazord and Megazord as it spread throughout the city with its outcome being unknown.

But what was for certain was that the King of the Dark Lords had been defeated.

* * *

><p>Upon the demise of Luther and Thrax, a colossal wave of energy spread throughout Angel Grove that paid penance upon the Daimons. With the Dark Lord King dead, the Dark Gate lost its power as its summoner was unable to maintain the link necessary to keep it open. The Dark Gate slowly began to close, which caused a massive vortex that began to swallow up every Daimon that continued to breathe.<p>

All throughout Angel Grove, the Daimons that the Power Rangers fought against were mercilessly pulled back into the Underworld. Despite all the cries, howls, and roars, the Daimons were forced back into their own world until not a single one of them remained on the Earth.

As the last Daimon was swallowed up, the Dark Gate finally closed its doors, but continued to remain in the sky.

The Power Rangers and the surviving civilians all rejoiced as the battle was drawn to a close. The Dark Lord King had been killed and the Daimons had been conquered. It was something that they never believed to be possible, but it had happened.

The Apocalypse was over.

Leaving the cockpits of the Ultrazord, the Angel Force Rangers arrived to the streets of Angel Grove exhausted beyond the meaning of the word. The eight, young heroes were swarmed by their fellow Rangers and grateful civilians. Zodiark and Umbra soon entered the chaos, looking as pitiful as the Angel Force Rangers due to their efforts in the fight against Luther.

Lightning led the other warriors, Cid, and Dylan into the rambunctious crowd. Who could blame them for being so loud though? They had just survived the end of the world, everyone should be grateful for surviving what should've been the death of the universe. Cid and Dylan certainly enjoyed the celebrations as they joined their friends amongst the noise.

However, watching from up above, Yahweh had his eyes set on the Dark Gate. He only had to look down at the crowd once to see that Angel Force Black Ranger also found his eyes glued to the Dark Gate. The young Ranger carried in his hand the Sword of the Destroyer, the key to summoning the Sentinel, but he didn't seem determined to reawaken Samael's Sentinel. No, he had his sights set on something far more important, the Dark Gate. The two Celestials could feel that this was only just beginning. Luther was only the start of something far worse.

Another battle loomed on the horizon; the real apocalyptic showdown had yet to begin.

Their true enemy was about to awaken and he would soon reveal himself.

* * *

><p>Fire and brimstone rained down from an ungodly sky as two souls dropped down into the deepest depths of the Underworld. The screams of the damned could be heard from every corner of the Underworld as mortals suffered unbearable torment at the hands of angry Daimons. From their defeat on Angel Grove, the Daimons were especially furious now that they were back in the pit.<p>

But the Daimons were the least important things in the Underworld at the moment. What was more interesting were the two bodies who were hanging off the edge of a cliff that led down into an abyss of unyielding torment. One of the bodies was the Dark Lord of Pride, himself, while the other body belonged to Thrax.

The two had died and were driven down into the very Inferno that all souls dreaded. In this case though, Thrax was thrilled as he slowly began to pick up his broken body from the ground.

Luther was unable to move as his soul suffered horribly from the attack. He not only had taken the full brunt of Thrax's spell, but he also was hit with the full force of the Rangers, Zodiark, and Umbra's Zords. The all out assault left his soul broken, too weak to even allow him to open his eyes as he had an enemy standing above him.

A grin formed on Thrax's face as he slowly began to lift his Z-Staff up into the air. He grabbed it with both hands as he struck Luther's heart with the end of his Z-Staff, causing the Dark Lord to awaken as a fiery breath of pain escaped from his throat.

"Into Tartarus you go, Luther," laughed Thrax. "And what was yours will now be mine!"

Luther could only spit out blood as he attempted to curse the mutant. There was nothing more he could do though as Thrax pushed the Dark Lord into the abyss where no one would have mercy upon him. Luther gave out a blood curdling howl as he was dragged into the depths where the souls of the damnest of the damned resided.

As for Thrax, he smiled as he turned towards a black road that led to a palace. The Castle of Hell, the true Castle Pandemonium, waited for him at the end of the road. It would be there that he would fulfill his true destiny and become the king that he was always meant to be.

It was at Castle Pandemonium where the seats of power of the Dark Lords resided. Just like Umbra had told him, this is where the power of the Dark Lords had gathered upon death. Now that all seven of the Dark Lords were vanquished, their power would be found in the castle, waiting for a new host to take them in.

Unaware of the danger that would come from this power or the true master manipulator who staged all of this, Thrax walked to the Castle of Hell to where he'd become an Ultimate Power.

* * *

><p>Everything will change in the next chapter. Thrax consumes the powers of the Dark Lords, which allows him to return to the Earth with the Dark Gate reopening to unleash not only Daimons but an army of Fallen Celestials as well. The Power Rangers are pushed to the boiling point as they face an enemy that is completely out of his mind. But Thrax is only the beginning as Zodiark and Connor are forced to face their destinies and the true mastermind behind all the evils in the universe reveals himself. Find out what terrors the Power Rangers and their allies will face in <strong>Together We Fall pt. 1!<strong>


	38. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: It's all so close to being over. I almost hate that it's over. Well, prepare to have your mind blown! I am not holding back any punches at this point so you're getting hit with everything. This chapter and the final chapter will be very intense since I'm trying to throw in everything that was supposed to be included in what would've been season two, so if you feel confused then feel free to message me. I will explain everything to you in ways that will make sense. SO...without further ado...read and review!  
><strong>

**Together We Fall Pt. 1: **

Three days had passed since Luther and his army of Daimons was defeated by the Power Rangers. The damage left behind by the Daimon Invasion left Angel Grove in a pitiful state as the battles left behind their mark. Downtown Angel Grove was a complete disaster from all of the fighting; the Daimons did an uncountable amount of damage that left the civilians unable to decide what to do next.

There were debates spreading throughout the city whether or not Angel Grove should bother to be repaired. With the Dark Gate still looming above the city, tensions were high as everyone became uncertain if the Daimons would return or not. It frightened many people, which led to an immediate migration from the city. Out of the population of five-hundred thousand citizens, a hundred thousand had already fled while two thousand were killed during the invasion.

But the city government was having a difficult time maintaining order within the city. It was only natural since people were upset about the events and they didn't believe that anyone could keep them safe should history repeat itself. And if there was one thing that the people of Angel Grove knew was that history always repeated itself. The memories of what Rita Repulsa, Lord Zedd, Master Vile, the Machine Empire, Divatox, Astronema, Dark Specter, and Zodiark did to the city in the past were still fresh in everyone's minds.

The only ones who could maintain proper stability for the city were the Power Rangers, themselves. It took almost two-hundred, super powered heroes to keep everyone in line. No one objected to what the Power Rangers did, they all supported the Rangers after everything that they had already done to protect the city. That is why the local government and the police went to the Rangers to help keep the peace.

The state and national government sent aid to the city to help the survivors by providing supplies and a means to evacuate. The President of the United States and the Governor of California rushed to provide the necessary assistance to Angel Grove. News of what happened in the city spread throughout the globe like wildfire. The local news and various video-recording civilians broadcasted the Daimon Invasion for the world to see.

Everyone saw how the Daimons invaded the city and Luther, the Dark Lord King, jeopardized the safety of the world. All hope had seemed lost until Power Rangers from across the globe and throughout the galaxy rushed into action to fight the forces of evil. A lot of comments were made about the Rangers that appeared from across the galaxy with many people responding how they never knew there were so many Rangers.

Oddly enough, no investigations were made about what happened that day. The government wasn't hassling the Rangers for answers since the heroes were more then willing to provide what details that they could. When it became known that the Rangers knew about the attack and had spent decades preparing for it, this came as a relief to people because they learned that the Power Rangers had been taking the steps to protect them.

Many details were kept hidden though from the public, but in time the Rangers would release further information. Mainly, this was done because the Rangers weren't sure what else could possibly happen. The lingering presence of the Dark Gate left a bad taste in the mouth of the heroes. None of the Rangers left the city since they knew that there was the slightest possibility that it could reopen again and the Daimons would overrun this city.

Until they could find a way to be rid of Dark Gate, the Power Rangers would remain vigilant as they stood on the front lines.

* * *

><p>There was a surreal beauty in all of the destruction and even with tensions still high. People tried to create some semblance of normalcy in all of this, but the fear was too thick to possibly ignore as confusion and terror were the only things certain.<p>

Still, Connor sat in the park waiting for Eric to show up for something important. The boy was so preoccupied with staring out into the lake that reflected the bloody mixture of colors in the sky that he failed to hear the footsteps coming from behind him. It was the frightening beauty of the terror that tainted the air that kept him so lost in thought.

It all lasted until a hand touched his shoulder, pulling him from his trance so that Connor could see Eric standing over him. There was a soft grin on the face of the young man as he took a seat beside Connor on the bench. The two shared a soft kiss before Eric wrapped his arm around the smaller frame of his fiancé.

"You know, today is my birthday," Connor said, softly. "I turn Sweet Sixteen and look how I get to celebrate. The world is teeter tottering to destruction and there is a Dark Gate above the city that could spew out an army of Daimons at a moment's notice. I really have to stop having such high expectations for my birthday, I always seem to get disappointed."

Eric was just itching to show Connor the big surprise, but he felt like dragging this along. Partly it was because he wanted to really surprise his love; the other reason was because he wanted to learn more about Connor's pain. It was something that he was very much familiar with since he had troubles growing up without his father around.

"I guess it wasn't easy being an orphan," said Eric. "Birthdays must've been very cruel for you since you didn't have a family to celebrate with."

"They always sucked," Connor confessed. "They didn't always though. The few birthdays I did get to celebrate with my parents were amazing, but between the orphanages and fosters homes…well, you know how that story goes. I've told you about how I was treated by my last foster father. And we all have Lightning to thank for getting me out of that situation."

Eric knew the stories and he did see the lingering scars that used to decorate Connor's skin. By the time he had joined the team, most of the scars were gone but one lingered behind that could be found on Connor's lower back. It was a burn mark that the boy had gotten from being just a minute late with having dinner ready.

If it wasn't for Lightning getting her hands dirty, Eric knew he would've probably killed the man, himself. Hell, when the others found out about the abuse, they were all willing to jump on the bandwagon. It took every ounce of self control that Landon, Ric, Alice, and Haley had not to do something extreme.

"But things are a little better, at least," Connor finished. "At least I'm surrounded by people who love me and I have the most amazing guy ever to hold me in his arms even if the world could end at any second."

On that note, Eric wrapped his other arm around Connor to pull the boy into a tighter hug. He felt Connor's breath shaking a little as he curled up against the larger body. The warmth felt fantastic for them both as they surrendered into the touch of their partners.

Eric couldn't hold it in any longer as he took an arm away from Connor. He went into his pocket to retrieve what it was that he was looking for. "I think I have something that can brighten your day, Connor," whispered Eric. Taking his hand out of his pocket, he retrieved two sets of rings that looked simply magnificent. They both had silver bands but the larger ring had a diamond at the center and the smaller ring had an onyx gem at the heart. Holding onto the smaller one, Eric slipped it onto Connor's ring finger with a smile on his face as he saw the younger begin to hyperventilate. "Happy birthday, my love. You can't get married without a ring. I found them the same day that we first met before Auto-Zone attacked us. They were at this thrift shop and were screaming at me to buy them."

Connor felt the tears run down his face as Eric placed the other ring onto his hand. The boy knew what to do as he took Eric's hand, he was shaking horribly but he managed to slip it on the ring finger. Connor looked at their hands now, seeing the rings on both of their fingers which made him weep without any control over himself.

"They're beautiful," Connor said as Eric pulled him into a kiss.

The moment their lips touched, the gems on the rings began to glow softly. Both felt chills running down their spines, which Eric attributed to being so happily in love with someone as fantastic as Connor. But for Connor, the boy felt memories from Samael rising to the surface as he saw what never-ending garden was where two Celestials embraced one another.

Samael and Orphan, Connor could see them both in his head until the kiss between him and Eric was over.

What this vision meant was a complete mystery to Connor though. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to think of it other then Samael was upset that Connor was choosing to be with someone who wasn't Orphan. Connor didn't care though; he didn't want to be with Orphan or his vessel, Zodiark. Connor wanted Eric, more than anything else in this world, he just wanted to be with the guy who had promised to protect him and love him so long as they both shall live.

And that was all that mattered.

"I love you," Connor said, hanging onto Eric.

"I love you too," Eric said, holding onto Connor.

Another kissed was shared between the two of them until a chorus of voices interrupted what could've blossomed into something more. Eric and Connor broke away from each other, looking behind them to see their friends stepping out from behind the trees. They were apparently being spied on by their fellow Rangers, which meant that the lot of them had heard every word.

Haley, Alice, and Serena were balling as they ran up to the two boys. Even Landon couldn't help but to shed a couple of tears as his spirit felt a little overcome by their display of love. Ric and Tommy were acting very manly as they got up there to hassle their friends for settling down on them. Cid and Dylan stayed a little further back, but still offered their congratulations for the happy couple to the commitment that they were willing to make.

It was times like these that Connor and Eric just weren't sure whether or not to kill their noisy friends.

* * *

><p>The road built from the bones of the damned was easily crossed by Thrax in a matter of hours. His body was still ravaged from the injuries he sustained in the battle, which led to such a lengthy delay in crossing the fiery abyss. Thrax arrived to Castle Pandemonium, however, without catching sight of anything to hinder his path.<p>

Everything was completely cleared for him to cross. Thrax found this a little disturbing though, despite his desires for ultimate power, he knew that it shouldn't be this simple. But the mutant kept going because he knew that his true destiny waited for him within the halls of the Castle of Hell.

Castle Pandemonium, a truly frightening sight for a mortal to behold.

The human legends stated that when Lucifer and the other angels fell from grace, they landed in the deepest depths of Hell. From there, it was said that Beelzebub and other fallen angels constructed the castle for Lucifer to rule from. If the legends were true then this meant that this was Luther's true powerbase in the Underworld. The Fallen Celestials built the castle as a means to show that Luther would rule the Underworld as the Creator ruled Paradise.

Taking all of this into consideration, Thrax was able to picture that the castle would be where the powers of the Dark Lords gathered upon their demise. When Luther killed his fellow Dark Lords, a rift was formed. Luther might have absorbed their powers but their souls were sent into the Celestial Graveyard. Now, with Luther done for, all of the powers of the Dark Lords would be within Castle Pandemonium, waiting for someone worthy to come along to claim them.

In his twisted mind, Thrax believed that to be him. It would be his destiny to take the powers of the Dark Lords for himself and use them to fulfill his every desire.

Crossing the dark corridors, Thrax ignored the architectural design of the castle. Its design was medieval, but different all the same. The outside had been built from stone and cemented with the bones of damned, but the interior was all marble. A series of scorch marks stained the walls as if a battle had taken place, which could've very well been the case.

Thrax struggled with the remainder of his journey as he pushed a pair of double doors that were over ten feet tall open. He stepped inside to find himself in the very throne room that he had heard about. It was a marvelous sight, he thought, as he ignored the magnificent designs again to focus on the seven podiums that stood in a ring.

As Thrax grew closer, he could see that each of the podiums was glowing. But most importantly, he could see an eight podium that had no light to it. Thrax ignored the lightless podium, however, as he touched the first one that bore ancient runes on it. They all bore runes that the mutant had no difficulty reading as he attained knowledge of this ancient language upon striking down the Dark Lord King.

"Sloth," whispered Thrax. The mutant went around the ring as he examined each of the runes until he could speak them all in a perfect chain. "Greed. Lust. Envy. Wrath. Gluttony. Pride." He grinned as each podium began to flicker as his deep, ravaged voice echoed throughout the hall. The air was thickening as what felt like an ancient power stirring that made the mutant's skin crawl with every breath.

"Here lie the powers of the Dark Lords. The mighty have fallen yet again," laughed the mutant. It was so glorious that nothing could possibly interfere with his feeling of victory.

Thrax fought passed all of the injuries as he threw his Z-Staff up into the air to cause the podiums of the Dark Lords to stir before him. Energy began to flicker skyward as the streams began to merge with the Z-Staff before trickling back down to Thrax.

The power healed his scarred flesh, restoring him to perfection. Only the mutant was reaching a level of perfection that he never could've imagined in his wildest of dreams. The powers merged into the bloodstream, running completely wild as it sent electrical impulses into his vibrating nerves. His body felt as if it were on fire, only the fire did no burn but it caused a great deal of excitement for his soul.

"Ah, I feel it already. The powers of the Dark Lords are beginning to course through my veins. I will finally claim ultimate power so that nothing can stand in my way for vengeance."

Unaware of the danger he was in; Thrax was oblivious to the eighth podium that trembled as the other seven were being violated. All of Castle Pandemonium was bleeding as another set of doors across the palace had opened. A great stream of darkness rushed in, causing the candlelight to flicker with the sound of an unearthly screeching racing towards the throne room.

It finally came in a thunderclap that startled even Thrax as he turned away from the power that was being bestowed upon him.

Standing only a few feet away from the mutant was what appeared to be a young man. He was sickly pale, in a way that reminded Thrax of Luther. The youth appeared to be more of a child due to his short height and the fact that he was very thin. With blue eyes, he appeared to have what appeared to be deceitful innocence that was further discredited due to his crimson hair that flew in the shadowy breeze that was marked by black highlights.

For a few seconds, the young man's blue eyes flashed golden as he slowly began to approach Thrax. The black, silk robes barely hung onto his thin physique, which didn't make the situation any more frightening as an unnatural glow radiated from his being.

"You do not belong here," hissed the youth. "The powers of my brethren do not belong to an insignificant creature like yourself!"

A vicious laugh escaped from the bowls of Thrax's chest. He grabbed his Z-Staff from the air as he allowed the electrical current to flow directly into him, infusing his essence with what belonged to the Dark Lords. "You cannot stop me, half-pint!" laughed Thrax. "I do not bow to a wannabe Daimon like yourself."

Blue eyes turning pure gold, the youth had flickers of flame igniting all throughout his being. Slowly, the silk robes began to burn completely off his flesh as he was left standing completely naked as flames sparked all around him. "How dare you insult me! Do you know who I am?" howled the young man. "I am Mikhail, twin brother of Luther, a part of Adam Kadamon. I am the Dark Lord of Deprive. And I am the wielder of the sacred Flames of Perdition!"

With enough said, Mikhail unleashed the very power that he created up in Paradise alongside the Celestial of Death, Samael. The Flames of Perdition was an unquenchable storm of divine fire that could destroy virtually any being, including a Celestial. Only two Celestials wielded complete immunity that was its creator Samael and the First, Orphan.

Fire unlike any other began to escape from Mikhail's body as he prepared to hurl the destructive energy at the damned mutant.

However, Thrax had already devoured enough of the Dark Lords' powers to be able to strike before Mikhail. The Divine Celestial was in for a rude awakening as Thrax manipulated the power of the Dark Lords to attack the youth. Clenching onto his Z-Staff, Thrax manifested a storm of energy that he lashed out against Mikhail with.

"Be gone with you!" howled Thrax. "I do not care who you are! You will not stop me from achieving my destiny!"

A Z-shaped bolt escaped from the Z-Staff and raced across the throne room to strike out against Mikhail. The Divine Celestial didn't have the chance to unleash his Flames of Perdition when the mutant's attack crashed into his soul.

Mikhail gave out a frightening cry as his golden eyes turned blue once more. The flames were snuffed out as he tossed his head back and felt the sting of Luther and the other Dark Lords' powers tarring at his chest. It made Mikhail's skin crawl as he tried not to fall to his knees against an inferior being, but he couldn't.

Once more, disgrace befell Mikhail as a tear began to run down his cheek. There was nothing else he could do as he felt his soul being pushed into oblivion.

As Mikhail fell so did Castle Pandemonium and the Underworld, itself. The Prince of Light emanated a light of such intensity that it shot through the castle and shattered half of the Underworld in the process. This was all a response to the diabolical power that Thrax now had in his possession.

With the powers of the Dark Lords coursing through him, the rules of the natural order didn't seem to apply to Thrax any longer as he found his escape from damnation.

* * *

><p>Once the celebration from the engagement settled down, the Rangers began to leave the park to return to the Command Center. Preparations still needed to be made on what they would have to do about the Dark Gate. As most of them regrouped, only Haley and Tommy lingered behind to have some time to themselves before the coming tide.<p>

Gazing out into the lake, Haley could sense that something was approaching as she crossed her arms over herself. She only had to look at the slightly, crimson color that the lake reflected from the sky above them both. Her fears were beginning to creep up to work against her again, but she had good reason to worry as she looked back to the Dark Gate.

"It's only just started," said Haley. "I hate to be a pessimist, but I know that there is something far worse lurking from the sidelines. We've only scratched the surface of this whole Celestial conflict."

Tommy tilted his head a little off to the side as he walked closer to Haley. "What do you mean by that?" asked the young clone. "Do you see something that the rest of us can't?" He placed a hand on her shoulder as he tried to look over to the Dark Gate, which caused a terrifying chill to run down his spine.

"Not exactly," said Haley. "I just feel something." A light sigh escaped her chest as she allowed the breath to heave out of her. She turned back to Tommy, brushing his hand off her shoulder for a moment so that she could collect her thoughts. "Maybe it's because I've been hanging around Connor too much. His Celestial origins are starting to fuck with my head."

"I think that's messing with everyone," Tommy said, trying to laugh the nervousness away. "Who would've thought though that Connor is actually a Celestial? Correction, he's one of the first Celestials to ever exist, and he was punished by the Creator, Himself."

"That makes it frightening how that all tangles up together. Who knows what to expect anymore," said Haley. "All I know is that this business with the Dark Gate needs to be settled quickly. So long as it remains above Angel Grove then the Daimons can find a way to break through again and overrun the city."

Tommy stuffed his hands into his shorts as he looked up to the frightening gate. He had similar feelings about it, he was pretty much certain that everyone did considering what had happened few days ago with Luther. It took killing the Devil in order to seal it up the last time, which was a difficult enough process as it was. If the Dark Gate was opened up a second time, he had no idea where to even begin working on closing it.

"Do you really believe that it'll come down to that?" asked Tommy.

"I honestly do," whispered Haley. "I just pray that I'm wrong. With Yahweh here at least maybe he can tell us what we can do to get rid of the Dark Gate, permanently."

That was probably the only thing that they could do. It seemed to be the only trick that Tommy could think of as he tossed his arms behind his head and began to follow Haley out of the park.

A few more words wanted to escape, but Tommy found himself choking on them. He paused for only a second, a second that Haley didn't seem to notice, which caused a sigh to escape from his throat. He didn't want to admit it, but he was just as afraid as she was. If not more so because of his lack of a true existence.

Tommy knew that if he fell in battle that there would be no hope for him. He'd be lost in oblivion because clones didn't have a true soul, if he even had something like that. This was an artificial existence. Tommy was well aware that he was running on borrowed time as he looked back up to the Dark Gate that stared at them with its menacing glare.

There was no denying that the gate would open up a second time. The only question now was trying to figure out when it would open.

* * *

><p>Climbing up a flight of stairs to the roof, Ric peaked his head out the door to discover that Dylan was hanging out by the edge of the building. The young Latino huffed as he closed the door behind him as he approached the railing that Dylan had his legs dangling from. He made sure to be plenty loud though so he wouldn't scare the Mage to death.<p>

"You know, it's dangerous to hang out by the edge of buildings like that," said Ric. "I'm not so scared since my Ranger Element is Wind. But I'm not too sure that the whole witches flying on broomsticks thing is true so I wouldn't push your luck, Harry Potter."

Dylan rolled his eyes as he swung his body back around. He had his legs up in the air with his head upside as he now faced Ric from a very wrong angle. For starters, Dylan could see up the pair of shorts that Ric was wearing to see the boxers.

The Mage readjusted himself as he swung back around to a proper position. He kicked himself off the rail with his back now leaning back so that he could face the Ranger. "Harry Potter can go suck it," said the newly, crowned Mystic Father. "The British bastard is all humans know about magic. I'm kind of sick of it."

"Clearly I brought up a sore subject," laughed Ric. "You have my apologies, little witch. I did not mean to offend you." The young man leaned against the railing so that he could see ten floors below them. There weren't many people out in the streets, mainly because everyone was so afraid of the Daimons coming back for round two.

Only an idiot couldn't see or feel the tension in the air. It was downright sickening as the two of them looked out to the city.

The dark sky allowed so much fear to seep into the streets to spread an ungodly amount of suffering for everyone in the city. At least most people were wise enough to evacuate when they had the chance. Well, that's how Ric felt as he hurled a bit of spit out into the air, watching it drop down ten floors until it landed on the concrete ground.

Dylan acted disgusted, noting to the young man that it was gross to spit like that. Ric gave out another huff as he told the Mage to start acting more like a guy. That comment wasn't taken well as Dylan tightened his hand into a fist which he used to slug Ric in the arm.

"Ow!" Ric said, pretending to be heart. "See, that's why you can't be a Power Ranger! We don't resort to violence unless it's necessary." Deciding that it would be fun to play with Dylan, Ric grabbed the Mage by his lips. He pulled them both closer to each other with a dorky grin beginning to form on his face. "Learn to use your words, not your fists."

Pulling away from the captor of his lips, Dylan refrained from using magick as he stepped away from the soon to be dead meat. Nobody played with the Mystic Father and could get away with that. "I had every right to hit you, jerk!" shouted Dylan. "Didn't your mother ever to teach you to respect a person's privacy?"

Ric started to laugh because it was adorable how little Dylan knew about humans outside of the mystical community. Really, it was priceless as Ric thought it was time to educate the boy just a tiny bit. "Dude, there is no such thing as privacy for a Latino family," said Ric. "Between your parents, all your brothers and sisters, your noisy aunts, your obnoxious uncles, and your fifty million cousins, there is no room for a person to have any shred of privacy. You're lucky that I left you alone for as long as I have, especially since we are in the middle of the Apocalypse."

Dylan paused from hearing that little speech that Ric made. He pretty much ignored everything about the size of a typical Latino family as his thoughts lingered on the last bit. "Are you really sure that the Apocalypse is going to continue?" asked the Mage. "You defeated Luther and we drove the Daimon invasion back. What else could there possibly be to fight out there? I don't see what else there is."

"Well, there's always Zodiark and his warriors," said Ric. "They were our enemies before this battle, they could go back to being our enemies now that Luther and Thrax are gone. Personally, I have my money set on Umbra more than anything else. That dude is just way too insane not to lash out against anyone. I'm sure he's kicking stray puppies and kittens even as we speak!"

"That's depressing," whispered Dylan.

"It's life," Ric said, shrugging his shoulders. "But to be honest though, yeah, I'm pretty sure that we have one more big battle. The Dark Gate is still here and it refuses to go bye-bye, so all I can say is that we're in the middle of the calm before the storm. We might have only a few more days before all hell breaks loose part two." He held up his fingers to an emphasis on the number two as he wiggled them at the young Mystic Father.

Dylan felt a wave of sorrow running around him as he didn't even say a word to what Ric had just said. The boy simply leaned back as he placed his head against the railing, softly breathing as he tried to avoid the burning gaze of the Dark Gate above them.

Ric couldn't help but to feel a bit like a jerk as he looked over to Dylan. A ball formed at the back of his throat as he took a good look at the Mage. The boy was very cute, in a way that reminded him so much of Connor, back when he was deeply in love with the Celestial-reborn.

Yikes, why was he even going there?

Ric shook those thoughts out of his head as he placed a hand on Dylan's shoulder to get the youth's attention. Once those big, brown eyes were on him, Ric knew that he was done for as he leaned forward to kiss the Mage on his forehead.

"I got your back," Ric whispered to Dylan, hugging him close. "No matter what happens in the Apocalypse, I'll make sure that nothing happens to you."

Succumbing to the sincerity in his voice, Dylan wrapped his own arms around Ric. He closed his eyes as he softly thanked the Ranger for the vow of protection. It almost reminded him of a story that he read back when he was still a little kid of the mighty Sorceress and her devoted protector, her Knight.

Dylan took in the fresh musk of the young man that was holding onto him. He felt the strong muscles hidden behind layers of clothing. He felt the young man's breath against his flushed skin. It was all so hypnotic to him that he couldn't help but to feel like he was beginning to swoon as Ric held onto him.

Ric could've said something similar as he hung onto the boy. He sensed so much power hidden deep within the boy's being, but it couldn't be corrupted. Dylan was a picture of innocence, something that just radiated light with every fiber of his being. Yeah, it reminded him so much of the love that he lost from his stupidity that he didn't want to risk making a mistake again as he continued to hang onto Dylan.

It took only a moment for the both of them to recognize that they had fallen in love.

* * *

><p>The Power Rangers stayed at the heart of the Command Center as they worked on coming up with a solution for the Dark Gate problem. The brightest minds from each generation gathered to work alongside the Angel Force Rangers as well as Bakari and Lightning joined them as Yahweh oversaw them all. The Second advised them to the best of his ability, but not even he knew of a perfect solution for removing the Dark Gate now that Luther had already broken the walls between reality.<p>

Yahweh was almost certain that because the walls had been broken once that it was only a matter of time before dimensions bled into one another once more.

While they all worked together to come up with a solution, Zodiark turned away from everything as he entered an empty corridor of the Command Center. He sought to get away from all of that as he embraced the emptiness that came from the privacy he had succeeded in gaining.

Only the loneliness wasn't quite as peaceful as he had excepted it to be. Zodiark was aware of what Connor had done. The Dark Prince knew that Samael reborn had accepted the hand of a human, Eric. It was sickening to Zodiark because he knew that he was better match because he was Orphan's vessel.

Yes, Zodiark had finally learned that he wasn't as special as he originally thought himself to be. He wasn't the reincarnation of the Edeonian Emperor, but he was the chosen vessel that would be used to restore Orphan to greatness. Zodiark didn't know how he'd accomplish such a task, but that was his ultimate goal as Zodiark became well aware that submitting to Orphan would make him God.

Damn consequences that came with becoming possessed by a Celestial. Zodiark only sought the power that belonged to Orphan, which he lusted after as Lilith had lusted over flesh and vengeance.

"When will I hear you call, Orphan?" said Zodiark. "I wish for nothing more than to submit to your greatness. I want to become your vessel, fully." Clenching his fists, Zodiark craned his neck back with his eyes looking up to the ceiling. His spark flared as he tried to feel the Ultimate Power that lurked in the deepest corners of the universe. "Together, we can claim what rightfully belongs to us. Connor and Samael, they are ours and ours alone. He will see it our way soon enough, I will assure you that."

"Traitorous bastard," hissed a violent voice. "I gave you everything and this is how I'm repaid at the end? I'm tossed aside for a younger, newer model."

Umbra stepped out from the shadows, catching Zodiark completely by surprise. The Ranger Hunter appeared dressed for battle as he covered his pale face and black hair with his helmet. His organic suit rippled from his flexing muscles. Despite his face being covered, it was painfully obvious just how upset Umbra was by the sharpness in his voice.

No, Umbra wasn't upset, he was furious. After all that the Ranger Hunter did for the Dark Prince, the decades of servitude, this is how he was repaid at the end of the day. It was a sickening feeling that he wished would only drown in the depths of oblivion.

Better yet, Umbra wanted to drown Connor because of what the boy is responsible for. If the boy just stayed dead then everything would've gone according to plan. All those centuries of planning, of manipulation, were ruined because of what this boy represented. Those plans were interrupted though the moment that Samael had been reborn.

Feeling close to the gnawing beast at his breast, Umbra had attained lucidity for the time being. The true power that he had submitted long ago had silenced itself long enough for Umbra to see the ultimate truth. With all resistance gone, the true power would be able to use Umbra to fulfill its own desires.

Zodiark faced his former Consort without any form of emotion at all. It was only insulting to Umbra as he saw this response, which further infuriated him. But Zodiark didn't seem to care at all as he stepped closer towards the proud hunter.

"You only have yourself to blame, Umbra," said Zodiark. "You cannot be tamed. You are no better than a feral animal at times." He crossed forward until the two were now standing side by side. For a lack of better terms, animosity oozed out between them in a vicious clash of what had been long before met with a twisted form of compassion. "You do not understand when to just submit to my rule! I do not have the tolerance to deal with something like you."

Umbra's eyes lit up from underneath the helmet as his anger flashed throughout his being. It burned against him like an inferno as he latched onto Zodiark's arm and effortlessly threw the Dark Prince against the wall of the Rangers' base. "I am the problem!" howled the Ranger Hunter. "How dare you, Zodiark! How dare you blame me for all of this. Do you not remember what happened? It is because of our connection as mates that I ended up like this. Dark Specter's corruption didn't affect just you, it shattered my soul as well. But you have broken that sacred union by weeping over a pathetic brat who wants nothing to do with you."

"I've done everything that you commanded me to do!" Umbra continued to seethe. "I followed your orders to the full extent. I crushed your enemies to the turn. I fought with every fiber of my being to make certain that nothing would come after you. I am the one who brought Bakari to you. Kratein is part of the both of us, he is our son."

"He is my son!" countered Zodiark. Firing back the anger, the Dark Prince pushed the hunter back against the opposite wall. Now, in his hands was the Mace of the Void, which he swung near Umbra's skull only to have it caught by the lucid lunatic. "You have been distancing yourself from me long before now, Umbra. I know now that you were never the man I had expected you to be."

"I can say the same thing about you," hissed Umbra.

Exploding with anger, Umbra pushed Zodiark back with an ungodly amount of force. The true power within him returning to the surface as it shattered the helmet that the hunter wore to reveal a pair of red eyes as the possession took effect. The lasts traces of Umbra began to melt away as the possessor fully awakened before the Dark Prince.

"Know this, Zodiark," said the possessed Umbra, "I will have vengeance against you. Your actions will not go on without punishment. I have ascended and you will fall before me as I drive the Fates' blade through your cold, orphaned heart! All shall return to oblivion as I cut the threads that hold Creation together!"

The possessed Umbra could only begin to smirk as he vanished completely from sight. The last bit of Umbra's soul was gone as he was replaced by an entity far more frightening that was just as hell-bent at claiming vengeance against Zodiark as Umbra was.

But just who this force was would remain a mystery for the time being.

Zodiark tried to piece together what it was that was just said, but he seemingly forgotten already. It was almost as if Umbra had done so on purpose, but then he just forgot what had taken place yet again.

The holes that formed in his memory became vicious until it got to the point where Zodiark didn't remember what he was doing in the corridor. The Dark Prince shook his head as he returned to the main chamber to strategize with the Rangers.

* * *

><p>It had become weirdly quite in the Command Center once the meeting had ended. The veteran Rangers all left to get some rest due to the lack of results. That had been over four hours ago.<p>

Once again, Yahweh proved to be the barer of bad news as the Celestial could not think of a possible solution to the Dark Gate problem. Not even the brightest minds amongst the Power Rangers had even the slightest idea of what they could do. It was becoming a major problem that needed to be solved as everyone feared that the Dark Gate opening up once more was inevitable.

Connor could practically see it as he sat on the sofa with his body curled up against Eric. He tried to fall asleep to get some rest for himself in the safety of his fiancé's arms, but sleep never came to him. The boy kept his eyes open throughout the entire ordeal. He had his eyes set on the others who were fighting to stay away as they tried to work out a possible solution with the former villains.

Well, it was really Bakari and Lightning who were most active. Kratein and Helios were all but silent, while Zodiark was just barely returning to the chamber.

It wasn't too difficult for him to ignore all of them as he went back to focusing on Eric. Connor tried so hard to push it all out of his head as he crawled closer against the comfort of love's warm embrace.

Only love wouldn't be enough to save him. The moment that Connor allowed his body a second to relax, everything began to change. Painful images began to play through his mind with countless screams ravaging his thoughts as he jumped out of his skin and away from Eric's warmth.

The sudden outburst caused terror to befall the Command Center as everyone rushed to Connor's side. Eric tried to steady his lover with thoughts racing that Connor was having a severe stroke. Alpha 8 was about to administer medical attention to the boy when Yahweh told everyone to stop and get away from Connor. The commanding voice of the high Celestial caused them all to stop in their tracks, even Zodiark felt paralyzed, as all eyes were on him now.

A few more screams escaped as Connor arched his back. The boy clawed at the tiled floor before he finally opened his eyes to bring an end to the horrible visions that had been projected to him. There were tears running down his face as he tried to find the words to describe the nightmare that he was forced to bear with.

No, that wasn't a nightmare, it was a vision of what was to come.

Connor pieced the horrible images together. He could see the Dark Gate opening with an army spewing forth once more this time it was an unstoppable force. There was so much pain and suffering as the Daimons destroyed everything. Innocent people and Power Rangers alike were all gunned down until there was no more of them. Life would cease to be as the Daimons took over.

Eric dropped to his knees as he helped Connor by having the boy lean against him. The older Asian held him close, whispering soothing words to him, while everyone else stood around him.

Lightning was the first to push through the crowd, seemingly breaking through Yahweh's paralysis. She crouched down with her full focus on the frightened boy. "You saw something, didn't you?" asked Lightning. "Is it something that we can fight again?"

"We have to evacuate the civilians from the city," cried Connor. "The Dark Gate is about to open."

"How?" asked Alice.

"When?" asked Tommy.

Yahweh intervened this time as he pushed everyone away from Connor. The only person who was allow to linger were Eric and Lightning. The Celestial made certain to keep Zodiark as far away from the boy as well since the Dark Prince's eyes burned with a certain kind of hunger in them.

No way would Yahweh allow this conceited vessel to further damage his little prince.

"Don't question what Connor saw," said Yahweh, "just do as he says. If you value your lives and those people outside of here then that is exactly what you're going to do."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ric.

Yahweh groaned as he threw his head back with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. He lifted his sleeved arm up before finally looking back at everyone that stood around him now. "Is it really not that obvious to you lot?" said the Celestial. "Once more, I will explain it, Connor and Samael are the same. Samael was the Celestial of Death. His divine duty was to ferry the deceased to the next cosmic plane."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" asked Serena.

"I'm not finished, princess," Yahweh said, raising a finger to her. "When the population of the universe grew too large, Samael entrusted his task to other Celestials that we call Reapers. The Reapers would deal with the day to day ferrying of souls, while Samael kept the Reapers organized. However, when a catastrophe was about to take place and hundreds of thousands lives would be lost, Samael would personally deal with the escorting of the dead."

"So you're trying to say that the Daimons are coming back for round two," said Haley.

"And they can't be stopped," added Cid.

"The Daimons will kill everyone," whispered Dylan.

Yahweh nodded his head as he flicked his finger up into the air. The kids finally put the puzzle together, after he pretty much laid down all of the damn pieces. Oh well, at least they proved that they weren't completely incompetent.

While mummers were made about what to do, Landon was the one who took the controls.

Landon stepped away from the group as he went to the main computer. He began to key in a few codes until an image of himself appeared on the screen, signaling that a broadcast was being made. The Rangers and everyone else in the Command Center looked in his direction as the Red Ranger gained the full attention of Angel Grove.

"People of Angel Grove," said Landon, "I am Landon Samuels, the Red Angel Force Ranger. I am calling for an immediate evacuation of Angel Grove of every civilian. The Dark Gate is set to open once again in the very near future. Myself and my fellow Power Rangers will fight to protect the city, but we cannot do our best if we are worried about protecting civilian lives so it is absolutely necessary for everyone to leave. We will work on teleporting who we can out of the city, but please, I am asking a lot, but you must abandon your homes and escape before it is too late."

The broadcast would spread throughout the city and the surrounding area. Landon could only hope that people would be stubborn and ignore his warning.

Alice quickly joined his side with Cid and Alpha 8 coming up. The three of them worked on activating a teleportation web that would transport the civilian population out of Angel Grove to someplace safer. Transmissions were already coming in from the other Rangers who were informing them that they would work on evacuations until they were needed.

Zodiark watched with his warriors standing idly by, waiting for commands. The Dark Prince told them to prepare for battle before he turned his head back to see Connor still being held onto by Eric. The two youths were joined by Yahweh whom gently touched the forehead of the boy that was truly a Celestial.

If Death was telling them that an all out war was about to begin, only an absolute fool would ignore such a warning. Zodiark didn't think himself to be that much of a fool. The only thing that described him was being stubborn, easily jealous, and vindictive.

The Dark Prince despised Eric for being able to hold Connor without the boy flinching. It infuriated him to the point of no return as he sought a way to become Orphan so that he may claim Connor as his for eternity.

As for Connor, he just wished for a moment without feeling any pain as he grabbed onto Eric's hand with their rings rubbing against each other. A few, silent prayers escaped from his lips as he tried to regain his strength, while Yahweh continued to remain at his side. Eric kept a calming hold on the boy as he tried to gather his own strength for the coming battle.

They all needed to be prepared for what would be their biggest battle yet.

* * *

><p>Angel Grove fell into a state of pure pandemonium as the Dark Gate started to glow with an awful vengeance. Mass evacuations were made for people to leave the city in as orderly of a fashion as possible. However, considering what was about to come, the order was lost with every individual panicking for their survival.<p>

The Power Rangers managed to keep some shred of peace as they pushed people out of downtown, which would be the immediate battlefield. The Rangers would fight to keep the Daimons within this part of town just to give those leaving more time to flee. With the Command Center teleporting everyone as quickly as possible, this helped to keep the worst of the potential chaos from happening.

The clocked ticked slowly as nearly two hundred Power Rangers assembled to the heart of Angel Grove once more. The Rangers stood with the Dark Gate only a mile away from them, but above the tallest building in the city.

Magical chains began to ignite with a horrid sound escaping from the Dark Gate. What sounded like a gong or broken bells could be heard throughout the city as the Dark Gate was forced open for a second time. The Power Rangers braced themselves for impact as each generation stood strong as the tide of malevolence began to break through every defense that had been put into place.

The walls between the realm of mortals and the Underworld were brought down in a thunderous clap. A surge of evil energy surged throughout the city, nearly overwhelming the Power Ranger army in its immediate outburst.

Zodiark threw his cape over his armored form as he tried to withstand the blast of energy. His fellow warriors looked equally disabled by the force of power that made the entire city shake. Kratein, Bakari, Lightning, and Helios tried to stand up, but the force was overwhelming and left them just as defenseless as the Rangers.

Even Yahweh felt a little lightheaded as he stood his ground. He kept close to the Angel Force Rangers, specifically Black Ranger, as held up his Celestial Blade to guard himself from the ripple effect. But not even the Second could've predicted just what would spew out from the cavernous maw of the Dark Gate.

The air became tainted as the Daimons crawled out and began to run wild once more. They stormed the city like the monsters that they were. Every step that they took was a step closer to initiating complete destruction.

But the Daimons were not alone this time around, far from it in fact.

Flickering stars exploded from the Dark Gate in a manner that left the Power Ranger army briefly paralyzed. They all stumbled back as the thunderous clapping continued until a hundred if not thousands of winged figures could be seen high above them. Each one was corrupt but beautiful as Yahweh spat out only a few words for them.

"The Fallen," said Yahweh. "We get to fight an army of Fallen Celestials and Daimons. This will certainly be an interesting battle."

"Those are Fallen Celestials?" Blue Angel Force Ranger said, looking up to the sky.

"Great," said Yellow Angel Force Ranger. "More Dark Lords."

Yahweh shook his head as he slung his sword over his shoulder, the cool steel touching the cloth that covered him. A dangerous smirk grew on his face as he continued to stare up to his corrupt brethren in the sky. "Oh, don't fret, Rangers!" Yahweh howled, loud enough for all to hear. "The Fallen are weak compared to the Dark Lords. So long as you tap into the full potential bestowed upon you by the Morphing Grid then you can awaken a power that will allow you to defeat the Fallen as easily as you would the Daimons!"

"That's one bright side to all of this," said Pink Angel Force Ranger.

"We can stand a fighting chance now!" cheered White Angel Force Ranger.

"Before we charge into battle," interrupted Orange Angel Force Ranger, "can we figure out who is responsible for all of this?"

"Yeah," said Violet Angel Force Ranger, "I'd like to know who opened the Dark Gate back up."

Zodiark huffed as he looked up to the Dark Gate upon sensing a new energy. It was familiar to him, so familiar in fact that he wanted to laugh if he did not feel the power that backed up the recognizable scent. "Ask and you shall receive, my dear niece," said Zodiark. The Dark Prince held an arm up into the air with his point finger aimed at the Dark Gate. If only his cold eyes could kill with a single glance. "Look and you shall see the source behind the attack. I am almost certain that you will all recognize him."

Everyone looked back at the Dark Gate just as a new wave of energy ripped through the atmosphere, causing another ripple. The ground itself felt like it was shaking as the Rangers and their allies fought not to drop to their feet as a bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, piercing the Dark Gate with a foreign fury.

When the Rangers regained balance, they only needed to look in front of them to see who the mastermind behind the attack was.

Standing before them was none other than Thrax, himself. Although, since dying, Thrax had gotten a more demonic makeover that included half-torn skin, a horn broken, part of his bones like his ribs and knees being exposed, and an aura of ungodly energy that wrapped around him. The mutant was more Daimon than anything else now as his eyes flashed red, causing the ground to shiver and quake yet again.

"Blasted damnation," hissed Yahweh. "The bastard has swallowed the powers of the Dark Lords down his gut!"

"I really don't like the sounds of that," said Black Angel Force Ranger. "Thrax is as powerful as Luther now."

Red Angel Force Ranger could already tell by the way that the Earth cried out in terror from Thrax's presence. The Ranger closed his eyes as he listened to the words of the planet screaming at him to take action against the villains. The spirits were all howling and crying from the torment that they felt from the presence of Thrax, the Fallen Celestials, and the Daimons.

Drawing his Angel Sword out, Red Angel Force Ranger prepared his mind and body for battle. He clenched the weapon with both hands as he stared out at the dark forces that were just itching for a reason to fight. "Who cares if Thrax's thinks he's all-powerful now!" shouted the Ranger. "I say that we don't give him any reason to think we're afraid. I say that we the Power Rangers and that we fight for all that is good! We fight for everyone!"

"That's right!" shouted Mighty Morphin' Red Ranger. "Let's stand strong, Rangers!"

"This is our last chance to make a difference," said Go Squad Red Ranger. "This is where we go down as Champions!"

"Yeah!" shouted the army of Power Rangers.

Rushing off into the thick of it all, the Power Rangers took charge against the forces of darkness that waited before them. Thrax didn't bother to move his skeletal jaw as the powers of the Dark Lords coursed throughout his being. That didn't stop the Daimons or the Fallen Celestials from taking off. Every single one of them raced to meet the Power Rangers for what could only be described as glorious battle.

Thrax didn't bother to hide a smirk on his face as he tapped the ground with his Z-Staff. In a flash, he was further away from the immediate battle as he waited for worthy adversaries to reach him.

One of those opponents would be Zodiark who sensed Thrax's fading presence. The Dark Prince immediately sprung into battle with his warriors following behind him. Each one scattered upon command to face off against the Daimons and Fallen Celestials that had been spewed out from the Dark Gate. Zodiark took as many as he could down with his sword and mace, smashing skulls in and breaking as many bones as he could until he would be face to face with Thrax again.

All while Yahweh kept back, watching the sense unfold before him. He let out a soft sigh as he knew that he really needed to step in just as the first Daimon was foolish enough to reach him. In a flash, the Celestial Blade ripped the Daimon's throat out, killing the damned creature before it could even blink.

* * *

><p>Back into the sea of battle, the Power Rangers fought with all their heart as what felt like a tidal wave of Daimons and Fallen Celestials crashing all around them. The warning that had been given to them by the Second was taken into great consideration as the Rangers fought with gusto.<p>

Go Squad fought with all their might as a group of Daimons tried to catch them off their guard. The five Rangers fought through all of them before being joined by J.A.K.Q. Rangers when the Fallen Celestials tried to bombard them from above. The J.A.K.Q Rangers brought their powers together in a great flash that managed to stun the Fallen Celestials, causing them to drop down from the sky as the Battle Fever Rangers joined in on the fun. With the Fallen unable to take flight, the three groups of Rangers came together to pummel their way into a victory against them until the last Celestial dropped.

Power Rangers Electro Squad, the Sun Vulcan Rangers, and Goggle V Rangers all assembled together as Fallen Celestials came charging down the road. The Sun Vulcan Rangers rushed into the heart of it as the power trio came after the Fallen with guns blazing as they attempted to shoot them all down. When their powers alone weren't enough, the Electro Squad Rangers weren't too far behind as they provided much needed backup. Their rapid attacks were a much needed help in taking down a wall that the Fallen constructed with magick. As the wall crumbled, the Goggle V Rangers tangled each of the Fallen up with their indestructible ribbons that they electrified to help them down.

The Evolution Rangers charged in to knock a couple of the Daimons down with their Evolution Punches, which caused their biceps to enlarge as steel gloves formed on their fists. With the Daimons all wrangled up, the Bioman Rangers unleashed a charge of particles from their hands that encircled a swarm of Daimons without mercy. The Daimons were ripped apart as the fully charged attack tore limbs off, while the few survivors were met with the fearsome blows of the Changeman Rangers. With a few slashes from their blades, the Daimons met death as their lives were ripped out from them.

Flashman Power Rangers swooped in with the Maskman Rangers right behind them. They all rushed in with Daimons and Fallen popping in from every angle. The Rangers held up the surge with all their might as they fought through the thick of it before the numbers started to overwhelm them. Just when it looked back for the Rangers, the Speed Rangers sped into things to cause the bad guys to stumble back away from them as the Liveman Rangers joined them as well to stun the army of evil. Everyone brought their blasters out into the battle as the four generations of Rangers got together to shoot down the Daimons and Fallen with powerful blasts.

The Fiveman Rangers all ran down a narrow part of the road with their guns fully out. They took to a corner as they used stealth to help them shot a few Daimons and Fallen out from the sky as well as to lure the dumbest ones into a trap. Just as a Goliath-sized Daimon tried to fit down the alley with Fallen Celestials leading the charge, the Fiveman Rangers jumped back just as the Jetman Rangers flew down from the sky to drop a few explosive attacks that caused the Daimons and Fallen to fall in defeat. Each Ranger began to cheer as the Jetman Rangers swooped back to pull the Fiveman Rangers out.

The Mighty Morphin' Rangers were with the Aura Force Rangers in another part of the city. The streets were cleared now as the civilians cleared that area, which allowed the fighting to expand. The Daimons swarmed the Mighty Morphin' Rangers without any sign of mercy, forcing the Rangers to bring out the Power Weapons to keep them back. Once the Daimons were pushed back enough, the Rangers formed the Power Cannon and fired it to cause a powerful enough explosion that killed dozens of Daimons just as the Aura Rangers jumped in from above. The Daimons were replaced as Fallen Celestials tried to storm the Rangers. The Aura Rangers brought their hands together to summon their power before drawing their blasters. They began to pull their triggers just as the Power Cannon was fired a second time with the Dragon Dagger hurling a bolt of lightning. Their twin attacks ripping the air as the Fallen Celestials were defeated.

More and more Daimons were running around everywhere. The Aquitar Rangers used their skills to bring down the bulk of them but it was soon becoming too much for them. Luckily, the Zeo Rangers jumped above a hurdle to join the Aquitar Rangers in the fight. Even the Turbo Rangers came in with them. As the Daimons were cut down by the Aquitar Rangers' blades, the Zeo Rangers and Turbo Rangers summoned their cannons to prepare for a fatal blow. The Aquitar Rangers got out of the way just in time as the cannons were fired, hurling blasts of powerful energy that took down each of the Daimons.

The Astro Rangers and Lost Galaxy Rangers came together with Lightspeed Rescue. They all fought through a swarm of Daimons, slashing each one apart with their weapons. The Astro Rangers shot through the crowd, while the Lost Galaxy Rangers charged their Quasar Sabers for powerful attacks. The Lightspeed Rescue Rangers pummel through the last of them just as a giant Daimon was on their heels. Surprising them all, the Time Force Rangers showed up in the nick of time as they slashed the damned creature down with their sabers. The Daimon howled ferociously as its blood was spilt on the ground as Time Force brought it down with a single blow.

The Wild Force Rangers brought out their claws as they tore through the Daimons with all their force. They pummeled each Daimon that was dumb enough to cross them while the Ninja Storm Rangers and Dino Thunder Rangers joined together once more to hold back the Fallen Celestials. Their blades came in handy as the line was kept until the Rangers could push the Fallen back before coming down on them with ferocious slashes.

SPD Rangers ran down the open road with their guns blazing as they jumped over flaming vehicles. They used their policing skills and took it to a level that they never went to before as they blasted every Daimon and Fallen that came their way. The Fallen were proving to be tricky for the Rangers though when their blasters weren't enough. Mystic Force showed up at that point as the Rangers of that generation united to unleash a ferocious chain of spells that left the Fallen crippled. At that point, Operation Overdrive stormed the castle as they took the Fallen down for a count that they would never forget.

The Jungle Fury Rangers unleashed their inner animal as they ran down the open road. They fought and tore the Fallen a new one as they gave it their all. The RPM Rangers were great at backing up the Jungle Fury Rangers with their tech weapons that they used without any hesitation. Their blasts ripped through the air as the Samurai Rangers cleaned up the stragglers with their Spin Swords and Barracuda Blade. With discipline and a whole lot of skill, the Samurai Rangers were able to cut down everything else that got in the way.

Lastly, the Angel Force Rangers knew that they really needed to push onward. They all fought through the Daimons and Celestials with a power that none of them thought they had. Each one tore their foes apart with single blows, not even thinking as they simply allowed their bodies to do the talking. As each Daimon and Celestial fell in battle, the Rangers pushed themselves closer to reach their destination.

Their eyes were set on taking down Thrax as they knew that defeating Thrax would be the key to winning the battle. The Angel Force Rangers kept on going as they left the other Rangers to handle the Daimon and Fallen Celestials.

* * *

><p>So much violence could be seen all around downtown Angel Grove as it was being torn apart by the fighting. The Power Rangers were in it to win it as the Daimons and Fallen Celestials put up a front that would not give up.<p>

Yahweh knew how persistent they all could be as he guarded against the blade of a Fallen. The Second only had to look at the Fallen to make the corrupted one cower in fear of him. But no mercy was shown as Yahweh snapped his fingers to cause the Fallen to burst in a bloody mess that left his favorite suit stained.

The Second wasn't happy to see more blood on his clothes, which led to him just ripping it off his body. Leather began to cover his body with a layer of chainmail decorating his chest just for the run of it. The Celestial rushed back into the fight as he cut down a group of damned Daimons just had to get in his way. His blade was coated with their insides as he ripped them about without even a second thought.

As their bodies decomposed before him, Yahweh had his eyes on the warriors that lingered around him. He watched every step that they made and couldn't help but to laugh at the familiarity of it all.

Lightning was pretty much self-explanatory. She used her typical skills that had been heightened due to her embracing her Celestial existence. As a vessel, Lightning's powers grew exponentially as she cut Daimons apart with her Gunblade while barely having to stab a Fallen in the chest just to kill her lowly brethren. She brought her Gunblade close to her face with the blood hitting her before returning it back to slice down a Daimon ogre.

Kratein did not fight like a typical prince as he met Daimons and Fallen Celestials in battle. He was a proud warrior who did not enjoy being pushed around. He would not show the slightest bit of weakness as he ran down the street to deliver blow after blow from his black sword with blood dancing all around him. Death had always been a beautiful sight to him and he enjoyed inflicting it upon his enemies, which he did without hesitation a Daimon tried to grab him. The Prince took the Daimon's head off just as a Fallen Celestial flew in from above. With a simple flip, Kratein was on the Fallen's back and he drove the blade down through the Fallen's throat to end it.

Bakari had all five swords drawn as he used them to his full skill. He waved them through the air as his green cape flew all around him with his armor cackling from every step that he took. The swords cut through everything that met his mental range, which went pretty far as he wielded them with such rapid speed. At one moment, the swords were half a block away from him then in an instant they were all back to his side just as an enemy sword was about to touch his head. Bakari grinned as he grabbed the Fallen by the collar before throwing him down to the ground. All five swords went down to pierce the Fallen in the back, ending the miserable existence of the creature.

Helios had some distance between him and his Prince, something he did not enjoy at all. The mighty Guardian charged his sword up with a powerful aura that he used to both illuminate the darkened road as well as to cut his enemies down. He was a one-man stampede as he easily cut his enemies down with the chain teeth of his ethereal sword. Helios had blood thrown up into the air that touched his face as it splashed against him. A calm growl ripped through his throat as he stepped forward to drive his blade through a Fallen Celestial before pulling it out and plunging it into another.

The four of them were remarkably impressive as Yahweh continue to watch them. He kept on smiling even when another Daimon went after him, which soon died by the swing of his blade.

The Celestial swooped in closer to the warriors as he found it necessary to make a certain announcement. Yahweh finished off the Daimons and the Fallen Celestials that were in that particular spot before making that announcement. "If you want to survive the Apocalypse then you must allow yourself to submit!" shouted Yahweh. "There is a reason each of you were drawn to Zodiark. He is Orphan's vessel just as you are all vessels for a Celestial. Lightning has already embraced her role as vessel and has been rewarded for it. If each of you listen to the voice of the Celestial then you shall gain more power, but to gain your full potential then you must all say yes to the Celestial!"

The Prince of Life went to fight more Daimons and Fallen Celestials elsewhere as he left them all with those thoughts.

Lightning could see the truth, but the other three were amazed to hear that proclamation. Kratein, Helios, and Bakari barely paused for a second to think about it when the Daimons and Fallen were back on them.

If they would say yes then it would take them a little bit of time. There was too much fighting going on that they could risk putting themselves in such danger. The Celestials that waited for their blessings would just have to wait a little while longer.

* * *

><p>A chain of explosions ran down the road as Thrax unleashed his devastating might before everyone and everything. The fully-mutated mutant laughed while the dark powers that he took from the Dark Lords left their mark on the city. Everything that caught in his path was destroyed in a ferocious display of power that left the Earth itself trembling in terror.<p>

Thrax used his ferocious power to do every bit of damage that he could. He charged down the street where a few stragglers remained, the civilians were in grave danger as Thrax destroyed not only the infrastructure but killed innocents as well.

With his Z-Staff, Thrax aimed at the remaining civilians to really make things interesting. His thunderous attack ripped through the air and raced down to the streets where it would slaughter a dozen civilians in a single blow.

But just as the group of men, women, and children faced certain death, a pink flash intercepted the attack just in time. Pink Ninja Ranger put herself between the civilians and Thrax's attack. Using her Sacred Claws as a shield, the Ranger stood her guard as she used all her might to protect this particular group of civilians.

"Get out of here, now!" shouted the Pink Ninja Ranger. The civilians heeded her warning as they took off running as quickly as they could just when she couldn't hold on any longer. The Ranger was thrown with her back crashing against an overturned car. She dropped to her knees and claws with her face barely managed to avoid getting hit.

Thrax hissed as he saw the Ranger before hurling a few more blasts at another group of civilians. Just when his attack was about to reach them, Orange Dragoon Ranger showed up to protect them with his shield as Black Archer Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger stood beside him. They pooled their powers together to defend the civilians from harm. Yellow Machinist Ranger joined in on their defensive ring as she pulled the civilians out, escorting them away from there.

"Alpha!" Yellow Machinist Ranger shouted into her Communicator. "Open up a teleportation bridge! We got civilians here that are under attack."

"I'm on it, Alice," said Alpha 8.

The civilians that she protected were teleported out of the way, transported to someplace safer.

All while Thrax was renewing his rampage. The mutant found more civilians who hadn't been transported or under the protection of the Rangers. This time, his attack managed to kill a few of the stragglers before anyone could do anything.

Amongst the casualties was a man that jumped in front of the worst of the attack, protecting a group of children. His body fell to the ground along with an elderly woman, two teenagers, and a young couple. The survivors of the group tried to run away before Thrax could unleash a second round, which the vicious mutant did.

This time though, Blue Gladiator Ranger and White Paladin Ranger entered the picture to hold Thrax back from attacking. They kept the mutant at bay just as Red Warrior Ranger joined them in the fight, using his Aurora Sword to slash against the mutant's chest with all his might. Thrax was hurled back, crashing against a flaming car that exploded upon impact.

The survivors were teleported out of there, much to their relief as the Angel Force Rangers gathered together to face their enemy.

Red Warrior Ranger grabbed his sword with both hands as he held it above his head. The rest of the team braced themselves for battle just as Thrax returned to his feet, stepping out of the smoke and flame. He hissed with his vicious temper rising with every breath that he took as the mutant clung onto the Z-Staff.

"How were you able to come back?" said Red Warrior Ranger. "That spell, you said that it would forfeit your life!"

"It did," laughed Thrax. "And I was sent down to the Underworld to pay for my sins. But in the pit, I ran into Luther again. The Dark Lord was too weak from the battle and I was able to finish him off before stealing the powers of all the Dark Lords. Now, the powers of the Seven Dark Lords run through my veins, giving me power that I never could've possibly dreamed would be possible!"

Lightning bolts flashed across the chaotic sky as Thrax struck the ground with his Z-Staff. The Rangers continued to stand strong though in light of all of this. "And with all of this power, I was able to unite the Daimons and Fallen Celestials in a way that not even Luther could've accomplished!" howled the vengeful mutant. "With them serving me, I will finally achieve my goals of destroying this world and having my revenge!"

"You're not going to get away with this!" shouted Blue Gladiator Ranger.

"The only thing that power boost did for you was make you look a lot uglier!" countered Pink Ninja Ranger.

"There are too many people who are depending on us!" said White Paladin Ranger.

"All the other Rangers are counting on us!" said Yellow Machinist Ranger.

"So we will fight for them all!" shouted Violet Sage Ranger.

"You should've stayed in the Underworld where you belong!" said Black Archer Ranger.

"And we'll give you one good reason why to fear us!" shouted Orange Dragoon Ranger.

"Because we're the Angel Force Power Rangers!" they shouted, united.

The Rangers charged into the thick of battle without any hesitation. They split up, moving in every possible direction to attack Thrax from every angle. The mutant wouldn't know what to expect when they get through with him.

However, Thrax was expecting a lot as he grabbed his mighty Z-Staff with both hands. The mutant met the first attack without too much trouble as he blocked the Blue Gladiator Ranger's Glory Hammer. It was soon followed by Orange Dragoon Ranger's Celestial Lance that the mutant barely managed to avoid getting hit in the ribs with.

Thrax broke the two apart from him before lashing out with his Z-Staff. The cold steel connected against them, breaking through their defenses as he invoked power from both Belphagor and Leviathan, specifically.

White Paladin Ranger flew in with his cape flowing behind him as he engulfed his Solar Blade in light. He wasted no time in attempting to slash the mutant apart with his blade only to have his attack deflected by an invisible wall that appeared off of Thrax's body. The mutant swung back around, using Daemon's powers to beat the Ranger down into submission with a single stroke from his Z-Staff.

Another Ranger down, meant that more had to spring up to pick up the slack. Violet Sage Ranger was just the girl for the job as she attacked with her Divine Wand. She hurled a wave of stars after the mutant, hoping to leave a lasting impression on him with each blow. Her stars were successful in stinging the mutant, but that was about the full extent of their damage. Yellow Machinist Ranger rolled on into the scene as she took to another angle to fire Thrax. The bullets from her Holy Pistols rained down against the mutant to leave its mark every time that she pulled the trigger. When they least expected it though, Thrax pulled himself together with a bolt of energy gathering in the palm of his hands as he summoned Lilith's powers. He hurled the first blast after Violet Sage Ranger before swinging his body around, damaging nearby buildings, to shoot Yellow Machinist Ranger down.

Black Archer Ranger raced near the mutant, pulling the bowstring of his Heaven Bow back to fire a few arrows after him. The enchanted arrows struck the target, but it wasn't enough to do much damage to Thrax though. Even as the Ranger tried to invoke his powers as a Celestial, the arrows didn't do much but to piss the mutant off. Thrax, in return, unleashed glowing beams of light from his eyes, courtesy of Barbatos, that hit Black Archer Ranger with full fury. The Ranger was thrown up into the air before landing on the opposite end of the road.

Red Warrior Ranger and Pink Ninja Ranger joined forces together as they attempted to rush the mutant. They charged onward with Aurora Sword and Sacred Claws in hand. The two managed to catch Thrax off guard as they proved to be successful in delivering a few, fearsome slashes against the mutant that left Thrax stunned for the moment. However, Thrax didn't allowed himself to be overwhelmed by this. He infused his Z-Staff with energy from both Luther and Beelzebub as he used it to lash out against the Rangers. First, Pink Ninja Ranger was hit with all of his might before Thrax used a second attack against Red Warrior Ranger.

Thrax had all of the Angel Force Rangers down for the count at this point. And to prove his point of superiority and invincibility, Thrax unleashed another chain of chaotic energy that had summoned the full power of all seven of the Dark Lords. This attack ran down the road, striking each Ranger down until there was no hope at all of them recovering from this one.

Their Job Class Forms broke as the concentration was lost from the devastating defeat. The Rangers cringed with pain as they tried not to move too much, but found that was a difficult task to accomplish.

Laughing at their misery, Thrax turned away from the Rangers with his focus now being on the Dark Gate. The mutant had proven himself to be too strong for the Rangers to handle as he stood over their defeated forms. He was a true conqueror now as he stared at all the devastation that had befallen Angel Grove.

So much suffering. So much pain. It was done all because of him. Thrax enjoyed being the victor.

Refusing to submit to this, Red Ranger dug his fist into the ground, collecting broken concrete. If he could just get to his Aurora Sword then he could just pull himself together and fight. He started to push himself back on his feet but found his strength fading him as he dropped again. Even as he heard the planet's screaming from his connection to the spirits, Red Ranger just couldn't find the power he needed to fight.

Until a helping hand came to him during the greatest time of need.

Red Ranger picked his head up long enough to see the handle of the Aurora Sword in his face as someone held the blade. The Ranger expected this to be one of Thrax's tricks when he saw that it was none other than Bulk who held the weapon. And right by the larger man's side was his nephew, Spike who looked both frightened and marveled by everything that had been going on.

"Come on, Red Ranger. Pull yourself together man, the world needs you!" pleaded Bulk. "I've seen previous Rangers face tougher odds then this. They've always managed to pull through and defeat the bad guys, no matter how small of a chance they had at winning."

"We all believe in you," Spike said, acting surprisingly mature, for once. "Every man, woman, and child believes that you will save us from evil. You're our last hope, Red Ranger."

"You're our only hope!" stressed Bulk.

Just when he least expected it, Red Ranger found something beautiful to see in all of this pain and suffering. The Ranger smiled underneath his helmet as he took the handle of his Aurora Sword, pulling himself back together. He could feel it in his heart, the words of Bulk and Spike, the confidence and purity in their beliefs was what the Ranger needed to hear.

Red Ranger was gasping for air, but he stood tall and proud just like all the patriarchs of the tribe always taught him to do. He swung the Aurora Sword over his head and brought it to his shoulder as he nodded his head. "I promise that I won't let any of you down," said Red Ranger. "None of us will. We'll keep on fighting until there's nothing left of the bad guys!"

"Yeah!" cheered Spike.

"You can do it, Rangers!" cheered Bulk.

Continuing to smile, Red Ranger held up his Communicator towards his helmet. The connection was established as a response came back from the Command Center. "Hey Alpha, you forgot to teleport a pair of heroes out of the city," said Red Ranger. "Send Bulk and Spike someplace far away from all of this mayhem."

Bulk and Spike could only grin at the Ranger by the compliment that he gave them. Alpha 8 followed the orders, quickly using the Command Center's powers to teleport Bulk and Spike out of the city.

The moment ended as Red Ranger turned away to focus on Thrax now. He threw his Aurora Sword back as he went to retrieve his Angel Sword as well. With both swords in his hands now, the Ranger noticed the other Angel Force Rangers getting back up as well.

This battle wasn't over yet. Not until the fat lady sings.

* * *

><p>The spillover violence was reaching a critical mass as the Power Rangers fought to preserve everything. While the Angel Force Rangers continued to bravely fight against Thrax, everyone else had spread throughout the empty city to fight the Daimons and Fallen Celestials. The numbers of their enemies were continuously growing, while their forces remained stagnant.<p>

The Rangers knew that they couldn't afford to keep on fighting like this. There were just too many dark forces to combat against and there was nowhere near enough of them to actually help by putting a dent into the forces.

However, when things seemed to be looking really bad, a miracle came to their rescue. The Mystic Force Rangers barely managed to blow off a few Daimons with their spellfire when a new swarm of Daimons began to overrun them. Just when it looked like the mystical Rangers were about to be swallowed up, a rapid chain of spells appeared from nowhere to offer its protection.

The Daimons were beaten down with all the might of the spell. The Rangers looked back just as a trail of light appeared from thin air.

It turned out to be none other than Clare, herself. The Sorceress had returned in the garb of the Gatekeeper with her Gatekeeper Staff in hand as she waved her mystical hand into the air. A few more trails appeared as a group of warriors joined her side, all of which would be familiar faces to the other Rangers.

"I brought some friends to help us fight!" said Clare. "Alright, troops, let's kick some ass!"

The Sorceress led the charge of allies into the fighting. Clare waved her Gatekeeper Staff forward to wave out a few waves of magical attacks that cleared a path for all of them. The Mystic Force Rangers were also allowed to return to battle as Clare's spell spread out to heal her companions, while the other allies spread out to deal with the hellish invasion.

Red Mystic Force Ranger cheered as he jumped into the air with Fire Heart catching him. The dragon that had been raised by the Mystic Force Rangers returned to offer his assistance to the Rangers in their time of need. Fire Heart belted out a jet of flames from his mouth that burned various Daimons and Fallen Celestials into ash as he took to the sky.

Moving with an incomparable stealth, Ninjor sliced apart the Daimons with his blade. The creator of the Power Coins sheathed his katana as he let out a joyous yell that caught the attention of the Mighty Morphin' Rangers, the Aquitar Rangers, and the Zeo Rangers who all quickly rushed to his side.

"Why hello, Rangers," said Ninjor. "It is a pleasure to see you all again."

A loud grunt filled the air as a large Daimon was brought down to the ground nearby all of them. The Daimon had a blade sticking out from his back, which belonged none other than to Kamen Rider who gave out a loud sigh before throwing a hand over to the Rangers. "I told you that I'd be there to help whenever you needed me!" shouted Kamen Rider. "This is our battle now!" The Rider leaped off of the Daimon after retrieving his blade from the Daimon corpse.

Elsewhere, the attention of the Wild Force Rangers was gained as they were under a heavy attack from the Daimons and Fallen Celestials. The Rangers were completely surrounded with almost no hopes of escaping the attack when lady luck finally decided to play her hand.

Knives flew through the air followed by various bolts of lightning that struck the wicked creatures at full fury. The Wild Force Rangers gathered together to avoid getting hit just as the last of the Daimons and Fallen Celestials fell in battle.

Much to their astonishment, their heroes were none other than Orgs. Jindrax, Toxica, and Zen-Aku were the ones who came to their rescues. The Duke Orgs rushed to join the Wild Force Rangers' sides just as more Daimons began to show up to the party.

"It looks like you clowns could use some help," laughed Jindrax.

"It would be our pleasure to help you," smirked Toxica.

"Enough playing around, you two," said Zen-Aku. "Let us attack now!"

Zen-Aku raced his giant, blade scythe that he used to slash Daimons apart with. Jindrax rushed forward as he used his various knives and daggers to handle the Daimons, while Toxica wielded her staff and chose to use magick against them.

As for the Operation Overdrive Rangers, they found themselves in a bit of a bind too as they were cornered by Fallen Celestials. The Rangers used their weapons to the best of their abilities, but the numbers were just too great for them to block. When the swarm of Fallen Celestials were nearly upon them, a burst of light overwhelmed the Fallen enough to push them far away from the Rangers.

Scattered, the light revealed himself to be none other than Sentinel Knight. The Guardian of the Corona Aurora appeared before the Operation Overdrive Rangers to offer his assistance to them.

"You had done me a great service in protecting the Corona Aurora from evil," said Sentinel Knight, "allow me to return that debt, Rangers! I shall fight alongside you to protect the universe from this foul evil!"

The green gem at the heart of Sentinel Knight's core began to glow as it struck more of the Fallen Celestials just as the Rangers regrouped around him. Together, they were all able to handle whatever it was that got thrown their way.

The Samurai Rangers were fending off an attack by dozens upon dozens of Daimons and Fallen Celestials. The swell of wickedness was painful for them and too much to handle, which became evident as they all started to look tire. The seven of them persevered however as they continued to fight with all of their courage and honor against evil.

When all hope seemed lost to them, they were joined by somebody that they never expected to see again. A man in a white robe dashed all around them as he easily cut the creatures apart with his weapon that resonated in the mind of the Red Samurai Ranger.

Deker had returned yet again with his trusty Uramasa in hand. The proud warrior returned his weapon to his sheath as the Daimons and Fallen Celestials dropped in defeat. He turned his head back, appearing very much human, with a smile forming on his face.

"You look like you could use some help, Red Ranger," huffed Deker. "I am here to return all the kindness you returned onto me. Allow me the honor of fighting by your side."

Before anyone could answer, more Daimons and Fallen Celestials began to appear all around them. Deker drew his blade once more to attack the incoming combatants, while the Samurai Rangers regained their composure.

The eight of them joined together, easily fending off the attack as they pooled their strength.

And with all of this reinforcement, the tide of the battle actually began to shift. The allies who had promised to assist the Rangers in their time of need had finally arrived to fulfill their oaths.

* * *

><p>Red Ranger was back on his feet with all of the other Angel Force Rangers beside him. They joined together to fight against Thrax, blocking the latest attack from the mutant. A blast of energy ripped through the air as the Rangers prevented any more damage from being done to them as they pushed the mutant back with all their might.<p>

Thrax slid across the concrete with his Z-Staff dragging against the ground. The mutant tossed his head back as he stopped sliding, an angry growl ripping out from his throat. It was hardly enough to put a real dent to him, but the threat was still there as Thrax struck the ground with his Z-Staff.

Energy ripped through the air, pouring out from the Dark Gate as it infected the mutant. Thrax laughed as he faded away from sight before reappearing towards an empty section of town where no fighting was taking place. Upon his reappearance, Thrax was a giant that stood as tall as all of the buildings around him.

Throwing chaos at the Rangers, the mutant attempted to finish the Rangers off in this giant form. The Rangers shielded themselves from harm as they pushed themselves away from each other before regrouping once again.

"Sentinel Zords, Power Up!" shouted the Rangers.

Upon their command, the Sentinel Zords came down from the sky to join the Rangers in battle. The Rangers immediately jumped into their cockpits and inserted the Crystal Morphers into the power slot to activate the Ultrazord.

Red Burning Sentinel Zord flew at the heart of it all as it shifted around to form the torso. Blue Maxter Sentinel Zord and Yellow Dragon Sentinel Zord formed the legs. Pink Sandrock Sentinel Zord and Black Deathscythe Sentinel Zord became the arms. Orange Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord fastened to the legs, while Violet Rising Sentinel Zord added a layer of armor to the arms. As for White Wing Zero Sentinel Zord, it combined at the center as well with its wings spreading apart.

Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord was fully united for battle as it landed on the ground. The Ultrazord summoned the Centennial Sword to hand, rushing into what would be the biggest battle that the Rangers had to date. Thrax was ready for the challenge as well as he took charge against the Rangers with his Z-Staff being swung throughout the air.

Waves of electricity sparked through the air as the two finally collided in battle. Thrax and the Ultrazord met their blows, sending off bolts of energy throughout the city. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord was operated to strike against the mutant with all of its power. The Rangers used the controls at their full might, but were blocked as Thrax summoned the powers of the Dark Lords at his side.

The mutant's cold laughter filled the air as he lashed out against the Rangers with a nasty combo. The Z-Staff was swung all around as it connected to the Ultrazord with its vicious temper. The top portion of the Z-Staff left burn marks against the armor of the Ultrazord, causing the Rangers to lose temporary control as it stumbled back. Twisting the weapon around, the mutant struck the Ultrazord with the bottom of the Z-Staff to stab the Ultrazord.

Stumbling backward, Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord crashed into a building, causing the entire thing to collapse under its weight. The Rangers were able to regain their control and used the thrusters to push the Ultrazord back on its feet, but causing the complete destruction of what was left of the building.

"Our shields our down to eighty percent," said Yellow Ranger.

"We have to be careful," said White Ranger.

"Then let's hit Thrax with something heavy!" shouted Blue Ranger.

"I like the sound of that," said Pink Ranger.

Rising Centennial Ultra Sword up, the Ultrazord charged its attack as Thrax came charging after them. The Rangers pushed their powers into what they needed to do to put a stop to the wicked mutant. "Cosmic Final Arcanum!" shouted the Rangers. A celestial ring formed as the greatsword was swung around before the Ultrazord stepped forward to unleash a powerful slash. The wind was pushed apart as the fully charged attack ripped out and crashed against Thrax with all its might.

However, Thrax didn't even appeared to be affected in the slightest bit. The mutant pushed the attack aside as he summoned the powers of the Dark Lords to defend him, letting out a mighty roar as he withstood the attack.

In response to their attack, Thrax hurled chains of lightning after the Ultrazord. The bolts were punishing as it reduced the powers of the shields down to half of what they previously were.

Cosmic Ultrazord stumbled around once more as more buildings were destroyed by the ripples of Thrax's attack. The lightning spread out to destroy two more buildings before the mutant ceased his attack upon them. He laughed, wickedly, as he drew his Z-Staff against his chest as he summoned more power to generate another strike.

"No you don't!" shouted Orange Ranger.

"It's time for round two!" said Violet Ranger.

"Take this, Thrax!" said Black Ranger.

"You won't get away this time," said Red Ranger.

Gathering their strength once more, the Rangers charged the Ultrazord with all the power that they could. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord's eyes ignited with energy as the burning rings at the wings erupted. The greatsword was grabbed by both hands of the Ultrazord as the final attack was about to be unleashed.

Raising Centennial Ultra Sword back into the air, the greatsword ignited with all the powers that the Rangers had to offer. The Rangers threw their fists up before grabbing the controls for the final blow. "Cosmic Heaven Annihilation!" shouted the Rangers. The Ultrazord brought the greatsword back down for the fatal attack. A bolt of heavenly light shot down from all of the chaos, igniting the weapon as the Ultrazord swung it forward at the mutant.

The attack met Thrax with a ferocious explosion that caused even the mutant to pause. A painful howl escaped from Thrax's throat as the impact made him stumble. But his footing was quickly reclaimed as the powers of the Dark Lords ignited within him, restoring his health.

"Nothing can stop me, Rangers!" shouted Thrax. "Just surrender and save yourself the trouble!"

Slamming his fist down on the command board, Red Ranger knew that Thrax was right. As much as he hated to admit it, the villain was just too much for them to face on their own. "It took all of us just to defeat Luther," the Ranger said, painfully. "We have no other choice, guys. We're going to have to sacrifice the Zords."

Pink Ranger closed her eyes as she placed a hand over her chest. It pained her just to think about it, but she knew there was a lot of truth to that. "You're right, Landon," said Pink Ranger. "We have to hope that the Ultrazord can do enough damage to weaken Thrax enough to where we can finish him."

The other Rangers knew that they had no other choice as they agreed to this.

"Activating self-destruct sequence," said Yellow Ranger.

"Activating auto-pilot," said Violet Ranger.

"Setting target for Thrax," said Black Ranger.

"Setting full power reserves," said White Ranger.

"The countdown is set for sixty seconds," said Blue Ranger.

"Waiting for your orders, Landon," said Orange Ranger.

A brief air of silence filled the cockpit of the Ultrazord as the Rangers prepared to make their sacrifice. The Sentinel Zords had got them so far, rescuing them when they needed help the most on their darkest hour. It was like losing a friend as the Rangers knew that this was their only chance to hurting Thrax.

Red Ranger placed his hand over the button, pressing it down. The countdown began as the system announced that they had sixty seconds before self-destruct. "Evacuate the Ultrazord, now!" commanded Red Ranger.

The Rangers all were at an agreement as they got out of their seats and got out of there. They quickly fled, teleporting out of the Ultrazord just as Thrax had come in close for an attack. Ultrazord responded by grabbing onto the mutant's arms just as the Rangers made it to safety.

And at that moment, Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord ignited as it happened. The countdown was complete with a bright ray of light leaving the Ultrazord before it erupted in a massive explosion. Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord was no more as it destroyed itself in a fiery eruption that took Thrax with it.

The Angel Force Rangers witnessed a small part of Angel Grove being taken by the explosion as well. They shielded themselves and their eyes as the smoke, flames, and broken remains rushed passed them in the wake of the explosion. Their hearts felt heavy as the Rangers fought to withhold the urge to vomit as their Sentinel Zords were gone.

A segment of the Cosmic Sentinel Ultrazord's head landed near the Rangers, proving that it was over.

But before they could celebrate, the smoke settled as Thrax was revealed to still be standing despite the explosion. The mutant laughed as he held up the other half of the Ultrazord's head in his hand. "It looks like you lost your toy, Rangers!" shouted Thrax. "No matter, it is all over for you. You've lost your precious Ultrazord and next you'll lose your Command Center!"

Stepping onward with mighty steps, Thrax positioned himself right above where the Command Center was located. The Rangers had no other choice but to watch as Thrax gathered powerful bolts of energy from his Z-Staff before slamming it down to strike the ground. The energy travelled down to the ground, leaving its mark as the Command Center faced a vicious attack from the mutant.

"No!" shouted Pink Ranger.

The Rangers stepped forward, and with the attack beginning on the Command Center, the strain on their powers were too great. They were forced into powering down, reverting to their civilian forms in the midst of all this mayhem.

* * *

><p>The rampage was leaving a devastating mark.<p>

Explosions were struck all around the Command Center as Cid, Dylan, and Alpha 8 faced grave danger from Thrax's attack. On the surface, with every attack that Thrax made, the lives of those three were put on the line as the stability of the Command Center was disrupted.

A row of explosions went off at a nearby wall as the circuits were overloaded. Alpha 8 was too close to that particular station and faced the consequences with a serious burn that left even his robotic sensors paralyzed.

The central computer erupted in a massive blast that knocked Cid and Dylan down to the ground with a mighty force. The Mage and the alien-soldier found it difficult to pick themselves back up as the broken tech covered part of their bodies as well as the ground. Cid brushed off a part of the keyboard as he forced himself to get back on his feet, while Dylan pulled some wires from his hair.

The Viewing Monitor had burst into flames with part of the Command Center being ignited in its wake. The three of them all flinched as more explosions rocketed the base as Thrax's attacks continued with a severe ferocity.

"We have to get out of here!" Dylan shouted as a row of sparks appeared from behind him. The Mystic Father pulled up a protective shield around him to keep from being severally burned before bumping into Cid.

The alien grabbed onto the boy, dragging him away from the painful sparks. A column of the base went down just as the two had taken a few steps off to the side. Glass and other forms of derby started to litter the ground, leaving the two of them in shock by just how close they were to being crushed to death.

"We've done all we can do here," said Cid. "We've evacuated all of the citizens out of Angel Grove, now it's our turn to get the fuck out of here!"

"Where can we go?" shouted Alpha 8. A blast of explosions went off nearby, causing the Alpha bot to jump out of his robotic skin. He quickly rushed to the duo's side with part of his leg catching on fire. "Ay yi yi!" The Alpha bot quickly put the flames out before it did any brutal damage to his own circuits.

Dylan and Cid held onto Alpha 8 just as another column fell, blocking one of the exits. A chain of lightning trickled down from the ceiling and triggered another explosion nearby them, leaving each of them screaming in terror.

"Anywhere is better than here at this point!" said Cid. "There's no other choice then to abandon ship!"

"I'll try and teleport us someplace safer," said Dylan. "Now would be a good time to take a trip to Hawaii."

"Just get us out of here!" cried Alpha 8. "Ay yi yi. Zordon, what are we going to do now?"

There was no response as Dylan held onto both of them. Cid and Alpha 8 appeared worried as the young Emperor of Good Magick closed his eyes to let out a calming breath. The tickling sensation of magick began to swallow the three of them whole as they were transported out from the collapsing Command Center. Just in time to as another explosion went off that would've killed them all had they lingered a second longer.

And in that final explosion, the Command Center was completely destroyed.

* * *

><p>The ground was left horrifically devastated as an eruption from underneath the city broke through. The broken remnants of the Command Center came up to the surface where they rained on the Rangers and their allies as they continued the battle against the Daimons and Fallen Celestials. Seeing this taking place and hearing the victorious cries of Thrax was heartbreaking to all of the Power Rangers and their allies, leaving them feeling helpless in this grim situation.<p>

Things were only destined to get worse as Thrax stomped the already broken ground to leave the last mark. The mutant let out a villainous cry into the air that made the earth tremble as he reverted back to his standard height.

Thrax stood near the ruins of the Angel Force Rangers' Command Center, looking down into the pit to see that nothing was left of it. Every bit of it was in complete rubble, which meant that the Rangers had no place else to hide. With the Daimons and Fallen Celestials destroying all of Angel Grove, it would be only a matter of time before the rest of the planet fell before him.

If only the mutant was wise enough to think of what his true role in all of this was.

A band of electricity lashed out through the air and cracked against the mutant's back. It stung and hurt like Hell, which caused Thrax to spill numerous curses from his mouth as he turned back to see his attacker. A smug look grew on his face as Thrax realized just how truly delicious this day was turning out to be.

Emerging through the flames of the destroyed Command Center and Sentinel Zords, Zodiark stepped to the battlefield with his sword drawn. In full armor, the cape belonging to the Dark Prince blew against the sea of mayhem as his dark eyes locked onto the mutant.

"So, you've finally shown yourself, Dark Prince," laughed Thrax.

"And you looked like you crawled out of a swamp," said Zodiark.

The mutant didn't bother to say another word as he raised his Z-Staff up into the air. Casting his magicks, Thrax hurled a spell after the Dark Prince that took the form of a flaming javelin. The attack ripped through the air, spreading the flames that were already present. Zodiark raised his sword up to slash the spell apart with all his might when he felt a tingle in the air. The Dark Prince angled his head up to see Thrax storming down the road towards him.

Immediately, Zodiark strengthened his guard as he brought his sword forward to shield him. Just in time too as Thrax already aimed the pointed end of the Z-Staff for the heart of the Dark Prince. The pair were pushed back by the amount of power released by the impact, causing them both to fight to reclaim their footing before going after each other again.

The two villains collided in a rippling force that sent sparks flying out in every possible direction. Zodiark never imagined that Thrax could be so strong, but he reminded himself that none of these powers belonged to the mutant. It was all the might of the Dark Lords that he was up again, which is what infuriated Zodiark as he was pushed back by the mutant.

Zodiark dragged his blade against the ground as he summoned the Mace of the Void to his hand. Although, he couldn't summon the Sentinel contained within, he could still use the Celestial Weapon's power to leave its mark on Thrax. With a mighty swing, Zodiark called forth a bolt of lightning down from the sky, igniting the mace in a storm of power. The Dark Prince threw his arm forward to strike Thrax's armor with the full force of the mace just as Thrax raised his Z-Staff up to defend himself.

There was a blinding eruption of light that caused the two bodies to be thrown back. Zodiark crashed into a wall, while Thrax barely even moved a foot away from his original spot. The armor belonging to the Dark Prince began to crack from the damage that he sustained just as he felt a horrific pain in his arm. Damn it all, though Zodiark, its broken now.

Thrax straightened himself back out as he laughed, spitting out a bit of blood that collected in his throat. The mutant took a good look at Zodiark to see that the Dark Prince wasn't in the best condition as a stream of blood began to run down his pale face.

"It looks like I'm the superior one after all," said Thrax. "It is time for you to be disposed of Zodiark just like I should have done a longtime ago!" With that said, Thrax lifted his Z-Staff up into the air as he called forth more power from the Dark Lords.

Zodiark was just beginning to get back on his feet when the attack was nearly upon him. There was no time for him to respond, but fortunately for him someone else did have a chance to react.

Racing against the brief seconds, Connor showed up in front of the Dark Prince with his clothes in a pitiful sight. Landon, Ric, Eric, Haley, Serena, Tommy, and Alice showed up soon as well and each one looked equally horrible. Their faces were smeared from dirt, smog, and sweat, while their clothes barely baldy torn and able to cover their skin.

Removing the bracelets from their wrists, the Rangers grabbed their Crystal Morphers and held them forward. Just as Thrax's attack was upon them, the Crystal Morphers responded by generating a bright blast of light that shielded them all from harm. However, the light grew with great intensity as Thrax's attack caused a chain reaction that none of them could've expected.

A slight burn could be felt in Zodiark's pocket as he pulled the Dawn Shard out. The crystal was glowing with such intensity just as the Crystal Morphers belonging to the Rangers shot up a burst of light into the air. The light fused together forming a single ball of energy that drifted down towards them, taking the form of a crystal that was a mixture of orange, red, and yellow.

The crystal drifted down until it fell in Connor's hand. In that instant, the crystal restored the Rangers' strength, transforming them back in their Ranger forms.

"What is this?" Black Ranger said, holding up the crystal.

Feeling its radiance, Zodiark got back on his feet as he took to the Rangers' side. He kept the Dawn Shard in hand as he held it up to show that it looked remarkably similar to the crystal that was held by Black Ranger. "I don't know how you did it, Rangers," said the Dark Prince, "but you've awakened the Dusk Shard. It seemed that pooling your powers together the way that you did broke the seals that kept the Dusk Shard hidden from humanity."

"So it's like the Dawn Shard then?" said Red Ranger.

"Yes," said Zodiark.

"Sweet!" laughed Pink Ranger. "Let's use the crystals against Thrax now!"

Zodiark and Black Ranger turned to each other, nodding their heads in agreement. Black Ranger was the only one who could wield the Dusk Shard's powers as he was a Celestial, while Zodiark was the vessel for a Celestial. The two held the crystals up, pointing them at Thrax as the mutant summoned the full powers of the Dark Lords once again.

Igniting his Z-Staff with chaotic powers, Thrax hurled his spell after the Rangers and Zodiark at his fullest fury. A frightening growl escaped from the depths of his being as the beam made its mark just seconds before the Dawn Shard and Dusk Shard could enlighten Thrax. Zodiark was able to stand his ground, but Black Ranger and the other Rangers weren't as fortunate. They got hit with the full brunt of the attack, which caused them to drop down for the count.

Black Ranger banged his shoulder against the concrete, forcing him to drop the Dusk Shard in the process. The crystal rolled away from him and touched Orange Ranger with a faint glow forming, but it was unable to do anything else.

Zodiark tried to reverse the situation by gathering energy into the Dawn Shard for what would serve as the final blow against Thrax. However, the mutant was ready for a second attack, and this time it would be the fatal strike that would end Zodiark's existence.

A chain of magick exploded from the Z-Staff and it rushed dangerously close to where Zodiark stood. The Dark Prince would use the Dawn Shard to defend himself just as he had done to Luther's attack before. But this time, however, it wouldn't work out that way. The magicks that Thrax invoked were different and by devouring powers from not only the Dark Lords, but from the Underworld as well, it was a spell that not even Zodiark could survive against.

Just when it seemed almost certain that death would be upon him, a voice boomed in Zodiark's thoughts. As the Dawn Shard began to ignite alongside the Dusk Shard from this awakening, those powerful words came to his mind. Zodiark's eyes widened and his soul burned as he heard only a few very simple words.

"_Submit to me._"

Realizing that this was his chance, Zodiark clung onto the Dawn Shard with all of his might. He continued to hold it forward as he braced himself for all the cosmic impact that the universe had to offer him. "I submit to you, Orphan!" smiled Zodiark. "I offer myself to you, Prince of Nothingness! I am yours to command!"

As the words escaped him, Thrax's attack was finally upon him. In a massive explosion, Zodiark was no more as the spell took everything that the Dark Prince had in him. Yet, the damage had already been done. Zodiark was no more, but something else would stand in his place. Correction that would be someone.

Thrax's spell created a powerful explosion that pushed the Rangers further away from where they once were and where Zodiark once stood. They were all pinned against a brick wall as gravity took its effect when a massive column of light ascended up into the sky. It felt as if the sky itself was screaming as something was happening that none of the Rangers could've anticipated.

White wings rose up from the bottom of the column as a powerful voice could be heard throughout the city. Eventually, the voice calmed down with the light fading with it as everyone was left standing there, waiting to catch their breath.

Standing where Zodiark once was and the light had touched the heavens was what appeared to be a young man. His chocolate hair was short and messy, but in a way that made hearts swoon and break as they stared at his beautiful, pale face with the most hypnotic blue-grey eyes ever. His legs were covered in fitted, black pants with knee-length boots. He covered his chest with a leather jacket that bore Edeonian runes on them that read "By the Grace of the Creator, I am His Chosen".

Blinking a few times, the young man began to grin as he held up the Dawn Shard. In his other hand though was another crystal that the young man brought up to his face. This crystal was clear, but sparkled like gold as he held it with a strong grip.

The Rangers and Thrax were taken back by the stunning, young man as he finally paid them attention. He barely looked at the Rangers as he set most of his sights on Thrax and the Apocalypse that was going on around them.

"Using powers that you have no business using?" the young man said to Thrax, shaking his index finger at him "Tisk. Tisk. You've stepped out of your bounds, mutant. I shall be the one who places judgment and punishment upon your soul."

"You have no power over me!" spat Thrax. "I will destroy you, pretty boy!"

The young man didn't even waste the energy to shake his head. There was no point in bothering to educate this mutant, but it would be a kindness for him to know who his executioner was. "Fool," huffed the young man. "I am Orphan, the First Celestial and the Emperor of Eden! You will bow before me!" Raising up the crystal in his hand, Orphan invoked the powers of the Cosmic Shard that he brought with him from the Garden.

Illuminating half of the city with its power, Orphan wielded the Cosmic Shard against Thrax. A blast of energy ripped through the air as Orphan used the powers to strip Thrax of what he had stolen. "I remove the powers and essences of Luther, Leviathan, and Daemon from your soul," said Orphan. "I suppress the powers of Beelzebub, Lilith, Barbatos, and Belphagor. You leave you with hardly enough to fight."

Waving his arm forward that held the Dawn Shard, Orphan released another blast of energy that pushed Thrax far away from him. The mutant was sent halfway across town, back where the other Rangers fought against the Daimons and Fallen Celestials.

"You are not worthy to die by my hands," said Orphan. "I will allow the Power Rangers to dispose of you. Let them clean up this mess." The First Celestial began to grin as he placed the Dawn Shard and Cosmic Shards in his pockets. He then knelt down to retrieve the Dusk Shard, holding onto it with the utmost of care before hiding it in his pocket as well as he finally paid attention to the Rangers. "That would be your cue, humans. Go fight evil or whatever it is that you fucking do." He didn't even turn his head back, but it was clear that he was speaking to them.

"Let's go, guys," Red Ranger said, leading the others forward.

The Angel Force Rangers made sure to stay clear of Orphan as they didn't want to risk getting vaporized by the First Celestial. From what they heard about him from Yahweh, the last person you'd ever want to make made would be Orphan. The First Celestial had a temper that couldn't be contained, he made Daemon look like a puppy.

The Rangers took off down the road to put an end to Thrax, thankful for what Orphan did to help them out. Granted, they weren't cocky enough to believe that this was Orphan helping them out from the kindness of his heart.

Orange Ranger wasn't that stupid as he stopped running to see that Black Ranger had stayed behind with Orphan. A tightening ball formed in the back of his throat as he realized exactly what was going to happen. He touched the ring that was underneath his glove and held back the urge to cry as he turned away to rejoin the others.

As they finally disappeared down the road, Black Ranger finally began to stir as he could no longer see his friends. The boy took one step forward as he felt something completely blinding his thoughts as he gazed upon Orphan. It was Samael, he knew it was, but Black Ranger just couldn't afford to give in now.

He had made his decision, he had chosen Eric, not Orphan.

But there was no telling no to Orphan though.

Turning back around, Orphan looked at Black Ranger with a smile beginning to form on his face. There were slow steps taken as Orphan appeared right before the Ranger, taking holds of both hands as he peered through the obstruction. That bothered him as he waved his hand forward to strip his heart's desire of those powers.

Forced into powering down, Connor was left completely alone and defenseless with Orphan standing right in front of him. Connor kept his head down though, refusing to budge an inch as he knew what would happen the moment he looked into those cold eyes. There would be no stopping Samael at that point if Connor allowed himself to fall for this trap.

Gently touching his chin, Orphan nudged Connor to lift his head up. He wouldn't force Connor to, he wanted that act of submission to occur at his own will. "Look at me, Samael," Orphan whispered to him. "Let me look at your eyes. I'm already filling myself with your sweet scent and the softness of your skin. Samael, look at me with your beautiful eyes."

"No," Connor whispered. "I'm not Samael. I'm Connor."

"Don't fight it," Orphan said, both arms around Connor now. "You know who you really are. Connor doesn't exist, he never existed. It's always been you, Samael. This Connor identity is just a form you took to recover from the trauma of what Father did to you. If I could, I would make the Creator pay for what He did to you."

With his heart thundering against his chest, Connor grabbed onto Orphan's jacket out of pure instinct. It wasn't done by his own will, it was done by Samael as his thoughts were pounding against his skull.

"I can't," Connor said, tears running down his face. "I won't. I know who I am."

"Yes you do, Samael," Orphan said, his lips hovering over Connor's left ear. "My little prince, my sweet prince."

Unable to contain the feelings in his heart, Connor made the fatal mistake of lifting his head up. His eyes were closed only for a moment but that second passed as he finally looked into the blue-grey eyes with his brown eyes. The connection was made in an instant, causing every wall that Connor had put up to come crashing down just by one look.

Orphan couldn't contain his smile as he continued to hold onto Connor with all his might. His hand went up to gently stroke the soft cheek with the tips of his fingers briefly grazing against the smooth lips.

Connor knew that he couldn't fight any longer as he was lost in Orphan's gaze.

* * *

><p>The Angel Force Rangers returned to action to discover Thrax pinned down against a wall of bricks. No doubt this was because of the force of energy that Orphan unleashed upon the mutant. It sent Thrax over five miles away from where they currently were, and left the mutant vulnerable to a nasty attack.<p>

Red Ranger unsheathed his Angel Sword with Yellow Ranger, Blue Ranger, and Pink Ranger following his lead. White Ranger, Orange Ranger, and Violet Ranger brought out their Celestial Rays, ready to take on the threat that stood before them.

Pushing himself out from the mess, Thrax straightened himself out with a vicious hiss escaping from his throat. The mutant had retrieved his Z-Staff, which seemed to spark as he gathered all of the energy that he had to finish off the Rangers. Only, the Rangers weren't sure just how much of Thrax's sanity was left in that head of his.

It seemed that Orphan did more than just strip him of Luther, Leviathan, and Daemon's powers. With what little power that he had left from the other four Dark Lords, Thrax was ready to unleash its full wrath as it caused him to become a more feral creature. The mutant belted out a jet of flame from his mouth like a dragon as he jumped forward to attack the incoming Rangers.

Yellow Ranger and Pink Ranger jumped forward to slash the mutant. Their Angel Swords connected against the chest against the lunatic, doing a good amount of damage against him. The duo jumped back just as Thrax started to recover from the blow when Blue Ranger jumped in to back them up. He swung his Angel Sword in an upward arc, putting a nice dent in the armor of the mutant.

Thrax started to stumble back, leaving him vulnerable to another attack. White Ranger led that charge as he had Orange Ranger and Violet Ranger at his side. The three of them began to take aim and fired immediately once Thrax was within prime range. Their laser fire left some serious marks on the mutant until he was dangerously close to dropping on his feet.

Red Ranger came in afterwards for the final blows. He had both his Angel Sword and Aurora Sword in hand as he ignited both swords with flames, slashing Thrax with all of his might. With every slash, Red Ranger left his mark on the mutant. Bringing both swords together, the Ranger brought them down to cut the mutant across the chest.

Each blow brought Thrax one step closer to defeat with him finally dropping to one knee. The mutant growled as he retrieved his Z-Staff that slipped from his fingers as he used it to hurl powerful bolts of lightning at all of them. The Rangers were caught off guard by the attack, and were forced to jump back as the attack left its mark on them.

When Thrax was about to hit them with another attack, something happened from behind the mutant. A figure jumped out from an alleyway with a sword in hand that he used to slash the mutant three times. Thrax dropped his Z-Staff on the ground as he nearly fell forward just as the Rangers caught sight of the mutant's attacker.

It turned out to be Cid who looked badly beaten by all of the fighting. He held his sword in hand, while his clothes were nearly completely torn. Only one sleeve of his shirt remained and his pants were torn to where his underwear could be clearly seen. The fully-trained soldier took out his whip, untangling it from his wrist as he cracked it against the mutant's back just as Thrax was beginning to stand back up.

"That's for trying to blow us up!" shouted Cid. "We barely got out of the Command Center before the place exploded."

Coming down from the sky, Dylan floated in to join Cid and the Rangers in the fight. The cape at the boy's back was full of holes with his shirt completely cut around his waist and his pants now shorts. "Fortunately for us that my magick was strong enough to protect us," said Dylan. "I got Cid, Alpha 8, and myself out of there before it was too late." The Mage raised his hands up into the air, casting a spell that he would use against the mutant. Taking in a deep breath, Dylan hurled a bolt of light after Thrax to briefly stun the mutant before he could do anything else. "And that was courtesy of your momma! She said that you're a spoiled, little shit that needs to get your punk ass beat!"

Laughing a bit, Cid tossed his whip after Thrax, which successfully managed to completely tangle him up. Dylan brought his hands together once again with a ball of light gathered in his hands. Yelling at the top of his lungs, Dylan threw the magick blast after the mutant to leave Thrax trapped as the Mystic Father enchanted the chain to keep him trapped.

"You got one minute to end this, guys," said Dylan.

"Hit the bastard with everything you got!" said Cid.

The duo took off, running behind the Rangers since they knew this wouldn't be pretty. Thrax hissed indistinguishable curses as he tried to revive himself and break free from the magically enchanted chain.

Thanking their friends, the Rangers placed their hands over their chests. The Rangers summoned their powers to their full potential in order to take the mutant down.

"Spirit of Fire!" said Red Ranger.

"Spirit of Wind!" said Blue Ranger.

"Spirit of Earth!" said Yellow Ranger.

"Spirit of Water!" said Pink Ranger.

"Spirit of Light!" said White Ranger.

"Spirit of Sunlight!" said Orange Ranger.

"Spirit of Starlight!" said Violet Ranger.

Bringing their hands together, glowing spheres of energy formed in the palm of their hands. Throwing their arms back, the Rangers hurled their powers forward at the already weakened Thrax to put an end to all of this.

All seven elemental blasts connected against Thrax as the Rangers used everything that they had for this one. Thrax gasped for air as Dylan's spell, Cid's attack, and the Rangers' final attack crashed into his being. After what Orphan did to him, Thrax didn't stand a chance from the power that was hurled against him.

Dropping to his knees, Thrax's eyes rolled back as he gave out his final breath. He fell forward as a massive explosion went off, signaling the end of the mutant's existence.

And this time, there would be no coming back from the dead for him.

* * *

><p>He lost his battle as he fell for the trap laid out by Orphan.<p>

Connor felt all traces of his walls crumbling down before him the moment he allowed himself to look into Orphan's eyes. The boy was at a complete loss as he allowed pure instinct to take control of him, and those instincts belonged to Samael. Slowly reaching up to the surface, Connor felt his true self moving him to fall completely into Orphan's arms as the city crumbled before the war.

Orphan felt this broken defense and knew that he finally had his chance to strike. He gently tilted the boy's head up until he could finally lean in to place a perfect kiss over those precious lips.

It felt like time had completely stopped the moment their lips met. Despite the thousands of years of being apart, neither one lost themselves to their baser, almost human, instincts. The kiss remained pure, heartwarming, and true as their souls melted together as they were at long last reunited together.

Without even realizing it, Connor began to grab onto Orphan's jacket as he pulled himself closer against the Celestial. Their lips pressing further together as Orphan's arms really locked around Connor's form to hold him in place. Neither one was willing to move or break apart as there was nothing but silence for them as the kiss overwhelmed everything else.

They stayed like this for what felt like ages, catching up on all the time that had been lost. It was difficult but they finally managed to pull their lips apart, allowing themselves to gaze into each other's eyes. Connor knew that he was a total loss and that Samael had won, while Orphan was bursting with happiness that he never thought he'd ever have again.

Completely lost in those eyes, Connor felt as if he were lost in a dream as Orphan held onto him. His brown eyes flickered as he tried to keep himself conscious, but he found it so difficult to keep himself awake. "My king," Connor whispered, lost in Samael's surfacing thoughts. "My love."

A smile began to creep up Orphan's face as he took one hand off of Connor's waist to place it against that soft cheek. There was a tear that had fallen, which Orphan quickly wiped away with his touch lingering on that delicate skin. "My little prince," whispered Orphan. "How I've longed to hold you in my arms again."

However, before any more words could be said, the unthinkable occurred.

Orphan was about to open his mouth when a sudden gasp of air left him crippled. The First felt his entire body tense up as something pierced his flesh, causing blood to trickle out from his mouth. Looking down, both he and Connor that a sword had been stabbed through his heart and was dangerously close to piercing Connor's chest.

Orphan pushed Connor away from him, causing the boy to fall on the ground as he looked up to Orphan in a state of shock. On the ground that is where Connor was able to see just who it was that dared to strike Orphan. And at that second, a violent laugh began to escape from the throat of the attacker as he stood out in the open.

It was a very familiar face, one who had been dead set on claiming revenge. The attacker turned out to be none other than Umbra, himself. The Ranger Hunter pulled the sword out from Orphan's chest, a blade that Connor recognized as a golden Celestial Blade that was soon thrown on the road. Umbra's actions caused more blood to pour out from Orphan's chest, which left the First completely crippled as he dropped down to his knees.

Orphan began to shiver violently as he tried to heal himself. However that proved to be immensely difficult partly because of the Celestial steel that struck him, but also because he didn't have the chance to fully assimilate into Zodiark's body. If only Orphan had been in the mortal world for a few days longer then he would've been able to withstand such an attack, but time had chosen now of all times to turn against him and his Heart of Chaos.

"You…you fool!" Orphan said, spitting blood. "Do you…realize what you've…done? Killing me…you've unleashed the Chaos…the enemy of…Creation."

Umbra couldn't help but to laugh violently as he stepped around Orphan until he was right in front of the First. The Ranger Hunter dropped down to one knee as his eyes turned into a malevolent shade of red that made Orphan tense up. "Does it really look like I give a fuck about that?" said Umbra, his voice darkening now.

At that moment, Connor detected something was very wrong, but it would be Orphan who understood it all.

The boy tried to get up on his feet and morph, but Umbra waved his arm back to hurl a blast of dark energy at him. He was forced back down to the ground where he hit his head, triggering the first steps of a chain reaction. The pain slowly began to surface as Connor felt every nerve in his body going completely haywire without any explanation at all.

"It will all end today," said Umbra. "I will finally have my ultimate desire fulfilled. Everything will fall apart and fade into nothingness where we all belong. Things will finally go right back to the beginning before the bang where it will stay forever."

Orphan wanted to laugh, but the pain grew to be too severe for him. He had no choice but to stare Umbra in the face, correction, the entity that was in possession of Umbra. "Your stench…makes my nose…burn," said Orphan. "You won't…succeed. I will…kill you…before then…Satanail."

Smiling, Satanail stood up from his position in front of Orphan. The pure, malevolent entity pried himself away a bit just when a loud sound caught his attention. Satanail turned his head off to the side to see Yahweh descending from the sky just as the Angel Force Rangers arrived from their battle against Thrax.

"Happy days," said Satanail, "more guests have arrived. None of that matters though as I've killed the mighty Orphan! His Heart of Chaos has been pierced, unleashing the floodgates that will causes all dimensions to bleed together. Creation will destroy itself, leaving behind not even a single soul! After millions of years of planning, I've finally done it! I knew that manipulating the Dark Lords and Thrax into opening the Dark Gate would pay off for me. Everything will finally end!"

Satanail's thunderous laugh rocketed into the air as the ultimate evil vanished before them.

Yahweh immediately jumped to Orphan's side, grabbing his brother just a second before he fell to the ground. The Second's arms wrapped tightly around Orphan as he applied pressure against the wound and attempted to heal it with his life-giving powers. "Don't you die now, brother," said Yahweh. "You've been through worse. You can't die when we've finally gotten so close to restoring our Graces."

"I'm sorry…brother," uttered Orphan as he closed his eyes.

"Don't let, Satanail beat you!" shouted Yahweh. "We made him. We can unmake him if we work together."

The Rangers simply stood there, feeling remarkably out of place. Cid and Dylan were at a complete loss about what was going on. It wasn't like their Ranger friends could help them either so they were just forced to stand there, in silence, watching all of this.

When Orange Ranger and Pink Ranger went over to help Connor though, they were met with a strong resistance. The boy pushed his fiancé and adopted sister away with a mental force that left the both of them clenching their heads. This sudden outburst caught everyone by surprise when all of them, except for Yahweh and Orphan, felt a crippling pain in their heads.

Connor started to scream at the top of his lungs as his entire body began to glow with an intense aura of light. It even seemed that his body was beginning to float up into the air, which was a little frightening and confusing as the Rangers tried to look at him. But Connor was able to suppress his screaming long enough to warn his friends not to do so.

"Close your fucking eyes if you want to live!" shouted Connor. "I can't stop him! I can't hold him back anymore. He's waking up. Samael is here!"

Opening his eyes, Connor's eyes had turned completely white. His body exploded as the aura of light finally won out, spreading throughout the city, but not to the lethal extent that the Angel Force Rangers, Dylan, and Cid could've been killed by looking at. The awakening took place as Samael had finally attained his full recovery and found a reason to return.

At that instant, Connor no longer existed.

Now, there was only Samael, the Prince of Death and Destruction.

The rupture of light that escaped from his body finally began to evaporate as Samael had been pushed into opening his eyes. A soft breath escaped from him as he stood on the middle of the street with his eyes closed and body perfectly still. There was almost no change that occurred since Connor and Samael were the same. The only changes to occur was Samael's hair was now completely black as he stood wearing white pants and a white shirt that was left unbuttoned. A pendant dangled around his neck along with the ring that had been given to him by Eric was still left on his ring finger.

Opening his eyes, Samael finally gazed upon the world with his true eyes. They were both still brown and spoke of the same innocence that had been present when Connor was present. Only now, those eyes spoke with a deeper understanding of himself, the cosmos, and his role in everything.

Samael went to Orphan's side, tears falling down his beautiful cheeks as he dropped down to his knees. He touched the blood that had stained Orphan's chest with his hands trembling as they touched the warm fluid. "No," Samael whispered. "No! I will not allow this. You will not die, Orphan! Not now…not when we've finally been reunited after all these years."

"It's not over yet," stressed Yahweh. "There is still time. There is still a chance to stop all of this before it's too late."

But even as Yahweh spoke those soft words of hope, chaos and destruction began to spread throughout the globe. Everything was beginning to change as reality was burning to the ashes and Armageddon was about to reach a whole new level.

* * *

><p>Whisked away, Yahweh took everyone away from Angel Grove for higher ground. Satanail's return, Samael's awakening, and Orphan's fall was just too much to risk. Yahweh brought them all someplace to regroup as a new planned would be needed since the true mastermind finally unveiled himself.<p>

Dylan's suggestion was to return to the ruins of the old Command Center since that was where him and Cid left Alpha 8. Yahweh transported them all to the ruins where the Rangers' old stronghold once stood.

Yahweh carried the bleeding First in his arms, while Samael was right there with tears staining his face. The younger Celestial watched as Yahweh used his powers to sustain Orphan so that everything wouldn't fall.

Emerging from the rubble, Alpha 8 was in shock to see the Rangers, Cid, and Dylan with the trio of Celestials. The Alpha bot was about to call Samael the name of his former self when he detected the drastic change. Alpha 8 stepped back before taking notice to the bleeding Orphan that was being held by Yahweh.

"Ay yi yi!" said Alpha 8. "I have somewhere we can put him. You won't believe what I managed to uncover and partly restore." The Alpha bot led the Rangers and the Celestials further into all the ruins until they passed a hill full of broken remnants. In a cleared out section, what looked like a giant pod was what waited for all of them.

Haley gasped as she saw this as she rushed a little closer to it. She looked back at everyone else who appeared a little cautious with the exception of Yahweh who immediately placed Orphan into the pod. "Is this what I think it is?" Haley asked Alpha 8.

Nodding his robotic head, Alpha 8 went over to the pod to activate what functions he was successful in accomplishing. He had only been there for a few hours so it couldn't do much, but with Yahweh using his powers then it would help. "Yes, Haley," said Alpha 8. "This is the energy tube that Zordon and Dimitria used when the Command Center was still functional. It won't be enough to sustain his life indefinitely though, but it will help."

"This is more than enough," said Yahweh. "I can keep Orphan alive with this. So long as Orphan doesn't die then Creation is safe."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Landon. "What makes Orphan so important?"

Samael turned to his former companion, while Yahweh focused his attention on healing Orphan. "It's because the Creator made it so," said Death. "Orphan's life is tied to the continuation of the universe. If Orphan dies then not only does the mortal universe falls, but so does the Underworld and Paradise. All of us will die and the Creator will be struck with a crippling blow that could kill Him if He isn't already gone."

"Orphan had the Heart of Chaos within him," added Yahweh. "He held back the tides of mayhem. By stabbing him in the heart, Satanail has released the full chaos and has even consumed some of Orphan's powers in the process. If Satanail isn't defeated then nothing can save us. Satanail will reduce everything to zero as Orphan takes his final breath."

"Explain to us who Satanail is, please," asked Tommy. "We know next to nothing about him and if we're going to fight him−"

"I will kill him," growled Samael. "I will rip Satanail apart."

Losing it for a second, Yahweh snapped at his brother and partner as he called for the attention of Death. "Silence, Samael," said Yahweh. "The Rangers need to know what they're up against." Taking a moment to pause as the healing was starting to take its toll, Yahweh needed to recollect himself. It didn't take too long though as he bounced right back. "Satanail is a Fallen Celestial, only he isn't really a Celestial at all. Orphan, Samael, Adam, and myself constructed him as the first and only Artificial Celestial. Satanail was a failure so we kept him locked away in Paradise, doing our best to keep him chained down until the Wars in Paradise began. After Luther's rebellion, Satanail was cast out, but when Orphan started his rebellion then Satanail revealed his true self. Due to our failures in controlling him, Satanail had transformed into the first Daimon and has since then been the source of the Daimons in Creation."

"So he's the father of all Daimons," said Ric, "that's lovely."

"And terrifying," said Alice.

"Yes, and he apparently wants to destroy all of Creation," added Cid.

"He's an ambitious one," Dylan said, trying to laugh at the circumstances.

Only jokes wouldn't work this time due to the severity of the situation.

The Rangers, Cid, and Dylan took in a breath as the news struck them hard. To think that Orphan was so immensely important, yet everyone made it seem that the First was the evilest creature in the universe. It turns out that there was someone who was far worse and that would be the evil entity that had been controlling Umbra all this time. Satanail was the true threat to all of existence as he revealed himself to be the one to pulling all of the strings after all.

Alpha 8 began to work on strengthening the pod with Alice and Cid joining in the effort. They had to sustain Orphan's life if they were going to buy themselves enough time to save the universe from destruction.

Samael stood over the pod, getting out of the way as everyone worked to save his love. The youngest of the firstborns clung onto Orphan's paling hand with his brown eyes filled with tears and vengeance. "I will get Satanail for this," hissed Samael. "You will pay for what you did to my Orphan. I will gladly rip your throat out."

Watching this, Eric felt his stomach tightening as he stepped back. He stayed with Ric and Dylan, trying not to look at Samael and not thinking about Connor. But the ring on their fingers made that exceptionally difficult. Hearing all of this made Eric's heart ache as he tried not to let this overwhelm him.

"Let's not be so hasty, baby brother," said Yahweh. "We can't afford to lose you against Satanail as well." The scowl that he got out of Samael was enough to frighten anyone, but Yahweh wasn't that impressed. He blew a kiss to the younger before sending his healing magick back to the bleeding Celestial. "There is something you can do to safe Orphan though. We need to get Orphan's true vessel to ask accept Orphan's soul. Zodiark's body is almost dead now and its killing Orphan. The true vessel can sustain Orphan's life longer, but the process won't be pretty for either the vessel or Orphan."

"Do you know where Orphan's true vessel is?" asked Serena.

Yahweh nodded his head as he turned back to face the Rangers. A grin formed on his face that made everyone nervous when they looked at him. "That I do, young lady, I know where and who Orphan's true vessel is," said Yahweh. "In fact, we are fortunate enough to have the true vessel standing right before us." The Second continued to hold onto Orphan's hand, keeping the First alive with his healing powers when he set his sights on one of them. The gaze was soon followed as the Rangers all turned to Eric who was looking away from everyone. "And that is where you come in, Eric. You are Orphan's true vessel, you are the only one who can save Orphan and stall the End of Existence."

Again, Eric felt his stomach drop as he finally picked his head up. He stared at Yahweh with disbelief written on his face, while everyone looked at him with a shocked expression.

Stepping forward, Samael went over to Eric, finally breaking away from Orphan's side. The youngest Son broke away from the other Rangers until he was close enough to him. "Please, help him," said Samael. "Please save Orphan."

"I don't think I can do that," said Eric. "Why should I save him when he's taken you away from me, Connor?"

Frowning, Samael closed his eyes as he held his head down. He let out a deep sigh before finally looking Eric in the eyes, not with his usual frightening look but a pitiful one. "Connor was never real," said Samael. "I'm sorry that you feel hurt and betrayed, Eric, but this isn't the time to be selfish. By saying yes, you can save not only this planet, but all of Creation. Think of your fellow Rangers who are dying out there, you father, and everyone else that you care about. Please, Eric, you must do this."

Eric flinched as closed his eyes, tightening his hands into fists. He couldn't speak, he could barely breathe as he stood there silently.

Samael knew that there wasn't much else that he could do. The Celestial took the black bracelet off from his wrist, turning to Dylan who stood nearby. He took a few steps forward and took hold of the Mage's hand where he strapped the bracelet to his wrist. "I cannot fight as a Ranger any longer," said Samael. "I give you my power. Use it to fight this evil."

Surges of black energy coursed throughout Dylan's body as the powers of the Black Angel Force Ranger entered his body. Dylan was practically paralyzed as his hand was being held by the Celestial of Death. It was a frightening and a remarkable experience all at the same time as he was able to recompose himself once the contact was broken.

Eyes met once again as Eric turned to face Samael. He could see Connor in the Celestial in there, somewhere and that was what broke him to the core.

Biting down on his bottom lip, Eric finally took off the orange bracelet from his wrist. He started to take a few steps back as he went over to where it was that Cid stood. He took the soldier's hand and strapped it to his wrist before clasping onto both hands. "Promise me that you'll fight to protect everyone," said Eric. "I trust you with all of my powers."

Cid nodded his head, understanding exactly what it was that Eric was going to do. Everybody knew it, which is what caused some of them to cry a little for him. The Rangers with their new members grew closer together, while Eric stepped away to join the Celestials and Alpha 8.

Aware that they didn't have much time left, Dylan cast a spell over them. For starters, he restored their strength before finally using another spell to teleport them back to Angel Grove so that they could get back to the battle.

With all of them gone, Eric finally let out a deep breath as he set his sights on the pod that contained Orphan. He walked over to the pod, leaning over it so that he could stare at the beautiful yet terrifying Celestial directly in the eye.

"I'll say yes, but I have one condition that you have to follow," said Eric. "Are you willing?"

Orphan was gasping for breath as Zodiark's body was breaking before him. Being the selfish creature that he was, Orphan didn't wish to die so he fought to lift his body up to meet Eric halfway. Their faces were close together with the stress beginning to take a toll on his body, which urged caution from Yahweh and Samael.

"What is it?" croaked Orphan.

Eric turned his sight on Samael as he slowly began to open his mouth.

* * *

><p>Taking a leap back into the city, the Rangers gazed out into the devastation that rained down upon the city. Pure chaos was what waited for them in Angel Grove with its horrific effects spreading throughout the globe. Now that Orphan was virtually on his deathbed and Satanail running wild, the very real possibility that all of Creation was doomed to die was on everyone's minds.<p>

Landon could hear the screams of the planet as the spirits whispered to him. The young man closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths to steady himself as he grabbed the red bracelet on his wrist. Raising his Crystal Morpher up into the air, Landon called forth his powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Landon. Red feathers began to circle around him as the transformation began. Once he was consumed by them, he was clothed in his red uniform with a cross running down the front of his chest and a pair of angel wings at his back.

"The Spirit of Fire! Red Angel Force Ranger!"

Ric couldn't help but to feel knots forming in his stomach as he knew just how bad things were about to be. He knew that he had to fight though to protect his family as he grabbed the blue bracelet from his wrist. The Crystal Morpher took form in his hand, which he threw up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Ric. Blue feathers began to wrap around his body as he transformed. He wore his blue uniform with a cross running down the front of his chest and a pair of angel wings at his back.

"The Spirit of Wind! Blue Angel Force Ranger!"

Dylan felt his heart pounding against his chest as he realized just what it was that he was getting himself into. He touched the black bracelet on his wrist, abandoning all fears as he realized this is exactly what he wanted to do. Raising the Crystal Morpher up into the air, the Mage knew that he wanted to fight alongside his friends as a Ranger. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Dylan. Black feathers quickly began to circle around him as they transformed him into a Ranger. He wore a black uniform with a cross running down the front of his chest and a pair of angel wings at his back.

"The Spirit of Shadow! Black Angel Force Ranger!"

Alice wept as she saw the destruction befalling the planet as she thought about her poor father and her deceased mother. She would fight for them as she grabbed the yellow bracelet from her wrist, using them as her motivation. Throwing the Crystal Morpher up into the air, she summoned her powers. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Alice. Yellow feathers wrapped around her body, transforming her into a Ranger. She wore a yellow uniform with a skirt, a cross running down the front of her chest and a pair of angel wings at her back.

"The Spirit of Earth! Yellow Angel Force Ranger!"

Haley raised her hand up to her heart as she prayed for the safety of her parents as they fought amongst all the chaos. She nodded her head as she realized that they would be safe as she ripped the pink bracelet from her wrist. Lifting her Crystal Morpher up into the air, she was ready to face it all. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Haley. Pink feathers took over her body as she went through the transformation. She wore a pink uniform with a skirt, a cross running down the front of her chest and a pair of angel wings at her back.

"The Spirit of Water! Pink Angel Force Ranger!"

Tommy kept all thoughts about him being a clone, and having other clones fighting in the war, out of his head. This was a battle where everything was on the line, which exactly what he reminded himself as he took the white bracelet from his wrist. Throwing the Crystal Morpher up into the air, the clone was ready for anything. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Tommy. White feathers wrapped around his body and quickly transformed him into a Ranger. He wore a white uniform with a cross running down the front of his chest and a pair of angel wings at his back with his chest being partly covered by a golden vest.

"The Spirit of Light! White Angel Force Ranger!"

Cid understand exactly who he was doing this for as he turned to his beloved princess, but then remembered the young man who was going to make the ultimate sacrifice. He would do this for the both of them as the soldier took off the orange bracelet from his wrist. Lifting the Crystal Morpher up into the air, he was ready to fight valiantly alongside the heroes of goodness. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Cid. Orange feathers began to wrap around his body as he transformed into a real Ranger. He wore an orange uniform with a cross running down the front of his chest and a pair of angel wings at his back with his chest being partly covered by a golden vest.

"The Spirit of Sunlight! Orange Angel Force Ranger!"

Serena gave out a silent prayer as she wished for her parents' safety as they fought in the middle of all this. She prayed for everyone out there as she took the violet bracelet off of her wrist, ready to face the storm. The Crystal Morpher took form in her hand, which she then raised up into the air. "Angel Force, Power Up!" shouted Serena. Violet feathers started to cover her body as the transformation took effect on her. She wore a violet uniform with a skirt, a cross running down the front of her chest, and a pair of angel wings at her back with her chest being partly covered by a golden vest.

"The Spirit of Starlight! Violet Angel Force Ranger!"

The eight Power Rangers stood closer together as they prepared to face the chaos that waited for them in the middle of the city. "Power Rangers Angel Force!" shouted the eight Rangers. Just as they declared themselves, an explosion went off in the background as the fighting reached new heights. Each one was ready to take the necessary steps and make the sacrifices that as Power Rangers that they would be required to make.

"United we stand!" said the Angel Force Rangers. "Divided we fall!"

The Angel Force Rangers took charge as they immediately dove into the chaos to fight the ultimate force of darkness. Everything that they had gone through prior to this was just a preparation for the final exam. The fate of Creation would be on the line as the Rangers rushed into battle against Satanail and all of the dark forces that he had assembled.

* * *

><p>END!<p>

The final chapter will reveal the final fate of the Power Rangers. By nearly killing Orphan, Satanail has unleashed a tide of evil and destruction that will threaten the very existence of Creation. The Power Rangers will be forced into making the ultimate sacrifice. It will take an unimaginable union in order to stop Satanail and help from an old friend. Find out what will happen in the Power Rangers: Angel Force finale, **Together We Fall pt. 2!**


	39. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: Well everyone, this is what we've been waiting for. The final chapter for Power Rangers Angel Force is here. It's been over a year since I started this fic and over five years since I started writing stories on here. I'm actually kind of sad to say that I'm retiring from writing fan fiction, but happy about it since I feel that I'm ending it on a high note. I worked my ass off to make this chapter for you. I can also proudly say that this chapter was over 60 pages long and almost 30,000 words! Can you believe that? The longest chapter I've ever wrote in my life. Haha. Well, now I just want to take the time to thank all the reviewers. You all kept me motivated enough to finish even when I felt like giving up. Thank you all so much. And thanks to Hubris for helping me write this story. I have nothing else to say. All I can say is just enjoy the final chapter. Leave your reviews and tell me what you think! Peace -Michael  
><strong>

**Together We Fall Pt. 2:**

Angel Grove was slipping into Hell.

Pure chaos ran across the streets as the entire city was left in a blackened state. The sky was painted crimson with horrific bolts of lightning flashing across the sky as thunder roared above. Every couple of seconds the ground would quake or the wind would become especially vicious. The stench of burning buildings could be smelt from all four corners of the city as the soot and ash fell down from the sky.

With the Dark Gate permanently open above the city and Satanail's forces striking at full force, it was almost certain that the city would be lost no matter what happened. However, the Power Rangers refused to surrender no matter just how miserable the odds were against them. If they couldn't stop the Daimons and Fallen Celestials now then the entire world would fall then the universe.

But it just seemed too impossible to find a light at the end of the tunnel. Satanail had effectively crushed any hopes of winning by defeating Orphan and unleashing the full wrath of chaos upon the Earth. Even as the Rangers fought valiantly, the forces of darkness just grew too mighty for anyone to stand up against. Orphan's nearing death had put the universe in a dangerous position, one of which that Satanail was exploiting to further his own desires.

The Power Rangers would not give in though as they fought against it all. They were all spread throughout the city, each generation using every bit of power that they had to fight against the invasion of darkness.

In the middle of all the fighting, the Angel Force Rangers stood united in the face of all this mayhem and destruction. Two of their members might be down, but their spots were filled by two worthy candidates. So despite the change in the roster, the Rangers would keep on persevering in light of everything.

Red Angel Force Ranger proudly led the charge into battle against Satanail's forces. He understood that this would be the final battle for all of them. As horrible as that might seem, he also knew that not all of them would survive the battle that was before them. Despite this, he knew that they couldn't surrender and allow the universe to be destroyed in a swell of chaos.

The bright side to all of this was that there were no civilians left in Angel Grove. Everyone who stayed behind was either a Power Ranger or one of their powerful allies. So knowing that there was nothing left to lose for the city, it was allowed everyone to fight without any concerns other than keeping their own lives. Nothing else mattered by their own survival and the survival of the entire universe.

It was protecting the smiles of the people's faces that the Power Rangers were fighting for.

* * *

><p>Eric's feet crunched against the broken ruins of the old Command Center as he looked away from the pod that sustained Orphan's life. He had his head turned to the side so that he could send his focus onto Samael. The young man's eyes were scarred with the beginnings of tears with images of Connor returning to the surface.<p>

He thought a lot about everything as he prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice. If he was going to give up on his life though, he was going to make sure that it would be done right.

In the pod, Orphan waited for what the young man had to say. Both Yahweh and Samael were a little anxious as they watched him, while Alpha 8 was busy with repairs. Although, the Alpha bot was plenty curious in what the youth had to say to the First Celestial.

Eyes still on Samael, Eric knew that he needed to make himself clear before it was too late. He grabbed onto the edges of the pod with his fingers turning white as he held on. "What I want is for you to treat Connor with the respect that he deserves," said Eric.

"You know that I'm not Connor," uttered Samael.

"That doesn't matter," said Eric. "Connor or Samael, you're still the same person to me! But I refuse, I refuse God damnit to allow Orphan to treat you the same way that Zodiark did." This time, Eric set his focus onto Orphan as he grabbed the dying Celestial's hand. He squeezed it with all his mortal might so that the First would get the point. "Zodiark was an evil bastard who was obsessed with control and terribly abusive to those who he claimed to care about. I'm willing to bet that you're not a far cry away from that."

A slight chuckle escaped Yahweh's throat as Eric pegged it well. The Second held his tongue though when he noticed Orphan send a glare his direction before focusing on the mortal.

"My one condition is that Samael is treated right, fairly, and with love," said Eric. "Love isn't about control or one being dominated over the other. It's about equality, it's about compassion. You never want to control the person that you truly love, you never want to hold them down, and you keep them close to your heart so that they will stay with you always. You are to treasure him always and shower him with love and affection."

Eric leaned in closer to Orphan until their faces were merely inches away from touching. Despite the fact that he was basically telling off the First Celestial, Eric wasn't terribly afraid. If Orphan didn't agree then the universe would be destroyed and Orphan would die along with those whom he claimed to care for.

"Can you handle that?" asked Eric. "Can you handle treating Samael as an equal, not your slave because if you can't then I will never say yes to you? I'd let the universe be destroyed a thousand times before I allow an abusive monster to take over my body and hurt the one that I love above all others. I refuse to allow you to hurt him even in the slightest way. I may only be human, but I will find a way to make you pay if you do so."

Samael closed his eyes as he heard those words. A tear began to run down his face as the Celestial found himself being moved by what the human had to say about him. To think that a human could be capable of such commitment was a little remarkable. Then again, Samael had to remind himself by looking at the ring on his finger that Eric was willing to take his hand in holy matrimony.

Orphan began to stir from the pod as he forced himself up. Despite the injury that he was doing to himself, the First Celestial was able to keep himself up long enough that the foreheads of the Celestial and the mortal touched. The Celestial squeezed the mortal hand back with an intensely, cold look escaping from his eyes.

"And here I thought all humans were selfish creatures," Orphan chuckled as pain began to cripple his body. The damaged Heart of Chaos was inflicting an unspeakable amount of agony upon him, but the First Celestial stayed strong as he stared into the eyes of his True Vessel. "So let it be. I will meet your terms, human."

Feeling somewhat satisfied, Eric pulled his face away from Orphan before stealing one last glance at Samael. He understood that there might be even the slightest trace of him left the minute that he opened his mouth to accept Orphan's soul. "My name is Eric," said the young man. "I give you my permission, Orphan. You may enter my body and use it as you see fit."

There was a small smile on Orphan's face as he reached up to touch Eric's heart. For a moment, Eric felt his heart stop beating as Orphan's entire body was consumed by a bright radiance of light. His vision was gone as he felt millennia upon millennia of knowledge, suffering, and memories crushing his very flesh by an immeasurable weight.

Eric dropped forward as Orphan completely entered his body with the last traces of Zodiark's body fading into the air. The old body crumbled into dust and was swept away by the desert as Eric plummeted face first on the pod.

Yahweh succeeded in catching him, easing the young man back up as Orphan recovered within him. Eric was surprised to see that he was still him only with something sharing his body until the time came for complete possession.

Still though, he felt unspeakably weak as Yahweh helped Eric into the pod. In an instant, Eric felt the stabilizing energy of the pod numbing the bulk of the pain as Orphan went to work within him to recover his full power.

In silence, Eric started to pant for air, while Samael came to his side and held onto his hand.

"I'll always remember what you've done, Eric," whispered Samael, "for all of us. Thank you."

Eric nodded his head as he was left unable to respond to Samael's words. He simply felt the weight of Orphan's pain as he closed his eyes, while Yahweh went to work on applying healing magicks on the dying soul. Eric could already feel pieces of himself drifting away into oblivion as he looked up to the chaotic sky and prayed for his friends and family out there fighting.

* * *

><p>It was all going to burn down to ash when he was through with everything.<p>

Satanail stood on top of the tallest tower in Angel Grove, watching all the carnage taking form before his very eyes. The Original Daimon couldn't help but to grin as he continued to appear as Umbra did. He could see the seams that held reality together breaking as the stress of Orphan's coming death began to take their toll. Creation was crumbling right before their eyes and it was simply marvelous to the Daimon.

After millennia and millennia of planning, Satanail would finally get to achieve the desires of the void in his chest. Unlike all the other beings in creation, he didn't have a heart so he couldn't call that his proper motivation to act the way that he did. There wasn't even a soul in his chest; the life he led was a complete sham of what one should be.

All Daimons were like that.

The Daimons were soulless and heartless creatures that were doomed to return to the Oblivion that they had spawned out from. Where Celestials and mortals were able to feel, think, and love; a Daimon was the opposite of what life should be. Satanail and his kind were the absence of life, they were emptiness, and they were the nonexistent beings that should've never been but were.

None of that would matter for much longer. The nagging feeling in his chest would finally be sedated once Orphan died and Creation was unmade.

"How ironic Fate is," laughed Satanail. "The Creator banished Orphan, but tied his life to the continuation of all Creation. If Orphan dies then so does all of the Creator's children." The Original Daimon held his hands up into the air as he felt the unfolding chaos tingling against the tips of his fingers. If only he had a heart then he'd get to feel all giddy about what was about to happen to the entire universe. "What a fool the Creator is. Why would He do something so stupid? Did all of those clouds just go through that brain of His, melting it into mush?"

"Common sense is what the Creator lacks," said Satanail. "He should've known better then to make Orphan that important. The Creator made Orphan the key to His own downfall. What a stupid God. I will unmake His Legacy and all shall perish into the blank canvas where we shall all be tied together in a state of emptiness."

"There is nothing more glorious then Oblivion!" shouted Satanail. "It is where we all belong!"

The Original Daimon couldn't help but to laugh as he continued to clench at his sides. For a being without a soul or heart, he was able to display an awful lot of emotions. Granted, he was still completely insane despite all of that.

How else was he supposed to turn out though?

Satanail had been made an outcast by Heaven and shunned in Hell. Where else was there for him to turn to but Oblivion?

"Everything shall crumble before my feet. Orphan will die and all Creation shall go down in flames with him!" cried Satanail.

Invoking the powers of the unyielding chaos, Satanail threw his fist up into the air. Glowing orbs of chaos began to take form before him as the Original Daimon began to lash out against the slowly dying planet. His sight was expanded to every corner of the globe as he spotted wonderful places to attack from the top of the tower.

There was no fun in attacking Angel Grove anymore. The Power Ranges were already too tangled up fighting the Daimons and Fallen Celestials that had crawled out from the Dark Gate. Although, he only did have eight Rangers who were gunning after him at the moment but they were far away from his thoughts at the moment now.

No, what Satanail craved was a little more excitement. What he wanted to hear was children screaming in agony as their lives were slowly stolen from them.

"Spread out and take this planet!" shouted Satanail.

Breaking through the bleeding realities, Satanail sent the orbs throughout the planet. The orbs began to spawn ripples in reality that allowed even more Daimons to spew out from.

Cities all over the planet found themselves under attack by Daimons. This was a smaller invasion compared to the one in Angel Grove, but it was still a frightening experience nonetheless as the Daimons stormed every spot that could've been considered remotely safe.

Already, images began to pop up in his head as he could see the damage that his spawn was doing to the Earth. The Daimons destroyed buildings, set fires, and slaughtered countless people until there was nothing but fear and terror let in their wake. It was simply glorious with every life that was stolen when a Daimon would slash their claws and sink their fangs into human flesh.

"Beautiful," whispered Satanail. "Oh, so beautiful."

Raising his hands up into the air once more, Satanail found himself lost in all of the stench of blood. He could see the blood pooling around the lifeless bodies as the Daimons went on to hunt the next poor victim. So much innocent blood was being spilt at this point, it allowed the chaos to spread and grow stronger, which in turn fueled Satanail with all the strength that he needed.

The balance was gone now and nothing could even hope of repairing the damages done. What Satanail was doing had irreversibly changed the structure of the Universal Morphing Grid and the Dark Nexus.

Satanail had open a Pandora's Box that there was no chance of closing.

Satanail achieved the unthinkable by slowly becoming a force that was more powerful then Orphan and possibly the Creator.

The Original Daimon was becoming unstoppable.

* * *

><p>Resting, the transition was slowly beginning to work through Eric's veins as Orphan gained power while Eric only grew weaker. It wasn't as painful as he originally imagined it to be, but a lot of that probably had to do with the fact that Orphan was in too much of a piss poor condition to unleash his full wrath. At least that's how Yahweh explained it to him, not that Eric paid much attention to it as he laid in the pod with his eyes closed and the hand with the ring being held by Samael.<p>

By now, Eric was trying to find any way to avoid gazing into Samael's eyes for a simple reason. It was just far too much pain for him to bear. Eric was already dying at Orphan's hands, a piece of him died with every second that was passing. There wasn't much time left for him to be just him.

At the end of the day, Eric knew that he would cease to exist as Orphan returned to power. Even though he gave in willingly, Eric was still absolutely terrified as he laid in the pod. Every time he thought about Orphan's smug face it would trigger a sharp pain in his chest. Eric clenched onto his side every couple of second, wiggling around as Yahweh worked his magick, Alpha used his mechanical expertise to sustain him, and Samael would try to whisper soothing words to him.

It was just too much for him to stomach as Eric snatched his hand away from Samael. He forced his eyes to open, while pushing himself up from the pod to glare at the beautiful Celestial.

There was no point in playing nice anymore. Even though he felt Orphan's mind jabbing at him as the milliseconds passed. "Just stop it!" shouted Eric. Samael's stun look when unnoticed as the changing youth curled up with his hand clinging onto the ring on his finger. His eyes were clenched as he took horribly; deep breaths that made him feel weaker by the moment. "Stop looking like him! Quit torturing me with that face. You know how much I love him. You know how much this is killing me!"

Samael just stood there, wide-eyed as he looked at Eric's face.

Gulping, Yahweh ceased his casting as he straightened out his stiff back. The Second cracked his knuckles before taking a couple of steps back. "Well, this has certainly turned awkward," said Yahweh. "I think that Alpha and I have done all that we can to heal Orphan. At this point, only the Power Rangers stand a chance at repairing the damages done. I think that Alpha and I should go take a break for a few moments so you two…three can hash it out. Come on, Alpha."

"Ay yi yi," said Alpha 8. "Can we go someplace where I won't have to worry about a fireball or thunderbolt being thrown at me?"

Yahweh escorted Alpha 8 out of there as the two of them left Samael alone with Eric.

There was silence at the ruins as the cold; desert air began to sweep in. Also, the chaos could be smelt and felt as the wind carried in to them.

For a moment, Eric forced himself to look away from the hurt expression on Samael's face. The young man almost wondered who was more hurt by all of this, him or Samael. But he couldn't afford to waste his last couple of hours of life on something like that.

Samael closed his eyes as he placed a hand over his stomach. The Celestial gave out a deep breath, letting it all out, before he dropped down to his knees to return to Eric and Orphan's side.

"I understand that this is torture for you," said Samael. "It was the same way for me. I was aware of everything as Connor, but I couldn't do a damn thing about any of it. I couldn't save myself from all the pain; I couldn't stop myself from falling in love with you when I knew that Orphan was my soulmate."

"This was all just a lie then?" Eric asked, softly. The strain on his voice became clear as it started to crack from the pressure of his heartache. Now, the young man looked to the Celestial to see that there was pity in those beautiful eyes. "Why do you enjoy hurting me? It's bad enough that I will never get to be with Connor, but must you make it so much worse by looking like him? Can't you just change that stupid face of yours? Maybe you can turn your hair blue and get really big vines on your forehead and wear a hideous body suit."

"There is not much that I can't do," said Samael, "but is that what you really want, Eric? You don't have much time; do you really want to waste them by throwing 'Angel' references at me?" When Eric didn't respond to the comment, Samael couldn't help but to roll his eyes at the changing mortal. "Are you mad at me or are you mad because deep down you knew that it would never work with you and Connor? Did you think by proposing that you can delude yourself that you could have forever together even when you knew that you would not survive this battle?"

"So I have nobody to blame but myself. Great," huffed Eric. "You should really go into counseling, Samael. You could make a bunch of kids to kill themselves."

Deflecting the sarcasm, Samael started to lean closer towards the pod that Eric was resting in. He could already see the gradual changes that Orphan was recovering. The first change was Eric's physical frame becoming leaner with more visible muscles then muscle mass, the way that Orphan preferred to carry himself.

"All I'm saying is that Fate is a bitch," said Samael. "I wish things could've ended better for all of us, but they won't." Samael reached out to grab Eric's hand so that their rings were touching together. A soft glow began to illuminate from the rings that left Eric a little breathless. "It is no coincidence that you found these rings. They belonged to Orphan and I, we wore them in Paradise. They are symbols of our power. But you've made them so much more than that. They are no longer about power; they also represent our love and unity."

Eric closed his eyes as he dropped his body back down on the pod. At least what was left of his body. Soon enough, it would all belong to Orphan as everything that was Eric would be destroyed in the wake of a supernova.

It was unfair, but that's just how a Son of the Creator functioned.

Samael wished that he could say more that he could fix this. He did love Eric, he wasn't lying about that. He remembered watching the whole world through Connor's eyes, Connor who was a piece of him. Connor was someone that Samael never imagined himself to be or could even picture himself acting like.

But the time he spent as Connor, Samael wouldn't regret it as he continued to hold onto Eric's hand for the time being. Even though Eric was out like a light at this point. However, time would be cruel to them both as Satanail's malice corrupted reality and shattered all traces of order.

The order was so badly damaged that it surprised Samael when two bolts of lightning came down from the sky. This alarmed the Celestial of Death as he jumped away from the pod and summoned the Sword of the Destroyer to his hand. He had claimed his old weapon back as Connor after the downfall of Luther, keeping it safe until it would be necessary. And this would be a potential moment where it would be necessary to use.

At least until Samael took a look at what stepped forth from the lighting. That's when a smirk began to take form on his youthful face as he drew the sword up to his shoulders.

"Well, I'll be damned, again," said Samael, "if it isn't two of my Horsemen, Leviathan and Daemon. I see that you two shits crawled out from Limbo."

It was true, the two Dark Lords had returned from the void in which Celestials were placed upon death. Only this time, the corrupting that had been eating away at them for centuries had finally dissolved upon Luther's betrayal.

Leviathan and Daemon stood in their perfect forms, their Celestial forms. Leviathan's dark skin looked filthy in this chaotic setting as his dark eyes spoke of suffering as the windswept against his dark hair. As for Daemon, he was as frightening as ever in his muscular frame. His dark hair cut fairly short with his dark eyes blazing furiously as a strong desire to fight overwhelmed him.

They were both dressed in form-fitting leather that complimented their individual physiques. In their hands was a sword, a Celestial Blade that would be used in the battle.

"We have returned to serve you, Prince Samael," said Leviathan.

"Our loyally was always with the true Heirs of Paradise," said Daemon.

Samael huffed for a second as he pulled away from Eric's side. "I know that, but I still have a bone to pick with both of you. We'll talk about the debt you owe after the Apocalypse though," said the Celestial. For a moment, Samael turned back to see that Eric was still out of it, while Orphan was barely conscious as well. There was no sense sticking around here and doing nothing when something could be done right now. "Let's go off to war, idiots. Satanail must pay for his crimes and we have to make certain that the Rangers are successful."

"What a strange twist of fate," said Leviathan.

"I fucking hate it," growled Daemon.

The three Celestials vanished from sigh just as Yahweh and Alpha 8 returned. The Alpha bot was completely confused with what just happened, prompting Yahweh to give another one of his famous explanations.

* * *

><p>Violence spread throughout Angel Grove as everything began to crumble before them. There was only so much that the Power Rangers could do against the army of Daimons and Fallen Celestials. The Champions of Good were greatly outnumbered, however, they were determined to stand strong despite how the odds were stacked against them.<p>

Ninjor blocked against an attack from a Fallen Celestial with his katana. The Creator of the Power Coins was able to slay the Fallen before resuming his focus on an incoming surge of Daimons. At least a hundred of them were charging after him, which was not a pleasant sight to behold at all.

Red Ninja Storm Ranger and White Aquitar Ranger arrived with their team of ninjas. They all stood together with their weapons drawn as the Daimons continued their charge towards them.

"I'm assuming that your ninjutsu is strong," Ninjor said to the Ninja Storm Rangers.

"The best out there," said Red Ninja Storm Ranger. "What are you trying to say?"

"We must pull our powers together," said White Aquitar Ranger. "Let us unite our ninja powers!"

Raising his katana back up into the air, Ninjor summoned a surge of light that consumed his weapon. Red Ninja Storm Ranger and White Aquitar Ranger brought their blades together with Ninjor to become one with the power that the ninja master was summoning. "Sacred Ninja Art!" shouted the trio, "Retribution!"

White Aquitar Ranger and Red Ninja Storm Ranger used their Ninja Streaks to flash across the road. The other Aquitar Rangers and Ninja Storm Rangers were right behind them with Ninjor striking the ground with his katana. The ninja Rangers flashed through the air as they striked the Daimon army from every angle in rapid speed.

Finally, when the attack ended, the ninja dropped to the ground with only a few Daimons continuing to stand tall. That is when Ninjor pulled the katana out from the ground to unleash a tide of rippling energy that finished off the remainder of the Daimons. The last of them dropped in defeat as their remains were scattered in the wind.

* * *

><p>A rather muscular Fallen Celestial descended from the sky to strike Magna Defender as he was busy fighting off a group of Daimons. Magna Defender didn't even have the chance to defend himself as the sting of the Celestial's sword hit his back and forced him to drop to the ground. He let out a sharp yell of pain as he dropped his sword on the ground, while the Fallen Celestial raised his sword up for the final blow.<p>

Just when the Fallen Celestial was about to strike, something caught him completely off guard. A Quasar Saber stabbed the Fallen through the chest and brought an end to the corrupt life. Red Galaxy Ranger pulled his saber out before kicking the corpse of the Fallen down to the ground as he dropped down to his knees to check on his brother.

"Mike!" shouted Red Galaxy Ranger. "Are you alright."

There was a horrid cough that escaped from his lips as Magna Defender struggled to move. His back stung with an unspeakable amount of pain that left him practically crippled as he laid there in defeat. "I don't think I'll make it out of his one, Leo," said Magna Defender. "There's just too much pain…"

Just as Magna Defender let out another round of coughing, the other Galaxy Rangers arrived to assist. Pink Galaxy Ranger and Blue Galaxy Ranger went to Magna Defender's sight, attempting to check on his injuries.

"No," cried Red Galaxy Ranger.

"Incoming!" Yellow Galaxy Ranger shouted, gathering the team's attention.

"We got a storm of Fallen Celestials after us!" said Green Galaxy Ranger.

The Galaxy Rangers looked back just in time to hear the thunderous flapping of Celestial wings. The five of them stood together, while Magna Defender attempted to pick himself up so he could join them in battle. His brother forced him to get back down as the Fallen Celestials grew closer towards them.

Furious, Red Galaxy Ranger threw his fist up into the air. "Lights of Orion, activate!" shouted the Ranger.

A golden flash of light came down from the sky to bathe the Rangers in its power. A set of golden bands appeared on their wrists, legs, and left shoulders as their Quasar Sabers were empowered. On their right arm, a claw took form that would allow them to perform their final attack.

The Fallen Celestials were nearly upon them when Red Galaxy Ranger commanded his team to charge. The five of them ran right to the invasion that was coming for them when they transformed into a golden ball of light. Before they knew it, the Fallen Celestials were hit with the full fury of the Galaxy Rangers as the Lights of Orion finished them off in a single blow.

* * *

><p>Swooping down from the sky, the Jetman Rangers returned to the ground after an aerial strike against a group of Fallen Celestials. Now they were stuck in a crowd of Daimons and Fallen, which meant that they would have to fight their hearts out.<p>

The trio called the Sun Vulcan Rangers soon joined up to back them up, making the struggle a little easier on them. All eight Rangers stood strong despite the overwhelming numbers that was constantly surging against them.

A tattooed Fallen Celestial came out from nowhere just when White Swan was at her most vulnerable. The Fallen was about to drive his blade through the Ranger's chest when an intervention was made. Black Condor got in the away of the attack and took the attack for his companion, allowing the sword to pierce through his chest as White Swan screamed for him.

Somewhat shocked by the sacrifice, the Fallen Celestial had been caught off his guard when Red Sun Vulcan Ranger showed up to deliver the fatal blow against him. The Fallen was killed, but his actions made it so that Black Condor was quickly dying in White Swan's arms as blood poured out from his chest.

Making his debut in all of the violence, Cid took on the responsibility as the Orange Angel Force Ranger now that Eric was unable to perform his duties. The young soldier was in the middle of a rumble with Violet Angel Force Ranger right beside him. Neither one allowed Daimon nor Fallen Celestial broke through the line that they had established.

* * *

><p>They were stuck in a corner further off towards the edge of Angel Grove. They had been separated from the other Angel Force Rangers when a massive explosion went off during their initial charge into the city. Orange Ranger was certain that this was an attack sent by Satanail, which Violet Ranger was pretty certain was true.<p>

Fighting on their own, the princess and the soldier kept their defenses up. Neither one was willing to show any bit of weakness, while they fought with all their hearts.

Violet Ranger tripped a Daimon down to the ground before springing back up on her feet to smash her palms into a Fallen Celestial's face. When that one dropped, she took out her Crystal Morpher as she turned over to Orange Ranger. "Let's see if Eric really gave you all his powers!" she shouted at him. "Job Class Form Activate! Violet Sage Ranger." A storm of violet light rained down around her as she quickly transformed into her Job Class Form.

"Cosmic Sage Divine!" With her Divine Wand in hand, Violet Sage Ranger was able to launch a blast of starlight that ripped through a group of Fallen Celestials. Her attack proved to be swift and effective, making her jump for joy just when a Daimon was about to attack her from behind.

Responding quickly, Orange Ranger drove his elbow into the back of the Daimon that he was facing before leaping forward to protect his love. The Celestial Lance was already in his hand which allowed him to intervene before the Daimon was able to reach her. He had the lance rip into the Daimon's chest, bringing it down in a burst of flames as he pulled his weapon out from the corpse.

He took out his Crystal Morpher and held the orange crystal to his face. "It's now or never!" said the new Ranger. "Job Class Form Activate! Orange Dragoon Ranger!" He was quickly consumed by orange light and a storm of feathers as a new set of armor appeared over his skin. The armor of a dragoon gave the Ranger a serious power boost as he was able to rejoin Violet Sage Ranger in battle.

Consuming his lance with sunlight, the Ranger tossed it forward to strike a band of Daimons and Fallen Celestials. "Solar Dragoon Celestial!" shouted Orange Dragoon Ranger. The Celestial Lance was erupting with bright sunlight as it vaporized the incoming unit in a single blast that left both Rangers stunned. The lance struck the ground, which Orange Dragoon Ranger quickly leaped towards to retrieve.

Just as his fingers were wrapped around the weapon, a storm of lightning bolts came down from the sky to strike both Rangers. They dropped down to the ground as their bodies felt the horrible surge of electricity coursing through their bodies just as more Fallen Celestials descended from the sky.

"Not good," mumbled Orange Dragoon Ranger. "We have to get back up."

"Five more minutes," said Violet Sage Ranger as she clenched her sides.

The Fallen Celestials ran towards the Rangers for the final strike. It became virtually certain that they would fall in defeat when two streaks of dark light flashed before them. Orange Dragoon Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger shielded their eyes until the flash was gone so that they could see Kratein and Helios standing there.

Kratein drew his sword out as Helios raised his hand up and sword ready to strike. The two immediately took charge against the Fallen Celestials without even the slightest bit of hesitation from them.

It was clear that this wasn't done to save them so the two Rangers knew not to go into that territory. They were just stunned that they got rescued before it was too late for them.

Helios waved his glowing sword through the air to slash a couple of Fallen Celestials apart. It took a lot of effort on his part, but he was able to do so. Kratein, on the other hand, had a bit of an easier time as he threw himself through the air. The young Prince returned to the ground where he kicked away a Fallen Celestial before cutting two more across the chest.

The duo spun closer to each other as the Fallen Celestials gave their undivided attention to the warriors.

Orange Dragoon Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger were back on their feet to help them. The two Rangers leaped into the ring that the two warriors created so that they could fight united against this threat.

"We're gonna need a lot of luck to make it out of this," said Violet Sage Ranger.

"And a little muscle wouldn't help either," said Orange Dragoon Ranger.

"Yes, witty humor is always nice before a fight," said Helios.

"Quit talking and start killing!" said Kratein

The four of them spread apart to handle the threat that the Fallen Celestials possessed. They were all able to fight well enough to chop the number of Fallen Celestials down to about half when it became too much for them.

As the world slipped into chaos, the Fallen Celestials grew stronger as the minutes ticked. The Fallen creatures were able to reclaim control of the situation as they easily beat the two Rangers. With vicious blows, the Rangers dropped to the ground as the Fallen Celestials resumed their focus on the warriors.

Kratein and Helios found themselves quickly outnumbered when the Fallen Celestials found new prey. It was becoming difficult for the two of them to reclaim control of the battle when more Fallen Celestials soon joined the battle.

Helios was thrown down to the ground, while Kratein was barely hanging on at this point. The two of them stained near each other as the Fallen Celestials continued to draw nearer towards them.

"How did we get here?" said Kratein. "This isn't how it's supposed to be."

"Allow me to sacrifice myself then, my Prince," said Helios. "If I use up my life force then I can save you and the Rangers."

The Prince threw his head back with his dark hair being swept by the wind. The Fallen Celestials were so close to them now that it was becoming frightening for even him. "Don't be a fool," said Kratein as he smacked the blond warrior in the head. "More Fallen Celestials and Daimons will show up. You can't protect me if you're dead."

Helios knew to take this as a compliment and that his Prince cared for him even if the unthinkable happened. He drew his sword back up as he forced himself to get back on his feet when something began to ring in his head. It caused him a bit of pain that forced him to pause for a moment until the ringing became a voice .

The Guardian nodded his head as he stood up with his back straight and both hands on his sword. The sudden change came as a bit of a shocker to Kratein who tried to ask Helios what he was doing. Helios ignored his Prince though as he charged forward after the Fallen Celestials that were upon them.

"I submit to you, Shamsiel!" shouted Helios. "I am your to command, Celestial of Heaven's Light!"

In that instant, Helios became no more as a storm of dark blue feathers erupted from his body. Proving Yahweh right, an awakening took place as Helios fulfilled his duty as a True Vessel by becoming the Celestial Shamsiel.

Shamsiel was as pale and lean as Helios had been only now he had black hair instead of blond. The armor that Helios traditionally wore shattered apart as Shamsiel chose to wear something far more Olympic that consisted of a blue undershirt with a silver chest plate and a brown skirt as his legs were left exposed.

"Judgment is calling you all!" shouted Shamsiel. "You will be punished for your sins!"

And in his hands was a Celestial Blade, something that Shamsiel did not hesitate to use as he cleaved half of the Fallen Celestials apart. Shamsiel began to smirk as he grabbed his blade both hands to finish off the remainder of them in a single stroke.

The last of the Fallen Celestials in the area finally dropped and slipped into death. This was good as Shamsiel returned his blade to the sheath that appeared at his waist. He turned around to see the stunned look on Kratein's face, while Orange Dragoon Ranger and Violet Sage Ranger had been caught completely off guard by this.

Right before anyone could say anything more, Kratein felt his heart pounding hard against his mortal chest. Just looking into Shamsiel's blue eyes caused something to happen in his head that forced him to utter those fatal words. "I submit to you, Dumah," uttered Kratein. "I am yours to command, Celestial of Silence. Son of Orphan and Son of Samael take me as your servant."

White feathers surged out from Kratein's body as the awakening took place. The Rangers were once more forced to cover their eyes, while Shamsiel simply bowed down before his superior and partner. A rapid change took place as Kratein did his role as the True Vessel for the Celestial Dumah.

Beautiful just like the Celestials that were responsible for his birth, Dumah had been born from the Graces of Orphan and Samael when they harmonized together. The Celestial stood taller than Shamsiel, thanks to Orphan, but looked more closely related to Samael. His skin was lightly colored with wavy, black hair and stunning brown eyes. His body physique was a little thinner then Shamsiel's was, but that didn't mean he was any weaker.

"My lord, Dumah," said Shamsiel.

Dumah gave out a soft breath as he caught one of the gray feathers that had been expelled from his awakening form. The armor that Kratein once wore no longer covered his flesh as he now wore youthful attire that consisted of a leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and a pair of fitted jeans. In his hand though was a sword that had been forged by Orphan as a gift to his son.

A smile formed on Dumah's face when the gray feather was swept away in the chaotic wind. He looked up to the sky now to see more Daimons and Fallen Celestials running wild in Angel Grove. "Rise, Shamsiel," said Dumah. "We have larger concerns to worry for. My father is dying and Satanail must be punished for all of his tricks and crimes." The Celestial looked behind him to see the two Rangers that had been fighting alongside their vessels. He extended his hand out to them, initially being silent until he released his words. "I will need your assistance, Rangers. The rift that Satanail created can only be sealed by your kind."

Powering down some, Orange Ranger and Violet Ranger got back up, agreeing to do their part. They joined the two Celestials, rushing out to the war torn city.

* * *

><p>A hungry band of Daimons and vengeful Fallen Celestials came down from the sky to bombard the Rangers. It was the J.A.K.Q. Rangers and Bioman Rangers who were stuck in the worst of it with Bakari in there with them. There were a few scattered explosions that began to went off all around them that made it difficult for the Rangers and Bakari to pull out of it.<p>

The Bioman Rangers were able to retrieve their blasters just as the bulk of the explosions were cleared out of the way. They took the opportunity to gun down a few of the Daimons and Fallen Celestials, while the J.A.K.Q. Rangers and Bakari took a forward charge.

Clover King Ranger threw his fist into the face of a hungry Daimon before kicking another Daimon away from him. Heart Queen Ranger pushed a Fallen Celestial away from her before grabbing a Daimon to slash away with a sword. Big One Ranger used his staff to knock down Daimons and Celestials just as Red One Ranger came to his side to slash away the remainder of them with his blade.

Fallen Celestials were nearly all that remained in the area. The Rangers had successfully defeated the majority of the Daimons, leaving behind only a few survivors.

Bakari threw his five swords through the air to finish a few Fallen Celestials. He retrieved one of his swords with some blood being splashed across his armor as he turned to the Rangers. "You can go fight elsewhere!" shouted the young general. "I will deal with the remainder of these creatures."

"Don't do anything reckless!" shouted Blue Three Ranger.

All of the Rangers began to clear the area with only Bakari left behind to fight the Fallen Celestials.

Bakari called forth the other four swords that he used in battle. He took charge against the Fallen now that the Rangers were all gone. Enchanting his swords with his powers, the general slashed away nearby Fallen Celestials, while the other flew further away from him.

Steel tore through armor as Bakari bent forward on his knee. He clung onto two of his swords while the other three flew forward to pierce through the chests of Fallen Celestials. This caused the general to grin as he straightened himself out just at the worst possible time.

The Fallen Celestials that hadn't chosen to fight Bakari directly were plotting from range. Chaotic energy consumed the air as the Fallen Celestials unleashed an unholy blast of energy that crashed in front of Bakari.

Bakari flew up into the air before crashing near a flaming car with his head crashing against the concrete. A large gash appeared on his forehead as the blood began to spill with his green scarf torn and his armor beginning to crumble apart. Four of his swords were destroyed in the explosion with only one remaining as it landed nearby his feet.

His visions began to blur as the injury left him poorly done. The general could tell right away that this was about to end poorly for him as he placed a hand on his injured shoulder. A deep sigh escaped from his throat that made his stomach tense up when the pain began to hit him hard.

Despite losing his sight, Bakari could still faintly see the Fallen Celestials as they landed all around him. "Fuck," spat Bakari. "You can't shame me like this. I will not be defeated!"

A deafening ring began to pierce through the fog that was leaving Bakari crippled. The General dug into the broken street as he lifted his head up where he could see the Fallen Celestials stood before him. The voice spoke to Bakari, allowing him to open his own mouth to speak the necessary words. "I submit to you, Kokabiel!" said Bakari. "I allow you to use my body as you need, Prince of Stars. Grant me your power and I shall give you my loyalty."

Feathers flew all around Bakari as he retrieved his lone sword. The transformation took effect as Bakari's physical appearance made no change at all. Everything about him remained the same, the only change came from his clothes as the broken clothing he wore became a new suit of black armor with a blue scarf wrapping around his neck.

Kokabiel held onto his lone sword with a dangerous grin forming on his face. "Fall before me, fools!" said the Celestial. The sword struck the ground with dozens of flickers of light appearing all around him. The Celestial sent his attack outward to create a barrage of swords that ripped each of the Fallen Celestials apart.

Bodies blew up in flames as Kokabiel sheathed his sword as he took off down the road to do more damage.

* * *

><p>Gone from his side, Eric felt a little sick knowing that Samael was no longer with him. He wasn't so certain if those feelings were his or if they were Orphan's. The reawakening of the Celestial was proving to be too much for him as Eric knew that he was slipping further and further away with each moment that passed.<p>

It made him sad as a tear ran down his cheek as he stayed in the pod.

The True Vessel felt something tensing up in his stomach. He grabbed himself as he shifted around before looking over to see Yahweh nearby him. And only a few miles away was Angel Grove where a small column of light ascended up into the sky. For a moment, Eric felt his breathing stop and his heart skipping beats as something caused Orphan to stir even more.

Eric lifted his head up when the pain finally passed. He stretched his hand out to touch Yahweh's arm, while the Celestial appeared to be watching all of the fighting. "What was that?" asked Eric. "That light…it's causing Orphan to move around. I don't know what is happening."

"A lot," Yahweh muttered, sitting down on the edge of the pod. He got his arm back from Eric as he finally faced the young man as the change continued to take effect. Already Orphan was beginning to show as Eric's hair turned blond and his skin got paler. "What you saw was the awakening of Celestials. Bakari, Helios, and Kratein are all True Vessels for different Celestials, and each one finally submitted to them. Kokabiel, Shamsiel, and Dumah are all awake."

Opening his mouth a little, Eric was struggling to say something for a moment. The words were stuck at the back of his throat for a moment until he finally found the strength to push them out. "Dumah," said Eric. "That name sounds so familiar. I can see it in Orphan's memories." Eric tensed up as he mentioned that damn name as he placed a hand over his chest to calm down. "There are so many memories but that name sounds out to me just like all his thoughts about Samael, but I just can't see it clearly."

"You're already seeing into Orphan's past?" said Yahweh. "Well then that means your story is about to come to an end. I suppose I can fill in some of those blanks though." Yahweh leaned further back to get closer to Eric as he crossed one leg over the other. He had his gaze back on Angel Grove as he began to open his mouth to speak again. "Dumah is the son of Orphan and Samael. His duty is to guard the realm in which Celestials go to upon 'dieing', Limbo. He was born a couple million years before Orphan rebelled against the Creator."

"How is that possible?" asked Eric.

"Celestial reproduction is different than mortals," said Yahweh. "We Celestials can have sex and have children that way, but that only works if the partner is a mortal. But reproduction between Celestials occurs by our Graces coming into contact which leads to the creation of a Celestial child. You see, Eric, our Graces are our souls. They are the source of our full power and only the Creator can strip us of them."

"Dumah was born without Orphan realizing that Samael was the other father. Samael had already been killed by the Creator and I was sealed away soon after the birth of my nephew. Satanail exploited the situation by pretending to be Dumah's other father. It was quite depressing, I watched the whole thing from Purgatory."

Eric recognized the phrase as well, while Orphan began to boil inside his chest. Apparently, Orphan never knew about Satanail's lies about his son, and hearing Yahweh speak to bluntly wasn't doing much to control the temper. But it did help Eric piecing himself together before he suffered from too much pain.

The young man pulled more memoires out of Orphan until he could see Purgatory clearly. "You were trapped in the Realm of Monsters," said Eric. "Thrax and Zodiark, the monsters that they summoned were the first monsters that resided in Purgatory. They were so close to unleashing the Mother-Of-All-Monsters with all the human lives that they killed."

"Yes," said Yahweh. "Eve treated me kindly enough though. She made sure that her children didn't eat me alive. The two of us played numerous games of chess and talked a great deal, while I watched everything that happened in the universe."

Eric nodded his head as he laid his head back down on the pod. He looked over to the city, using Orphan's vision to see what was happening as the chaos spread and Satanail started to lash out against the rest of the planet. "Things are looking so bleak," said Eric. "The Rangers, they're in trouble. I can see that they won't all survive this battle."

Yahweh agreed as he stood up from the pod, while taking a few steps away from him. The Second's shoulders began to tense up as the chaos was going everywhere, seeping into every corner of the Cosmos. "Many of them will die if Satanail isn't defeated soon," said Yahweh. "Your friends will be amongst them if they don't act fast. Samael will be forced to dance at this rate."

"They won't loss though," whispered Eric. "I know that my friends will stop Satanail, they will save us all."

"For all our sakes, I hope you're right," said Yahweh.

* * *

><p>Climbing out of the broken rubble, Lightning felt every bone in her body ache as she reached the surface. She looked around her to see what happened when she remembered the explosion that she had gotten caught up in.<p>

It was White Mystic Force Ranger who was responsible for all of this damage. There were a group of Fallen Celestials who cast a powerful spell that would've killed the Rangers and Lighting who were busy battling in the area. White Mystic Force Ranger was able to deflect the spell by using her own body as a catalyst for the shield. The Fallen Celestials and Daimons were killed instead, thus saving twenty lives at the cost of her own.

Lightning dropped to one knee as she had finally pulled through the broken building. She bowed her head down in respect to the woman who gave up her life to ensure that the rest of them could continue fighting onward. "Your sacrifice will not be in vain, brave woman," said Lightning. "We shall carry your memory with us always."

Grabbing her Gunblade from the remains, Lightning jumped to her armored feet as she looked up to the sky. She saw something flying above them that landed on a building nearby them. To her that didn't seem right as it was alarm enough for her to react to this mess. Her reaction was to climb up the building's wall to face whatever it was that waited on the rooftop.

The moment that Lightning reached the top, she found herself face to face with the man who looked like Umbra. Her initial reaction was that of shock as she saw Umbra's corrupt body, devoured by chaos, to give him a more decrepit appearance. The skin looked frightfully pale and almost paper thin as Umbra turned to face Lightning.

Only this was not Umbra.

Lightning remembered the warning she had received from Red Angel Force Ranger. She could sense it too as she raised her weapon up against this creature. "Satanail," whispered the warrior woman. "You're the one who has been behind all of this wickedness?"

"Guilty," laughed Satanail. "So Barachiel has found herself a vessel. Good for her, only, I doubt that the pathetic shell she chose will protect her from my power!"

"We'll see about that," hissed Lightning. "Her power is my power. We fight as one because we are one and the same!"

Swinging her Gunblade to the side, a storm of feathers cascaded themselves off from Lightning's armored body. Satanail faced a storm of light that erupted as the awakening of another Celestial took place before his very eyes. This was reason enough to caused a very amused grin to form across his face as Barachiel took full control over Lightning.

The transition was over in an instant because Barachiel had already made herself comfortable within Lightning for the last few days. The Celestial awakened, consuming all of Lightning's being as the Lightning of God was restored.

No change took place as Barachiel held her weapon up before Satanail. Her hair flapping against the mighty breeze that blew in, while she waited for Satanail to make the first move. When it became clear that Satanail wasn't going to budge an inch, by standing there and grinning at her, this caused Barachiel to react.

Rocketing from across the rooftop of the building, Barachiel swung her Gunblade against Satanail's head. The attack would've proven fatal too had Satanail not chosen that moment to arm himself for combat. In his hand was a thick, broadsword that was born from the very chaos that was consuming the planet and the rest of Creation.

The steel was forged from a black-violet mineral and numerous edges ripping off from the primary portion of the blade. At the center of the hilt was a eye that when it would open would create a tide of flame that Satanail would use to his advantage. For now though, the eye remained closed.

Barachiel and her Gunblade collided against the weapon with Satanail pushing back against her at not even his full force. The smile still stayed on his face as Satanail easily succeeded in throwing Lightning aside with his sword.

As she was pushed away from him, Satanail chose this as his moment to strike. The eye on his sword began to open up with purple flames consuming the sword, which Satanail flung after the warrior. Barachiel's eyes widened as she tried to guard herself against the incoming flames as she landed on the roof of a nearby building.

Expecting to burn, it came as a surprise to Barachiel when this sensation never came. Opening her own eyes, it became obvious why. Barachiel began to stand in awe as she saw her superior and fellow warriors standing before her.

Leviathan and Daemon stood at the front of their group, while Samael kept behind the larger duo with the Sword of the Destroyer in hand. The two former Dark Lords pulled up a barrier that was powerful enough to stall the flames, which was soon met as Satanail's deep voice filled the air. The Daimon flew into the air as he leaped onto another building that was slightly further away from the four of them.

Barachiel dropped down on one knee as Samael turned to face her. The movement was a pure instinct as she bowed her head down before him. "I am at your service once more, Prince Samael," said Barachiel. "I have longed to fight alongside you against as one of your Horsemen, Prince of Death."

"Then stand up, Famine," ordered Samael. "I've already brought War and Pestilence with me, I just need Famine."

She immediately got up to her feet as the other two gathered towards them. The Four Horsemen stared at the other building where Satanail waited for them.

A loud growl could be heard, escaping from Samael's throat as the ancient Celestial fought to contain his primal urges. The desire to kill Satanail needed to be quenched, but Samael couldn't allow his emotions to get the best of him. He ordered the three of them to follow his lead and strike Satanail at their full force in order to end this battle quickly.

Ready and armed for battle, the four of them jumped from the building to join Satanail who waited across the city. They each held a blade in hand as they hurled a blast of destructive energy from their weapons that flew over towards Satanail.

In an instant, the entire building crumbled apart in a massive explosion of light.

However, Satanail still remained standing as he leaped out of the smoke with his blade in hand.

Leviathan was the first to throw himself into the line with Daemon not too far behind him. The two of them collided with the Daimon, creating crackling surges of energy that ripped through the air. Satanail held them both back with his eyes glancing back and forth between War (Daemon) and Pestilence (Leviathan). A broad grin started to form on his face just as he felt a third presence.

Barachiel was soon in the middle of the chaos as well. She had her blade drawn and used it to swing a blow into Satanail's back. The Daimon was able to stop the attack though as he broke through the three and leaped across from them.

The three Celestials parted ways as they attempted to flank Satanail from every angle. The Daimon was craftier then that though as he opened the eye to his sword a second time, unleashing a destructive blast of chaotic energy that attacked all three of Samael's Horsemen. In a grand display of his powers, Satanail was able to take each of them down until they were gone from the building.

All that remained was him and Samael once the Celestial landed there.

"And then there was just us," said Satanail to Samael. "Oh, how I have longed to finish you off, Grim Reaper. You have no idea how much your very existence has rubbed me the wrong way."

"You are an abomination above any abomination," said Samael. "I wish we never created you. That moment was a mistake and I would gladly rewind time to take it all back, especially after what you've done to my Orphan!"

Satanail started to laugh as he held his sword forward as Samael prepared for battle. Why not reveal all his cards though now that Creation was about to go up in smoke and flames. "Is that the only reason you want me dead?" asked Satanail. "Does it have anything else to do with what I've done to you? Like how it was I who informed the Creator of the nature of your relationship with Orphan and Yahweh?"

Those fatal words caused Samael's eyes to be blinded by pure rage. There was no control over him as Samael learned the truth. He didn't believe his ears but seeing the look of utter arrogance on Satanail's face was proof enough that it was true.

It was Satanail who was responsible for not only creating the villains that have battled the Power Rangers, but he was responsible for dividing Paradise.

"Bastard!" howled Samael.

The Celestial of Destruction flew forward after the Daimon. The Sword of the Destroyer erupted with power as Samael invoked his destructive abilities to destroy the wicked creature. There was no greater desire in his heart then to see Satanail take his final breaths as Samael desired retribution for what had been done.

Once more, sword met sword as Satanail stood his ground against Death.

"You were the threat to what the universe needs!" said Satanail. "I couldn't allow you to interfere with my plans. I needed you out of the way and the only way to do that was to have you killed by the Creator. Then that would cause Orphan to rebel against the Almighty, triggering the chaos that I needed to set the stage for this very days. I have been carefully planning out every single detail for billions of years, Samael. You have no idea how much of a patient being I am."

"Evil," spat Samael. "Wicked. Malicious! There is nothing in you that is worth salvation. You are a Daimon, pure and simple. You want nothing more than to reduce everything to nothing!"

"How are we any different, Death? You are a killer too, only with a license to kill," said Satanail. "You and are the same."

"I am different then you!" howled Samael. "I believe in order, while you only see Oblivion! If you wish to go there then I shall send you there myself!"

Death and the First Daimon collided in battle once more. There was no holding back as the two Titans fought against each other with tooth and nail.

Their battle caused far more damage to Angel Grove than anything else. They were rockets in the air as they dragged each other through several buildings before finally breaking away from each other. It was remarkable how little damage that the brick, metal, and other substances did to their bodies. Not even the scratching glass could seem to bother them as they started to pull away after the initial attack.

It was Samael who broke this union after kicking Satanail in the face with the heels of his boots. The Celestial flipped his way onto a nearby building and landed with the utmost of grace as Satanail crashed on another building. Gathering destruction, Samael invoked his Aura of Destruction and channeled it through his sword.

Countless bolts of lightning erupted from his body that not only served to strike Satanail, but nearly all of Angel Grove as well. A flock of Fallen Celestials happened to be passing nearby only to get zapped by this force. The buildings around them began to crack and crumble, while another bolt struck the ground and completely tore the road apart.

The bolts that finally crashed against Satanail were met with a great deal of resistance. Satanail opened up the eye to his sword to unleash a vicious storm of fire that crashed against the lightning. The fire rose up and spread until it finally broke through and struck the very building that Samael was on. The entire thing went up in a massive fireball as the fireball was scorched out of existence, but not the Celestial.

Samael pulled through and flew after Satanail. The two crashed in a close combat fight only for their duel to end there. Satanail gave into the power of chaos, the very powers that he stole from Orphan to end this pointless fight.

It came as shock as Satanail's aura expanded to choke Samael. The Celestial was more wide-eyed when Satanail placed a hand over his chest. A silvery mist began to escape from Samael as it transferred its way over to Satanail.

"A little insurance," said Satanail. "I'll some of your powers to what I took from Orphan. Now, nothing can stop me."

"You…you won't win!" Samael choked as he fought Satanail's spell.

The Daimon didn't seem to care what the Celestial had to say as he pushed him off the building. The full force that Satanail used against Samael was horrific as the Celestial went crashing down to the ground with nothing that could save him.

Luckily though that wouldn't be the case.

It was fortunate that Leviathan recovered from the rumble and was able to fly over to Samael's aid. He caught Death as the Celestial was descending to the ground in a hurry. That took all of his skill and might for Leviathan not to be dragged down as well, but he managed to be successful in staying his ground.

With Samael in his arms, Leviathan looked up to the top of the building just as Daemon and Barachiel landed beside him. The two of them looked at the weakened Samael, sensing that the Prince of Destruction was unable to do much more. Even the Sword of the Destroyer in his hands seemed to lose its luster as its master was completely indisposed.

"Take him to Yahweh," Daemon ordered Leviathan. "Barachiel and I shall deal with Satanail."

"But you two do not have what it takes to defeat him," said Leviathan.

"We can stall," said Barachiel. "We can figure out something to do before it's too late and Orphan dies."

Leviathan would've came up with a counter argument if a hand didn't interfere. The Horsemen turned to look at the Celestial that was in Leviathan's arms.

Samael tried to stretch his hand up to the sky as he appeared very starry eyed. He fought to do what it was that he wanted though, despite their protest. "Only…only they can stop him," whispered Samael. "Only the Power Rangers…can…work around our…powers. It is up to…the humans…to save us all." Closing his eyes, the Celestial entered a restful state as Daemon spouted his orders at Leviathan again.

Without any other choice, Leviathan left the battlefield to take Samael to Yahweh. Meanwhile, Daemon and Barachiel ascended up the rooftop to challenge Satanail once more. They just had to do something about the First Daimon before it was too late for all of Creation.

* * *

><p>The Samurai Rangers fended off a wave of attacks set loose by Daimons and Fallen Celestials. Deker kept his strength up too as he was dragged in a particularly nasty fight against a group of Daimons that kept him further away from the Rangers. It was proving to be more and more difficult as the numbers of evil creatures continued to rise up against the heroes.<p>

Red Samurai Ranger slashed a Fallen Celestial apart with his Spin Sword just as Gold Samurai Ranger and Princess Red Samurai Ranger defeated their opponents. The other Samurai Rangers had cleared through their path to reach the others, uniting together as more Fallen Celestials began to show up.

"I'm not liking this one bit," said Green Samurai Ranger.

"We're gonna need more power!" said Pink Samurai Ranger.

"And that is why we have this!" Red Samurai Ranger said, holding up the Black Box. "It's time to go into Super Samurai Mode, Rangers!"

"I got you covered too," said Gold Samurai Ranger as he held up the Shark Attack Disc. "We can end this now!"

Red Samurai Ranger inserted the Black Box into the Spin Sword then unleashed its powers. The powers of the Black Box spread to the other Samurai Rangers, transforming all of them into their Super Samurai Modes. As for Gold Samurai Ranger, he attached the Shark Attack Disc into his Barracuda Blade to enter Hyper Shark Mode. The vests added an extra layer of armor for them as their weapons and powers grew to a higher level for battle.

In their Super Modes, the Samurai Rangers returned to battle to fight harder than before.

Red Samurai Ranger wasn't done though as he pushed down on the front buckle. "Power of the Ancestors!" shouted the Ranger. "Red Shogun Ranger Power!" A bright burst of light escaped from his being as he transformed once more. He gained even more armor as his powers grew drastically as he entered Shogun Mode. Lifting his Spin Sword up, Red Samurai Ranger unleashed the powers of Shogun Mode against the incoming Fallen. "Shogun Inferno!"

A pillar of fire erupted from his Spin Sword, lashing out and crushing every Fallen Celestial that had got caught in the path.

Fending off an attack, Princess Red Samurai Ranger cut off a Fallen's arm before finishing it off by slicing off the head. She spun her body around to unleash a tide of fire from her Spin Sword that left another burned. "Keep on fighting!" shouted Princess Red Samurai Ranger. "We have to push them back!"

Gold Samurai Ranger blocked an incoming lance before sending his Shark Sword out. The power of the Spin Disc caused the shark end to fly forward to chomp away at the Fallen Celestials. This proved to be at his advantage as it effectively tore down half of his enemies apart.

Yellow Samurai Ranger activated her Spin Sword to unleash a super blast. She released a crushing blow of earthly energy against a Fallen Celestial that brought it down in defeat. Green Samurai Ranger soon joined up with her as he protected her back. He activated his Spin Sword to unleash a blast of cyclone of forest might.

Blue Samurai Ranger was able to break through the defenses of a group of Fallen Celestials. His Spin Sword tore them apart as he used his aquatic abilities to lash out against them, bringing his enemies down to defeat. However, he was in for a surprise though when a Fallen caught him from behind. The Fallen struck the Ranger with his sword, piercing the young man's stomach with a horrid scream escaping his lips.

"Kevin!" shouted Pink Samurai Ranger.

Rushing forward, Pink Samurai Ranger cut apart her foes as she pushed herself to reaching Blue Samurai Ranger in time. The Fallen pulled his sword out with the Ranger dropping to the ground just as she arrived to hit the creature with the full force of her Spin Sword. A great bust of wind exploded from her weapon as it easily the Fallen Celestial apart in a single blast.

Red Samurai Ranger and the others soon caught up as the rest of the Fallen and Daimons were dealt with. They all circled around to see that their friend was struggling to hang onto his life in the middle of this war. They tried to use their Symbol Powers together to heal him, but it seemed that it wouldn't be enough.

* * *

><p>Time Force Yellow Ranger pushed a band of Daimons away from her with all her might. Those who wouldn't take the hint and stayed down were forced into facing her Chrono Sabers, which she used liberally against her opponents. As the last of them fell in defeat, the Ranger looked around to see how the rest of the Rangers were fairing in battle.<p>

She almost wished she hadn't looked.

A large explosion went off nearby where the Zeo Rangers were fighting. Zeo Ranger V Red was thrown up into the air and landed on top of a car, looking frightening still.

Green Liveman Ranger punched a Fallen Celestial in the face only to have a Daimon come up from nowhere to slash him across the chest. The Ranger dropped to the ground with a large gash opening up with blood spewing everywhere.

Pink Fiveman Ranger fought against a Daimon and was losing badly. Before the Time Force Ranger could reach her, the Daimon had thrown Pink Fiveman Ranger off the bridge that they were fighting on. It was too late to do anything as the Ranger landed on the ground with a small amount of blood starting to pool around her.

"This can't be happening," whispered Time Force Yellow Ranger. "This is…this is horrible."

"Katie, watch out!" shouted Time Force Blue Ranger.

An explosion went off nearby that pushed her up into the air. She landed on top of a bus with a heavy thud that had her head smashing against the metal. If it wasn't for her helmet then she would've severally damaged her skull, but that wasn't the most important thing to her right now.

Descending from the sky was an armed Fallen Celestial that was attempting to rip her insides apart with a sword. Before the Fallen could touch her though, a set of laser fire zapped the creature out from the sky. The Ranger fell off the bus to see the rest of the Time Force Rangers coming in to back her up.

Time Force Red Ranger and Time Force Quantum Ranger kept back as they attempted to track the Fallen Celestial down. The two of them were caught in another explosion that split them apart, which unfortunately was met with the Fallen Celestial returning for another attack. A sword was drawn and a mighty yell escaped from Time Force Red Ranger's lips as he shouted at Time Force Quantum Ranger.

The sword went through, slitting the throat of Time Force Quantum Ranger. As quickly as they attacked, the Time Force Rangers gunned the Fallen creature down, but it was still too late.

Time Force Red Ranger held his dying friend in his arms with tears running down his face underneath the helmet. He looked up to the sky, cursing everything before he could even come up with a way to tell son of the Quantum Ranger the fate that had befallen his father.

* * *

><p>The fighting had completely consumed Angel Grove at this point. Now, there was no telling how much further it had gone as the walls between realities began to crumble. The new Black Angel Force Ranger leaped down from a staircase with his Heaven Bow in hand as he turned to the others who were trapped fighting. He could sense that the entire Earth was begin swallowed by chaos as Satanail's attacks spread throughout the entire globe.<p>

Soon enough, everything would be sucked into pure destruction.

Blue Gladiator Ranger smashed a Daimon aside with his Glory Hammer as he spun around to face another Fallen Celestial. The wicked creature tried to tackle him down, making the Ranger drop down to his back so that it could go in for the final blow. However, the Ranger stood his ground though as he pushed back to reclaim control of the situation.

Consuming the Glory Hammer with a gust of wind, the Ranger prepared for an attack. "So long, sucker!" shouted the Ranger. "Cyclone Gladiator Glory!" He threw his Glory Hammer after the Fallen Celestial to pummel it down with numerous assaults. The attack shattered through all of the creature's defenses as it finally exploded in a blast of wind that spread to consume other Fallen Celestials and Daimons.

There were Daimons that tried to swallow Pink Ninja Ranger, but found that they were in no condition to do a damn thing. She easily broke through the line as she dove into the middle of the fighting to get after them. With rapid blows to each of them, thanks largely to her Sacred Claws, she was easily able to break through their guard before really kicking things up another notch.

A small surge of water droplets began to take rise around her as she gathered them above her head. "Rainstorm Ninja Sacred!" she shouted, loudly. Her claws flashed with energy as she kicked her feet up into the air to vanished in a mighty rush of energy. In the drop of a dime, Pink Ninja Ranger was easily able to slash and dice every one of her enemies apart without so much a batting an eyelash.

Watching all of this with his own eyes, Black Angel Force Ranger was impressed by them. He knew that he had some pretty big shoes to fill since he was replacing a living Celestial. It was enough to make him more than nervous as his hands began to shake as he held onto the Heaven Bow.

So distracted by his insecurities, the Mage was unaware of the Fallen Celestial that was coming after him. The Fallen would've easily killed the boy with his sword had another sword not interfered to block the blow.

This came as a shock to the boy as he heard the colliding weapons as he saw White Paladin Ranger standing there. The clone pushed the Fallen Celestial back before finishing him off with a pair of slashes from his Solar Blade that ended the fight.

"You have to stay focused, Dylan," said White Paladin Ranger. "We need you to help us defeat Satanail!" The Ranger charged his Solar Blade up just as a wall of Daimons began to circle around them. "Use the powers of your crystal to activate your Job Class Form. Flares Paladin Solar!" White Paladin Ranger created seven bursts of light that rocketed away from his blade to strike the Daimons.

In a massive burst of light over half of the Daimons were killed, but still so many remained alive and breathing.

White Paladin Ranger prepared to use another attack when he was stopped. Black Angel Force Ranger was hanging onto his Crystal Morpher with a firm grip as he faced all of the Daimons. "I will do everything in my power to help you all," said the new Ranger. "Job Class Form Activate! Black Archer Ranger!" The Crystal Morpher erupted in light as the Ranger transformed, tapping into the power of his Job Class Form for the first time.

Black Archer Ranger proudly stood forward as he pulled the bowstring to the Heaven Bow back. The Daimons were closing in on them, but he knew that he could do this. A real-life Celestial wouldn't have chosen him to be his successor if Samael didn't believe in his potential.

"I am a Power Ranger!" shouted Black Archer Ranger. "Nightfall Archer Heaven!" The arrow that was generated was encased in shadow energy that the Ranger pointed at no Daimon in particular. He released the bowstring to fire his arrow, which scattered apart to form several smaller arrows that crashed into the bodies of seven Daimons.

The remainder of the Daimons met their doom when a rush of magical light washed over them in a mixture of fire, earth, lightning, water, and wind. White Paladin Ranger and Black Archer Ranger were caught off guard by this. So were Blue Gladiator Ranger and Pink Ninja Ranger whom had just finished off their bout against the Daimons and Fallen Celestials.

They all gathered together to see the Mystic Force Rangers appearing before them. The mystical team was dressed in their Mystic Legend Armor. This new form increased the powers of their spells, making it a necessity during this Apocalypse.

Black Archer Ranger smiled underneath his helmet as he rushed over to the other Mages. "What are you guys doing here?" said the new Ranger. "Where is everyone else?"

"Dylan?" said Blue Mystic Force Ranger. "Since when did you become a Ranger?"

"Long story," said Pink Ninja Ranger. "How are things back where you came from?"

"No good at all," said Green Mystic Force Ranger. "A few of us aren't making it. I saw Trent dying to save Kira, and I also heard from Tori that Hunter didn't make it either."

"Two of the Battle J Rangers were killed too," added Yellow Mystic Force Ranger.

"So did the Red Turbo Ranger clone," said Pink Mystic Force Ranger. "No offense to you, Tommy."

"None taken," said White Paladin Ranger. "We are all aware that not all of us would survive this fight. If we don't hurry and defeat Satanail though, we're going to be completely fucked. He is going to destroy the universe."

"Then you'd better hurry!" said Red Mystic Force Ranger. "My mother died to save us. I won't let her sacrifice be in vein."

"Udonna," Black Archer Ranger said, softly. "Not her."

"We're on it," said Blue Gladiator Ranger. "The rest of you, do everything you can to help the other Rangers."

"Good luck," said the Mystic Force Rangers.

The two teams ran past each other as a large explosion caught their attention. They all knew that was where Satanail was so Angel Force rushed in that direction, while the Mystic Force Rangers ran off to see if there was anything they could do to save their fellow Rangers.

* * *

><p>Yellow Angel Force Ranger jumped over an incoming Fallen Celestial with her Holy Pistols drawn. As she was in the air, she took aim and began to take fire to take her opponent down. The earthly bullets proved to be successful as the Celestial crashed to the ground as the Ranger landed perfectly on the ground.<p>

And the moment that she landed, an explosion went off nearby. She looked up to the sky see a massive column of fire and a building being completely destroyed. This brought chills to her spine as she tried to understand what it was she was seeing when she got a glimpse of two figures colliding against each other in the sky.

It came at a strain to her, but she was able to identify Samael and Satanail. The Ranger hung onto her pistols as she covered her face from the incoming wave of smoke. The fumes came and went, but left the Ranger half-blind and coughing up a storm as she navigated her way out from the haze only to come into the path of a hungry Daimon.

The creature stood about twelve feet tall and was completely beastly in its muscular stature. It snarled, hissing at the Ranger as it opened its massive jaws to reveal carnivorous teeth.

"Oh boy," said Yellow Angel Force Ranger. "It looks you and I get to dance, big guy. I promise that I'll give you a nasty case of heartburn!" Throwing her pistols up into the air, she took out her Crystal Morpher and held it forward. "Job Class Form Activate! Yellow Machinist Ranger!" The transformation immediately took place as the Ranger retrieved her Holy Pistols as her new armor appeared to cover her body.

The Daimon went charging after her, foolishly walking into its own doom.

Yellow Machinist Ranger took aim at the Daimon with a grin forming underneath the helmet. A small stream of earthly energy began to gather around her until it grew strong enough to strike. "Stalagmite Machinist Holy!" shouted the Ranger. "Bye bye, pig!" Pulling the trigger, the Ranger unleashed a colossal wave of earthly power that tore through the ground. It ripped everything apart until it crashed against the Daimon, obliterating the damned creature in a single instant.

As she strapped her pistols to her hips, the Ranger saw a swarm of Fallen Celestial flying after her. The first response that came out of mouth was one for disdain as she groaned her frustrations out to the air when she started to smell something burning.

In all of this chaos, hope came to her aid. Running from the opposite end of the road, through all of the carnage and smog, was Red Angel Force Ranger.

The two had been split up from each other now for a couple of minutes. They got caught in the same explosion that White Mystic Force Ranger had sacrificed her life to protect the other Rangers from. Since then, it's been a struggle for everyone. Yellow Machinist Ranger was forced to seeing good Rangers being killed in action, so had Red Ranger.

Red Angel Force Ranger had his Aurora Sword in hand along with his Crystal Morpher. The rays of red light began to expand as the Ranger took liberty to transform as well. "Job Class Form Activate!" shouted the Ranger. "Red Warrior Ranger." The process happened almost instantly, the Ranger gained his extra protection and power as his sword was engulfed in flames.

Red Warrior Ranger stopped just a few feet in front of Yellow Machinist Ranger just as the Fallen Celestials were nearly upon them. He held the Aurora Sword up into the air, causing the flames to only fan out as he swung it around. "Burning Warrior Aurora!" shouted Red Warrior Ranger. At the drop of his sword, Red Warrior Ranger released a colossal blast of fire to escape from his weapon. It flew up into the air, crashing into the Fallen Celestial, and instantly incinerated them.

More would come out from the Dark Gate though as this chaos caused the rules governing life and death to crumble. Well, only for supernatural beings, not so much for the Power Rangers.

"I'm glad that I found you in time," Red Warrior Ranger said as he hugged her. "I don't know what I would've done if I lost you too."

Smiling underneath the helmet, Yellow Machinist Ranger knew that she had finally found herself a good guy. It sucked though that she was uncertain of their fate as she held onto him. "You should know by now that I'm not that easy to kill, Landon," said the Ranger. "You're stuck with me until this all ends, one way or another."

Realizing just how true that was, it still didn't help to put Red Warrior Ranger at ease. So many of their fellow Power Rangers had already died in battle, not to mention the chaos that was spreading everywhere and attacking everything without discrimination. The universe was teetering to complete annihilation and only they had the power to make a difference during these final moments.

As the leader of the Power Ranger, Red Warrior Ranger wasn't sure just where he was supposed to go from here. He knew that the objective was to fight and defeat Satanail, but how though? He already witnessed part of the battle against the First Daimon and Samael, it wasn't looking too good at all up there.

That's when a loud crash caught him completely off his guard. Red Warrior Ranger immediately pulled away from Yellow Machinist Ranger as he held up the Aurora Sword only to discover two, small craters.

They both ran over to it when they saw Daemon and Barachiel down there. The two Celestials were fighting to pick themselves out when Satanail's dark laughter fueled the sky. Streaks of lightning flashed all over the city as it attacked the deserted buildings.

"Creator's balls!" shouted Daemon.

"Watch your words, Daemon," said Barachiel.

Red Warrior Ranger and Yellow Machinist Ranger managed to make it to help the both of them out. Yellow Machinist Ranger was busy with Barachiel when Red Warrior Ranger recognized Daemon climbing up. "What the fuck!" shouted Red Warrior Ranger. "Didn't Luther eat your ass? I thought we were done with you."

A slight growl escaped Daemon's throat as the Ranger pulled him up to his feet. Daemon grabbed onto the side of his chest as all of them escaped from the crater. "Realities are bleeding, Power Brat," said Daemon. "True Vessels are awakening, the dead are rising, old enemies are returning; welcome to Judgment Day."

"I always imagined Armageddon would involve more locus and plagues," said Yellow Machinist Ranger.

"It was supposed to," said Barachiel. "Satanail just decided to fuck up the natural order of everything by awakening. His presence is a plague above all plagues. Everything is twisting and crumbling before us with every breath that we take."

The Rangers and Celestials were back on the road when some noise caught their attention. They looked up to see a couple figures coming down towards them. Expecting another fight, they were ready when they saw, upon landing, that it was just Orange Dragoon Ranger with Violet Sage Ranger hanging onto him.

Running down the other end of the road too was Blue Gladiator Ranger at the lead with Black Archer Ranger, Pink Ninja Ranger, and White Paladin Ranger. The four of them managed to reunite with the rest of the group, which came as a welcomed relief for all of them.

Only, the reunion would have to be put on pause when a bolt of lightning touched the ground, shattering all illusions of happiness.

Satanail had come down from his lofty space in the heavens. The First Daimon dragged his sword against the ground with a large grin plastered against his face as he inched closer and closer to them. "Happy days, happy days," laughed the Daimon. "All of my enemies have gathered here. Now I can pick you all off at once!"

"To Hell with you, Satanail!" spat Daemon.

"You die today!" said Barachiel.

The two Celestials pulled away from the Rangers, immediately entering battle with Satanail for the third time. Laughing at just how pathetic the two of them were, Satanail almost felt bad for fighting them as they drew arms against him.

A pair of swords were brought to his head only to be deflected against a shield that Satanail summoned from the powers of Orphan and Samael. The First Daimon yawned a little as he lifted his own sword up to strike against the two Celestials. Daemon and Barachiel were knocked aside in a blast of gravitational forces that sent them sailing across Angel Grove, which meant that they were out of the battle.

Satanail stabbed the ground with his sword now, looking over to the Power Rangers. The eight heroes were still standing and ready to challenge the First Daimon, which he thought was adorable. "It is all going to end today," said Satanail. "The threads that maintain order shall snap and chaos will consume everything. Destruction will rain upon all souls until everything is pulled into Oblivion. There, we shall all find perfect happiness at the original state of existence."

Consuming himself in chaos energy, Satanail began to change for the worst. In a flash, the First Daimon grew rapidly into a giant that stood above the broken buildings that was Angel Grove.

The Rangers did not like the looks of this at all, especially considering how powerless they were against this. There was no other choice to make though. Without the Sentinel Zords, the Rangers would have to use Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord in order to combat against the First Daimon. But they couldn't afford to make another sacrifice like they did with the Sentinel Zords. They couldn't make another comeback if all their Zords were lost and their powers were gone.

Still, something had to be done about Satanail as the Rangers summoned their Zords.

* * *

><p>Yahweh and Alpha 8 looked up to the sky to see a figuring descending down upon them. The thunderous flapping of wings brought a reason for concern as they knew that this was a Celestial that was approaching. In an instant there was a crash as Leviathan touched ground with an injured Samael in his arms.<p>

Sensing this, Eric pulled himself up from the pod to see the poor state that Samael was in. The reaction caused Orphan to response negatively and made Eric felt his heart tightening up against his chest as he fought to regain control. It took Yahweh to restrain the weakened Orphan by laying a hand on Eric's shoulder to steady the First.

Leviathan went up to all of them and laid Samael down on the pod with Eric. The young man made room for the Celestial as Samael was placed on top of him, taking in heavy breaths to show the strain that the battle had down to him.

"What happened?" asked Yahweh. "What did Satanail do to him?"

"The damned Daimon stole some of his power," said Leviathan. "He took what he stole from Orphan to defeat us all. At this rate, I don't think there is a power that exists that can compete against what Satanail has ripped from Orphan and Samael."

Yahweh flinched as he heard this and realized that Leviathan could possibly be very right. But he had a trick up his sleeve as he took a violet colored crystal out from the pocket of his coat. In his hand was something that sparkled like diamonds, which Eric almost instantly recognized as he went through Orphan's memories.

This didn't go unnoticed as Yahweh turned to look at the youth. "It is what you think it is," said Yahweh. "I carry the Midlight Shard with me. It is the fourth crystal fragment that was cut from the Goddess Cocoon. If I can summon and control the powers of the Midlight Shard, the Dusk Shard, the Dawn Shard, and the Cosmic Shard then I could use it to break through the protection that Satanail has formed around himself." His eyes were lost on the crystal that he held in his hand before finally turning over to Eric to meet his gaze. "This is a long shot though. Not even Orphan was able to successfully use this power. It was something that only the Creator could wield to its full potential."

Practically cradling Samael in his arms, Eric fought to keep eye contact with Yahweh. The stress of Orphan's burning existence was beginning to take its toll as the Celestial was regaining enough strength to remain perfectly omnipresent. "It is our only hope for survival though," whispered Eric. "If we cannot break through Satanail's shield then he cannot be defeat. Chaos will spread and destroy everything."

Yahweh agreed by simply nodding his head. The Celestial called for Leviathan to join him in battle against Satanail. He would take over control of Samael's Horsemen, hopefully, proving to be successful in weakening Satanail so that the First Daimon could meet his doom.

However, everything stopped as a voice interrupted them all.

A bright flash of light erupted above their heads that made Alpha's sensors overload. The Alpha bot was at a lost at what to do until Yahweh grabbed him as everyone looked up to the sky to see what appeared to be a young girl in white.

She was small and beautiful, radiating with an aura that spoke of the utmost purity. Her dark, gray hair flowing down her back as a simple flower was placed between the locks. Even in this ethereal state, she was powerful enough to break through the tides of chaos to make herself known before the Celestials.

Yahweh and Leviathan was stunned to see her present. Eric was at a lost though until he saw a name flash before his eyes, a name that was brought to him by Orphan.

"Oriel," whispered Eric.

"A pleasure to see you again, big sister," said Yahweh.

The Secret Child of the Creator finally made herself known. Orphan's twin and the Celestial blessed with Infinite Foresight had broken through the dimensional walls that kept her from reaching out to other lives.

This could only mean that things were far worse than anyone could've possibly imagined.

The Celestial, known as Oriel, appeared virtually silent for the longest time. It was a while before she made even the slightest effort to move, but her soft voice started to ring clear. "Satanail's actions are causing realities to bleed," said the Oracle of Paradise. "Chaos is spreading everywhere, threatening to devour all life unless Satanail is defeated. The Children of Heaven and the Morphing Grid's Chosen Ones must unite as one to defeat this menace. Then and only then can Redemption can be salvaged and peace shall return for all of the races born from the Creator's Divinity."

"How do you purpose we defeat him then, Sister?" asked Yahweh.

"There is already help from the other side," said Oriel. "Luther has been restored. He is seeking to free Mikhail and myself from the chains that keep us bound. Satanail's actions have trapped us in a realm beyond time and space. Our salvation depends on the closing of the Dark Gate and Satanail's death. Only the Power Rangers can lay the final blow that will destroy Satanail permanently. Only mortals can defeat the powers that Satanail has gathered, a Celestial would only cause the First Daimon to grow stronger. But it will take the power of the Celestials to destroy the shield that the Daimon has constructed and force the Abomination to take his true form where he is at his most vulnerable."

"I cannot say anything else that might help you," said Oriel. "My powers are weakening along with Orphan's. Defeat the chaos, slay Satanail so that we may all be saved."

The light vanished without a trace, taking away Oriel with it as it left only silence in its wake.

Yahweh clenched onto the Midlight Shard in his hands, still determined to do what he must. He turned to Eric to see the young man looking more like Orphan by the second.

There was no disagreement made as Eric nodded his head. Yahweh and Leviathan vanished at that moment to rejoin the others in battle.

Eric turned to Samael, holding him closer as he used what was left of his humanity to pray for those he loved.

* * *

><p>Luring his foes out to the city, Satanail stepped out into the ruined suburbs with his sword dragging against the homes. The First Daimon stomped down on Angel Grove High School when he heard a howl in the skies.<p>

The Angel Force Zords came into view with the Rangers leaping into the cockpits. The Rangers' first set of Zords were ready to fight against Satanail. The chance of them pulling off a victory in the Zords didn't seem even remotely likely as the Sentinel Zords were unable to destroy Thrax when he was corrupt with the full powers of the Dark Lords.

Still, the Rangers had to try something as they formed their Megazords.

Red Angel Zord flew forward with Blue Bear Zord, Pink Dolphin Zord, Black Unicorn Zord, and Yellow Wolf Zord moving around. The five Zords fused together to combine and form Angel Force Megazord. White Tiger Zord and Rhino Zord charged onward as they formed a solid Megazord with Violet Condor Zord combining at the back. With the three Zords united, they formed Archangel Megazord.

The two Megazords landed on the ground, ready for battle as the Rangers piloted them to fight against Satanail. The First Daimon could only laugh as he held up his sword in front of his pale face.

"I will rip you apart Zord by Zord," said Satanail. "Prepare to face your doom, Power Rangers!"

Hurling his sword forward, Satanail was able to fire a chain of lightning bolts from his weapon that successfully penetrated the Rangers' shields. The two Megazords began to set off numerous blasts of explosions that caused them both to crash to the ground before Satanail could even use a fifth of his power.

Inside of Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord, the Rangers slammed down against the controls upon their rough landing. It was frightfully painful on them as the crash knocked the wind out of them. But the Rangers persevered as they used the powers of their Job Class Forms to restore the Megazords powers.

"Let's cut this bitch!" shouted Yellow Machinist Ranger.

"I'm with you!' said Blue Gladiator Ranger.

Angel Force Megazord was the first to get back on its feet. The Megazord summoned the Angel Power Sword, swinging it in the air as an attempt to challenge Satanail. The First Daimon accepted the challenge as he stormed forward to show the Rangers something that they would soon live to regret.

"Brace yourselves for impact!" said Black Archer Ranger.

"Setting power to shields and sword!" said Pink Ninja Ranger.

The impact came as Satanail swung his sword forward. The Megazord met the blow with several chains of sparks appearing upon the impact. Satanail pushed against the Megazord with all his might and succeeded in knocking the Megazord's balance. The Daimon then summoned an orb of energy in the palm of his hand to lash out against his challengers.

"Get ready!" said Red Warrior Ranger. "He's about to attack!"

"And we've got your covered!" White Paladin Ranger said into the intercom.

"We'll buy you a couple of seconds!" said Orange Dragoon Ranger.

"This dude is so toast!" said Violet Sage Ranger.

Archangel Megazord was back and ready for battle just as Satanail was about to strike. The Megazord summoned its cannon, bracing itself as it began to take aim against the Daimon.

The trio activated the final keys, pooling as much of their powers as they can. "Archangel Final Cannon!" shouted the three Rangers. Archangel Megazord pulled down on the trigger, unleashing a blast of white, orange, and violet energy that crashed against Satanail. A heavy explosion went off against the Daimon, causing the focus to be lost.

Angel Force Megazord responded by gathering its power to finish off the Daimon. The Rangers pushed for more power into their Crystal Morphers in hopes of defeating their foe. "Heaven Mega Power Slash!" shouted the five Rangers. The gems on the Angel Power Sword exploded with light and energy as the Megazord slashed forward against the Daimon.

Their attack collided against the First Daimon, triggering a grand explosion that would've finished off a lesser enemy. However, Satanail proved to be barely phased by anything that both Megazords had thrown at him.

In fact, the Daimon only laughed as he stood perfectly still with his sword slung over his shoulder. He had a toothy grin on his face though and wouldn't allow the Rangers to believe that all of their fun would be over so soon. Satanail lifted his sword from his shoulder, lifting it up into the air as a storm of chaotic energy began to erupt from his weapon.

"Let me show you what real power is, Rangers!" shouted Satanail.

The Daimon brought his weapon to the ground, slashing against both Megazords at once. Immediately, every bit of shields that the Megazords had were shattered from the pressure of Satanail's unstoppable attack. Vicious waves of explosions began to go off against Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord as both began to stumble forward.

There was no choice for the Angel Force Rangers as their Megazords responded to the situation. Satanail's attack had done too much damage to them, which would be the cause for an immediate evacuation. The Rangers were thrown out from the Megazords and hurled back into the city just seconds before Satanail unleashed another attack from his sword. And this would be the attack that would finish the Zords.

Angel Force Megazord and Archangel Megazord both began to overload until they reached the breaking point. Satanail's final attack led to the complete destruction of the Megazords. Both of them exploded in a tremendous blast with their parts sailing into the air and being scattered across Angel Grove as the Daimon vanished from immediate sight.

Back in the city, the Rangers crashed to the ground just as the broken remains of their Zords began to fall from the sky. They were beginning to stir and stand on their own just when their Job Class Forms crumbled before them, leaving them in their standard Ranger forms. And almost right after that, their own powers began to flicker and fade as the damage had been done.

It was happening again. Just like when Zodiark had defeated the Rangers months before, the defeat of their Zords meant the end for their powers and the end of the Power Rangers.

However, things didn't end with the same results this time around.

Scattered lights began to fly from all across Angel Grove until they reached their destination. The lights came and went to the Power Rangers, taking the form of bright orbs of colorful light. There were two sets of lights, each were in the color of a Ranger that floated around each Ranger with their warmth and power washing over them.

Red Ranger paused as he touched the two red orbs, feeling them restore his power. It was then that he realized what was responsible for this as it brought tears to his eyes. "The Zords," whispered Red Ranger. "Angel Zord and Burning Sentinel Zord, they're doing this for us."

Blue Ranger touched the blue orbs in front of him and met a similar sensation. "Bear Zord," he whispered, "and Maxter Sentinel Zord, I feel their power."

Black Ranger looked at the two, black orb and almost felt guilty as he reached out for them. "Unicorn Zord and Deathscythe Sentinel Zord, I'm not their real master but they are still doing this for me."

Yellow Ranger started to smile as she reached out to the yellow orbs in front of her. "Wolf Zord and Dragon Sentinel Zord," she said, happily. "I can almost hear their voices."

Pink Ranger felt the pink orbs brush against her, which she responded by touching them, gently. "Dolphin Zord," she said, "and Sandrock Sentinel Zord, I'm happy to know that they are still with us."

White Ranger touched the white orbs when he felt something that revitalized him. "Tiger Zord and Wing Zero Sentinel Zord," he said, "they are still gonna fight beside us even though they're gone."

Orange Ranger felt a similar sensation to his fellow newcomer as he touched the orange orbs. "Rhino Zord," he said, softly, "Heavy Arms Sentinel Zord, they're giving us the last of their power."

Violet Ranger gently touched the purple orbs in front of her and started to grin. "Condor Zord and Rising Sentinel Zord," she said, calmly, "this is their last gift to us."

"The Zords are giving us our second chance," said Red Ranger. "These are the cores to our Zords, this power has restored our own so that we can still battle Satanail. This is our last chance though, Rangers, so we can't afford to waste it."

"We won't!" said the other Rangers.

All eight of them charged forward as the Angel Force Rangers went in for their final battle against evil.

* * *

><p>Breathing heavily, Eric flew it all happening much too fast. There was so much pain that riddled his body, leaving it in such a pitiful state that he almost had no idea at what he could do to gain a moment of peace. It was only getting worse though as Orphan was strong enough to take control of him, but still far too weak to repair his Heart of Chaos.<p>

This much was obvious as Eric laid on the pod with pain leaving him virtually unable to move. Even though, he looked so much like Orphan but there were still traces of himself there.

It bothered Samael, breaking his heart as he held onto the True Vessel. Samael would gently brush Eric's hair back to relieve some of the tension that was killing him slowly. Never did the Celestial imagine that he would have to witness, to feel, something that was far more painful then when the Creator had killed him.

What made this so unbearable for Samael was that he would lose someone he loved either way. It came down to if Satanail couldn't be defeated then Eric and Orphan would both be lost, but if victory was achieved then only Eric would be lost and Orphan would be saved. Samael did not like either one of these options as he wished for there to be a way to grant them both salvation.

Eric tensed up as his head briefly left Samael's lap. The Celestial tried to calm the human down, but there wasn't much that could be done to free him from the suffering he felt. Now that Orphan and Eric were becoming virtually one, Eric could feel and see it all.

"Dad," whispered Eric. "No…dad."

Samael closed his eyes as he knew immediately what it was that Eric had felt. The Celestial had sensed the Quantum Ranger's soul leave his body along with many other Rangers. From his last count, Death could estimate that out of the hundred and ninety-seven Power Rangers, twenty were dead.

More would die too if Satanail wasn't vanquished and soon.

Samael placed a hand over Eric's heart as he felt the hammering against his chest. The stress of knowing his father was killed in action and that his own life was about to extinguish was causing too much of a strain for him.

An idea came to Samael's mind, something that might help to make Eric's final moments at least a little peaceful. This was the only helpful thing that Samael could think of that could bring some joy to human that he loved.

"Would you like me to lie to you now, Wesley?" asked Samael.

Eric opened his eyes, fighting through the pain long enough to attempt to figure out what it was that Samael meant. The moment though that he opened his brown eyes, which now turned blue, he could see what Samael had done.

Samael was gone, at least in appearance. Eric had his head on Connor's lap as he looked up to the face of the boy that he had fallen so deeply in love with. Connor was "back", looking exactly the same as the first day that they met. Everything was the same; every birthmark, the clothes, the hair cut and color, and even his scent.

Perfection, exactly like how Eric remembered it.

Lifting a hand up to see just how real it was, Eric couldn't help but to smile as he touched Connor's cheek. So soft, so smooth, it was all back.

"Hi," whispered Connor.

"Hi," Eric said, his voice cracking under the strain.

"We're gonna survive this," promised Connor. "You and I will be together when the smoke clears. Then when you get better, we'll get married."

Tears began to remarkably run down Connor's face, which made Eric brush them away. He tried to whisper for Connor not too cry, but his voice was only getting weaker as reality was being pulled away from him. "I promise," whispered Eric, "it will be you and I."

Connor nodded his head as he wiped away his tears. His hand running through his orange hair as he leaned forward so that he was a little closer to Eric. "I can see it now," said Connor. "We get married in the park with all our friends and all the other Rangers there. And the reception! I can see your father giving a really terrible speech now."

"Nah," Eric said, laughing through the pain. "He'll love you. Everyone will love you. Including our kids."

"Our adopted babies," smiled Connor. "Two and two, you promised me, remember? We're gonna adopted two boys and two girl, different ages too and no discriminating!"

Eric nodded his head as he gently brushed the tips of his fingers against Connor's face. He started to smile even though he knew just how much of a lie this all was. "Thank you," whispered Eric. "Thank you for loving me, Connor."

The two briefly met together, their lips reaching each other for a moment. It was only for a moment though as Eric's breath grew weaker and Connor pulled away to say his final words to Eric.

"I will never stop loving you, Eric," cried Connor. "I have loved you since the day I met you."

It had to be a lie, but it was comforting to him. Eric continued to smile as he closed his eyes and dropped his head back on Connor's lap. His body went painfully still now with the transition becoming complete as Eric became no more. Orphan returned, looking as perfect as he did before Satanail struck him down, only he was unconscious.

Connor faded away again as Samael ended the illusion. Samael threw his head back with real tears running down his face and his mouth hanging open as he wept for Eric.

"I'm sorry," cried Samael. "I'm sorry…Eric…Orphan. I'm so sorry."

The cries continued for a longtime until Alpha 8 finally approached the Celestial. The robot carried in his robotic hand a torn piece of fabric that could be used as tissue.

Samael looked away from Orphan to the fabric in front of his face. Placing his eyes on Alpha 8, the Celestial fought to smile as he took it and used to clean himself.

"Did you really love Eric?" asked Alpha 8. "Was…was Connor's feelings real?"

Nodding his head, Samael told the Alpha bot that his theory was right. Samael kept the tissue in his hand as he brushed Orphan's blond hair back. "Connor was as real as you or me," said Samael. "He is still real, he is a part of me, the other side to my heart. The feelings we had for Eric are genuine, I am certain of that. If we survive this, I will never forget what Eric did for me, for all of us, and I will make certain that Orphan knows and keeps the promise that he made this brave, young man."

Alpha 8, if he had a face, would've smiled at what Samael had said.

But there was nothing else that he could do so Alpha 8 walked away, allowing Samael some privacy with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>The Angel Force Rangers rushed towards where they sensed Satanail's malevolent presence was predominantly located. They found themselves heading towards a crater that had been formed from the destruction of their Sentinel Zords. So they wandered into a graveyard for the very Zords that had been responsible for revitalizing their powers so that they could defeat the First Daimon.<p>

Wandering through the ruins, the Rangers eventually spotted Satanail standing at the heart of the crater. The Daimon stood perfectly still as he had his sword struck into the broken ground with his head bowed down. Satanail took slow breaths with every second that passed, while he waited for the Rangers to finally come at him.

The wait ended in a bang as the Rangers immediately took advantage of the First Daimon's stillness to strike.

Red Ranger brought out his Angel Sword and held it in front of him. Blue Ranger, Black Ranger, Yellow Ranger, and Pink Ranger followed his lead as they held their Angel Swords forward. "Heaven Power Slash!" shouted the Rangers. The five of them stood together as their swords began to glow before they unleashed their attack. Their attack ripped through the air and even collided against Satanail in a bright explosion of light.

White Ranger held up his Twilight Ray as he dropped to his knees. Orange Ranger did the same thing as he got out his Twilight Ray, while Violet Ranger remained standing with her Twilight Ray. The three of them took aim as they wanted to make sure that they got Satanail with a perfect hit. "Celestial Twilight Ray!" shouted the trio. They pulled on the trigger to fire a burst of light from their blasters, which flew across the crater to crash into the First Daimon.

The combined attacks of the Rangers proved to be completely ineffective, however, once the smoke had finally cleared. Satanail remained still and didn't bear a single scratch on the body that he possessed, but a smile formed on his face.

Satanail swung his sword forward to hurl a great gust of wind after the Rangers that succeeded in pushing the heroes back a bit. They were all disarmed in the process, leaving them all the more vulnerable against the First Daimon. This was just simply too delicious for him to ignore as he decided to really turn up the heat in this turmoil.

Opening the eye to his frightful sword, Satanail called forth the powers of chaos. His spell call upon the deadly force that was completely devastating all of Creation. It coiled around in the palm of his hands as he prepared to unleash it against the Rangers in what would be the final blow.

But, the Rangers had a friend in high places.

A grand bolt of light intervened when Satanail finally attacked. The blast of chaotic energy would've destroyed the Rangers had this light not put itself between the force of destruction. Upon impact, the two opposing elements tore each other to bits before finally fading away without any trace.

In the wake of this attack, Yahweh appeared in front of the Angel Force Rangers. The Prince of Life bore a dark look on his face as he made eye contact with the First Daimon as the Midlight Shard burned with energy at the palm of his hand. He kept still though, waiting before he could make his mark on the damned creature.

"You are to be silenced, Satanail," said Yahweh. "The damage that you've done is unspeakable in more ways than one. We know that you are responsible for every bit of misfortune that has befallen Celestial and mortal alike!"

The Old One held the Midlight Shard up into the air, pointing it at the First Daimon with bloody vengeance written on his eyes. "Luther rebelled because of you!" shouted Yahweh. "You turned the Creator away from His own children! Not to mention, you are responsible for creating and manipulating every single villain that the Power Rangers had ever went up against. And now, you have put Orphan on his deathbed, causing the complete collapse of Creation, all for what? What is the point of all this, Satanail!"

"To end the suffering," said Satanail. "Humanity and Celestials are a doomed breed. The Creator made it so that all children will know only suffering and regret. I will rectify all of that. I will reduce the universe to nothing so that we all may be free from mortal coil. No longer shall anyone feel the ache as there will be nothing to hold onto as everything is absorbed into Oblivion!"

Satanail held his chaotic sword up into the air, unleashing his powers against Yahweh. There was a massive bolt of chaotic flames that tore the ground apart as it went right for the Celestial. "And nothing you can do will stop me, Yahweh!" shouted Satanail. "I am beyond your powers now!"

The attack was nearly upon Yahweh when the Celestial finally responded. Conjuring power from the crystal in hand, Yahweh was able to summon a holy wall that offered him protection. He broke through his own protection though as he charged after the First Daimon, putting himself into an immediate battle against him.

Yahweh had a plan, a reckless plan, but one that would surely push all of the gears to where they needed to be.

Meanwhile, the Power Rangers watched in a state of pure shock. They saw Yahweh and Satanail collide in battle with their blades fully drawn at that point. The Celestial and the Daimon ascended up into the sky, vanishing for the time being to do battle elsewhere.

They would've done something had a voice not called out to them. It was loud and powerful, something that made all of the Rangers frightful as they heard it call out to them a second time.

"_Rangers_!" said the voice. "_I have something to tell you._"

A flash of light erupted before the Rangers, briefly blinding them in that instant. What appeared before the Rangers was a being made from ethereal light that was clothed in white robes. The face of the figure was that of a bald, old sage that appeared wiser than any other being they would ever meet.

"_I am Zordon_," said the old sage. "_I have a message for you that will help you to defeat Satanail and save the universe from annihilation."_

"Zordon," said Red Ranger. "The Zordon?"

"But my Uncle Andros destroyed you," whispered Violet Ranger.

"_No, my energy was only released into the universe,"_ corrected the sage. _"My physical existence ended the day that the United Alliance of Evil was defeated, but my spirit has lived on with every force of good. Since then, my spirit has met with another being, a power so ancient that He has no true name. He is only the Word."_

"No way!" said Blue Ranger.

"You don't mean Him, do you?" asked Pink Ranger.

"Are you talking about God?" asked Yellow Ranger.

"_Yes, Rangers,"_ said Zordon, "_I have met the Creator. Since I have known for some time about the threat that the Dark Lords brought, I learned from the Creator of the true mastermind behind it all. The Creator has given me this opportunity to reach out to you, Rangers, and repair the damage that has been done."_

"A little bit of guidance sounds good right about now," said Orange Ranger.

"We have no idea at all how we can defeat Satanail, Zordon," said Black Ranger.

"_Only the Creator knows how," _said Zordon. _"The way to defeating Satanail is to unite the powers of Celestials and the powers of the Power Rangers. Satanail can only be vanquished by mortal hands, but the shield that Satanail has to protect him can only be broken by Celestials. You must all work together in order to defeat Satanail. But to truly defeat the First Daimon, you must summon the powers of all Power Rangers at once. You must then sacrifice all of that power so that you can overwhelm Satanail with the powers that you wield. It is the only way that he can be defeated and the chaos can be contained."_

Feeling the strength growing in his chest, Red Ranger slammed his fists together. "We won't let you down, Zordon!" said Red Ranger.

"_I know you won't, Rangers," _said Zordon. "_May the Power and the Creator protect you."_

The old mentor of the Power Rangers began to fade away from reality once more. His words left their mark though as the Rangers felt far more confident then they had ever felt before.

Their brief era of good feelings came to a crashing halt though when Yahweh crashed into the ground with Satanail landing not too long after him. Smoke and dirt rose up into the sky as Yahweh was left virtually still on the ground, while Satanail straightened himself out without even the slightest bit of difficulty.

This came as a shock to the Rangers as they witnessed Yahweh being defeated. But this would not be the end though as Yahweh started to stir with a slight grin forming on his pale face as his blond hair was covered in traces of blood.

"I won't be so easily defeated, Satanail," said Yahweh. "I do have a little trick up my sleeve."

"Oh?" Satanail said, raising an eyebrow. "What might that be?"

Yahweh fought through all of the pain as he got back up on his feet. At first, this was a little shaky but he managed to stand tall and proud as he held up the Midlight Shard a second time. Three more flickers of light began to shine from his pockets as the Cosmic Shard, Dusk Shard, and Dawn Shard began to react to their sister crystal.

Satanail and the Rangers were lost at what it was that Yahweh was exactly doing.

And this is where Yahweh's plan started to kick in. He held the Midlight Shard up into the air as he invoked its power to make himself heard. "Celestials!" shouted Yahweh. "I know you can all hear me. It is I, Yahweh, the Second Son of the Creator. Under my authority, I demand that you all immediately stop fighting the Power Rangers! Orphan, the First Son and the Heir to the Creator's Kingdom, demands this of you all. Drop your arms or else face the consequences when he rises up!"

Yahweh knew what the Fallen Celestials were doing at this moment, and so did Satanail. They all heard the sound of a thousand swords being dropped to the ground, which brought a joyful grin to Yahweh's face. He kept the Midlight Shard up in the air as he concentrated on the next portion of his plan.

However, he wouldn't get the time that he needed as Satanail took this as his chance to strike. The First Daimon hurled a chain of energy that created a link between him and Yahweh once it came into contact with the Celestial. For a moment, Yahweh was crippled with intense pain as the link led to his own energy being stolen from him and transferred over to Satanail.

No matter how hard Yahweh fought, Satanail easily stole more and more energy. This continued for a short amount of time until something was finally done about it by the Power Rangers responding to this threat.

Drawing out their weapons, the Angel Force Rangers decided to hit Satanail with all that they could. Without their Job Class Forms, their powers were limited, but they needed to do something to save Yahweh. They couldn't afford to lose anymore allies in a war as important as this one.

"Flaming Aurora Strike!" Red Ranger said, hurling a stream of fire from his Aurora Sword.

"Hurricane Glory Ranger!" Blue Ranger said, swinging a vortex of wind from his Glory Hammer.

"Shadow Heaven Arrow!" Black Ranger said, firing an arrow encased in shadow from his Heaven Bow.

"Gaia Holy Trigger!" Yellow Ranger said, shooting a round of earthly bullets from her Holy Pistols.

"Tidal Sacred Cutter!" Pink Ranger said, slashing the air with a blast of waves from her Sacred Claws.

"Light Solar Flashbomb!" White Ranger said, pushing his blade forward to fire a blast of light from his Solar Blade.

"Shinning Celestial Leap!" Orange Ranger said, flinging a beam of sunlight from his Celestial Lance.

"Starlight Divine Kiss!" Violet Ranger said, weaving a chain of stars that pushed onward from her Divine Wand.

The collective, elemental attacks from the Angel Force Rangers united at one as they collided against Satanail. In a brilliant display of their powers, the Rangers were successfully able to do a some type of harm against the First Daimon as the energy link was severed.

Yahweh was able to pull himself away before Satanail could do anymore damage to him. The Celestial was soon joined by the Rangers as they put themselves between him and Satanail.

"I hope you have a plan, Yahweh," said Red Ranger.

"A good one," laughed Yahweh, "I promise you that. I just need a little bit of time."

"Well, we can't give you much time," said Orange Ranger.

"But we'll give you everything that we can," said Black Ranger.

Yahweh nodded his head as he continued to hang onto the Midlight Shard. He knew that the brave humans would only be able to do so much against Satanail, especially now that he has his powers along with Orphan and Samael. "Just give me every second that you can spare," said Yahweh. "I can assure you that you'll like what I have to offer."

Immediately taking off, Yahweh was gone from sight as he retreated for slightly higher ground.

Satanail wasn't put off by this retreat though as he stared at the Rangers that stood before him.

All eight showed how little they feared Satanail by raising their weapons up, showing just how ready they were for a fight to remember.

* * *

><p>Go Squad Red Ranger punched a Daimon down to the ground before finishing it off with a blast of energy. The Daimon crumbled apart into ash, ending its wicked existence as the Ranger looked up to the sky to see that the Dark Gate was oddly silent.<p>

All was almost quite in Angel Grove except for the occasional explosions that went off in the distance. They were all focused on a single area, which made the Ranger believe that was where the Angel Force Rangers were locked in combat against their grand organizer of this war. Now that the Dark Gate was stable, Go Squad Red Ranger realized that this was their best chance at all to help their fellow Rangers.

Even the Fallen Celestials seemed still despite the battle still going on. It was almost as if they sensed something, which kept them from moving even an inch.

He raised his voice up so that all of the other Rangers could hear him. "Listen to me, my friends!" said Go Squad Red Ranger. "The Daimons and Fallen Celestials are beaten, for now. We must take advantage of this opportunity and attack as one against the Dark Gate! We must sacrifice all of our powers as Power Rangers so that we can close the Dark Gate, permanently! Join me now so that we may give the Angel Force Rangers the time that they need to stop the chaos that threatens to devastate all of Creation! Let us do this to avenge our fallen Rangers, our friends and family!"

"Right!" shouted a group of nearby Rangers.

"Right!" shouted more that where further away.

The Power Rangers that were still alive threw their fists up into the air. They called forth all of their powers, summoning every ounce of power that they could afford until they were all consumed by a golden flash of light. One by one, the Power Rangers ascended up into the sky where the Dark Gate floated above the city.

As another explosion went off where the Angel Force Rangers were battling Satanail, Go Squad Red Ranger called for an immediate attack. The other Power Rangers obeyed the command as they unleashed their powers against the Dark Gate. Their powers collided against the Dark Gate, creating a devastating blow of energy that even invaded the Underworld to destroy the Daimons that were attempting to reach the Earth.

The Power Rangers were not alone either. Ninjor and Clare led the other allies of the Power Rangers to give up some of their power to strengthen the powers of the Champions of Good. Their added power made the Rangers stronger, but it wasn't enough until another miracle occurred.

Light came up from the bodies of the Power Rangers who had fallen in battle. The souls, the spirits, of these Rangers joined their comrades to give them the power necessary to seal the Dark Gate.

Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger, led the party with many other Rangers following behind him. Trent from Dino Thunder Rangers, Hunter from the Ninja Storm Rangers, Udonna from the Mystic Force Rangers, Mike from the Lost Galaxy Rangers, Kevin from the Samurai Rangers, Cassie from the Astro Rangers, Kelsey from the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers, and Carter from Lightspeed Rescue were amongst them. The Black and Orange Rangers from Battle J, the Green and Blue Liveman Ranger, the Pink Fiveman Ranger, the Yellow Go Squad Ranger, the Red Sun Vulcan Ranger, the Blue Aura Force Ranger, and Black Condor Ranger from Jetman had added their powers as well to the collective.

And remarkably, the spirit of Tommy Oliver was amongst the fallen Rangers. He added his powers as the Green Mighty Morphin' Ranger, Zeo Ranger V Red, Red Turbo Ranger, and Black Dino Thunder Ranger to give the other Rangers the push that they needed.

With the powers of a hundred and eighty-nine Power Rangers, the final attack was unleashed at full force. The Rangers sacrificed their powers, unleashing a grand blast of energy that completely devastated the Dark Gate, and put an end to its threat.

The Dark Gate crumbled before the might of the Power Rangers until it was no more. The Rangers safely landed on the ground, powerless, as they had gave up every ounce of power that they had to defeat the Daimon Invasion.

Their sacrifice was worth it as their actions caused the rift brought on by the chaos to weaken. Across town, the Angel Force Rangers would soon feel the change in the balance of power as they continued to fight against Satanail.

* * *

><p>Satanail met the rush of the Angel Force Rangers head on. The First Daimon didn't pull any more punches as they came to him, he swung his giant sword at full force to smash them down. He was quick, strong, and successful in punishing the heroes that were attempting to defeat him.<p>

In one last swing, Satanail unleashed a mighty band of energy that crashed against all of the Rangers at the same time. The eight of them went down in that instant, while Satanail vanished from sight.

The disappearance of the Daimon didn't exactly make the Rangers feel any better as they began to stir. They, slowly, began to pull themselves up from the ground as they suffered numerous injuries from the fight. No matter how determined they were, Satanail was proving to be just far too powerful for them to deal with. It was no wonder why he was the First Daimon, the Grand Orchestrator of All Things Evil.

But they couldn't give up though, they couldn't afford it. The universe was screaming at the Rangers to save it from its ultimate destruction.

Red Ranger clung onto his Aurora Sword as he found the strength to pull himself up. The others began to move as well as the Rangers sensed something coming from above them.

On a nearby building, there was a burst of light that was cause enough to bring alarm. It didn't end there though as gravity became almost nonexistent. Slowly, each one began to float up into the sky as if pulled in the reverse by the unseen first. But then it dawned on them that this was Satanail's doing. He was purposely dragging the Rangers up the sixty story building to where their final battle would be.

The landing was less than graceful for them as they went down in a crash. The Rangers found control of their bodies against though, which allowed them to recover just in time to witness what was happening.

Satanail stood at the center of the rooftop, but his body was changing. The form of Umbra began to melt away as a swell of power began to surge all around the Daimon. "The hour of your salvation is at hand, Rangers," uttered Satanail. "Everything is about to cease to exist. Oblivion is about to consume us all in an instant!"

Burning with outrage, Red Ranger jumped forward with his aura consumed in a light wave of flames. He clenched his hands around his Aurora Sword, gathering his powers. "No!" shouted Red Ranger. "You won't get away with this, Satanail! We will defeat you." The voices of the planet began to ring through his ears as the Ranger gathered the fire. He called forth the spirits of the ancestors to give him more strength. "Burning Eagle Man Strike!"

Hurling the spiritual powers that Red Ranger had claimed long ago, the Ranger unleashed a fiery eagle from the palm of his hand. It flew across the rooftop until it eventually collided against the changing Satanail.

Fire began to explode everywhere, but it wasn't enough to stop the transformation. Satanail ascended up to the sky with his entire being consumed by a bright flash of light. In that instant, the transformation became complete as Satanail invoked a greater power.

In this new form, Satanail appeared to be a giant, Celestial wheel. Spike decorated the edges and every inch of the wheel was decorated in Celestial runes that read a language that the Rangers couldn't hope to decipher. At the heart of the wheel was what looked like a porcelain face that had its eyes opened and appeared utterly frightening to the Rangers.

"That's certainly new," said Pink Ranger.

"Now sounds like a good time to start hurling everything we got at this bastard!" said Blue Ranger.

"Let's bring our weapons together and hope for the best!" said Red Ranger.

As Satanail remained perfectly stationary in this new form, the Rangers prepared for their attack as they brought the weapons together. It wouldn't be much power, but considering that they needed to buy Yahweh some time then this might very well help them all out.

Blue Ranger bent his Glory Hammer to form the base and handle as Black Ranger placed his Heaven Bow on top. Yellow Ranger attached her Holy Pistols to the side just like Pink Ranger did with her Sacred Claws. Red Ranger finally placed his Aurora Sword on top to finish off the Heaven Power Cannon.

Orange Ranger held his Celestial Lance up to form the full form of their weapon. Violet Ranger placed her Divine Wand on top, against the lance. White Ranger had his Solar Blade in the middle to finish it off as he held onto the full length Celestial Twilight Flash.

The Rangers stood in order as they held up their fully combined weapons, aiming for Satanail. The First Daimon didn't appear even slightly frightened as the Rangers put all of their power into this attack.

"Heaven Power Cannon, fire!"

"Celestial Twilight Flash, fire!"

Beams of light escaped from the Heaven Power Cannon, while a powerful slashed was unleashed by the Celestial Twilight Flash. The two attacks raced through the air until they finally collided against Satanail in a brilliant explosion.

As they disassembled their weapons, the Angel Force Rangers actually believed that they managed to do some serious damage to Satanail. However, it could never be that easy for them, especially not now. When the smoke finally settled, this wheel form that Satanail took remained unscathed.

"YOU HAVE NO HOPES OF DEFATING ME, RANGERS!" said Satanail. "THE POWERS OF ORPHAN, YAHWEH, AND SAMAEL MAKE ME INVINCIBLE! CHAOS SHALL DESTROY YOU ALL! CHAOS SHALL BE YOUR SALVATION!"

At that note, Satanail hurled numerous bolts of lightning out from his body that began to viciously assault the Rangers. It was a horrifying sight as the Rangers were easily beaten down by a single attack from the First Daimon, but it wasn't over there.

Satanail began to make preparations for another attack when something else was coming for him.

* * *

><p>On a building only a few miles away from where Satanail and the Rangers fought, Yahweh stood with the Midlight Shard still on the palm of his hand. The other three crystals forged from the Goddess Cocoon were responding as they started to radiate with a brilliant shine.<p>

"I will forge a power that will break your shield, Satanail," said Yahweh. "I will severe your link to Orphan, Samael, and my powers. The Rangers will be able to defeat you without even trying then!"

"Don't leave me out of the fun."

Yahweh turned his head back to see Samael on the rooftop with him. The Celestial of Death arrived with Orphan and Alpha 8. While Orphan was still unconscious, Alpha 8 tended to him as the Celestial met with his brother.

Samael went through Yahweh's pockets to take out the other three crystals. He handed the Cosmic Shard to his brother, while keeping the Dusk Shard and the Dawn Shard. A grin began to form on both of their faces as they turned forward to where Satanail was preparing to attack the Rangers once more.

The two of them held up the four crystals, summoning the power that would crush the First Daimon. They chanted together, in a tongue that had been lost in the ages, a spell that would awaken a power unlike any other.

As the four crystals began to float up in the air, they began to form the illusion of a sword above them. This is exactly what Yahweh was planning as he continued to chant, while Samael would broadcast a message to all the Celestials.

"Brothers and sisters, now is the time for redemption," said Samael. "Grant us a fraction of your power so that we may defeat the wicked Satanail, who has manipulated all of our actions and threatens to consume the universe with chaos. Lend us your strength so that we may end this war!"

The Celestials all began to respond to Samael's pleas as Yahweh's spell was finished. The Midlight Shard, the Dusk Shard, the Dawn Shard, and the Cosmic Shard were spinning around in a rapid circles as the powers of the Celestials began to drift towards them.

Kokabiel, Barachiel, Shamsiel, Dumah, Leviathan, and Daemon were amongst the first to sacrifice a portion of their powers. Their strength was given to the crystal, forging the handle of the blade. More and more Celestials began to give up some of their powers as well until eventually they had all made the sacrifice. The powers that they gave allowed the steel of the blade to form.

Yahweh and Samael were next to give what power that they could. Their power wasn't enough though. Slowly, Orphan started to raise his hand up as well. He was still unconscious, but hearing Samael's voice was able to stir him enough to give what little that he could. It still proved to be enough as the blade was finally given full life.

"Sword of Destiny!" howled Yahweh. "Destroy the shield of our enemy!"

The Sword of Destiny was pushed across the city as the powers of the Celestials used to create it allowed it to strike.

Fully charged with the powers of over a thousand Celestials, the Sword of Destiny was able to defy everything. It flew across Angel Grove until it finally made it to the rooftop where Satanail was about to strike at the Rangers. Before the Daimon could though, the Sword of Destiny pierced through his being, causing the Daimon an unspeakable amount of pain that completely shattered his defenses.

Satanail howled in agony as this form of perfection began to crumble. Every fraction of his being began to crack like glass until it all was gone.

The Angel Force Rangers were astonished by this change as they began to stir yet again. Their helmets were broken and their uniforms were torn by the last attack, revealing much of their civilian forms. The light from the Sword of Destiny touched them, giving them the strength to stand but a second gift as well. In their hands was a sword for each Ranger, the steel of the sword was forged with their individual colors to signify just who it belonged to.

Red Ranger looked at his sword through his shattered helmet, simply stunned by it. They all had a similar expression before finally they tested the swords' bite with a single swing. The air hummed against their new weapons, which brought joy to the Rangers as they felt they had something that could really hurt Satanail now.

Unbuckling his helmet, Landon threw it to the ground as he took a fresh breath of air. His face was covered in sweat with his hair matted to his face and a cut on his bottom lip. "We're finishing this, right now!" said Landon. "Spirit of Fire, Red Angel Force Ranger!"

Haley threw her helmet off as well as she stood beside Landon. "Better words couldn't be spoken," said Haley. "Spirit of Water, Pink Angel Force Ranger!"

Ric, Alice, Dylan, Cid, Tommy, and Serena threw their helmets as well. They joined the others as they raised their swords up against the beaten Satanail.

"Spirit of Earth, Yellow Angel Force Ranger!" said Alice.

"Spirit of Light, White Angel Force Ranger!" said Tommy.

"Spirit of Shadow, Black Angel Force Ranger!" said Dylan.

"Spirit of Starlight, Violet Angel Force Ranger!" said Serena.

"Spirit of Wind, Blue Angel Force Ranger!" said Ric.

"Spirit of Sunlight, Orange Angel Force Ranger!" said Cid.

"We are Power Rangers Angel Force!"

At that moment, Satanail finally rose up from the broken remains of his armor. He had, at long last too, showed his true face at to the Power Rangers as he began to float upward.

The Daimon looked more like his kind now in this demonic form. He was a floating wraith that wore purple robes that exposed his three fingers and deformed head that bore three eyes and had two, long spikes at the side. A maroon scarf went around his neck and dangled down to where his legs should've been. A silver chain dangled as it bore vicious ruins that were designed to show how much of an abomination that he was.

Satanail held up one of his ghostly hand to attack when more light began to appear before him. The Angel Force Rangers started to grin as they saw the lights taking human forms and saw that they were their friends. The lights were the powers of the other Power Rangers that had been sacrificed to close the Dark Gate. Their lingering essence would fight once more as each one bore a sword and circled around the rooftop to make sure that there would be no escape for Satanail.

Cid charged forward as he held up his orange sword, while yelling at the top of his lungs. "For KO-35!" shouted Cid. The moment he got close to Satanail, he brought his sword down to slash the First Daimon with all his might.

Ric ran as well as he held onto his blue sword. "For the Earth!" Ric shouted next as he slashed Satanail.

Serena took off with her purple sword as she screamed at the Daimon. "For the innocent!" Serena shouted as she slashed the Daimon.

Dylan carried his black sword and ran forward to hit his target. "For the Mystic Mother!" Dylan shouted, slashing Satanail with all his strength.

Tommy held his white sword up before finally making it to his target. "For the people!" shouted Tommy, slashing at the Daimon.

Alice stormed after Satanail with her yellow sword. "For the dead!" Alice shouted, slashing the Daimon.

Haley went up next with her pink sword that she wanted nothing more than to hit Satanail with. "For the universe!" shouted Haley as she slashed Satanail.

Landon went last as he took charge for Satanail with his red sword, shouting at the top of his lung when he came upon him. "For Connor!" shouted Landon as he slashed at Satanail. He ran forward only to double back to strike the Daimon a second time. "For Eric!" The second slash really left its mark as Landon ran to the other side of the rooftop.

The Angel Force Rangers raised their swords up into the air along with the spirits of the other Power Rangers. At that moment, a group of feathers began to leave the Angel Force Ranger's bodies as they gave up all of their powers for this final attack. Even in the rags that were their clothes and despite the injuries that covered them, the Rangers looked plenty heroic as they prepared for the final strike.

"For the Power Rangers!" shouted Landon, Haley, Alice, Tommy, Dylan, Serena, Ric, and Cid.

The other Power Rangers swung their swords at Satanail to hurl everything that they had at the First Daimon. A barrage of powerful slashed began to viciously assault the Daimon at that point until they finally ceased. When the last of the spirits had their attack, the Angel Force Rangers took that as their time to strike.

Standing at various points of the rooftop, the Angel Force Rangers finally brought their swords down. They slashed the air, unleashing all of their powers against Satanail at once with their Crystal Morphers shattering under the strain. Just like Zordon had told them, the Rangers hurled every ounce of power that they had at Satanail to end this war.

Eight colorful slashes flew through the air until they finally tore into Satanail's beaten being. The First Daimon gave out an agonizing howl as his body was instantly vaporized and what was left of his essence rocketed in the sky. In the wake of this, a wave of energy hurled outward and crashed into the Power Rangers.

Satanail reached the atmosphere, erupting into an explosion that completely ceased his existence. His death brought an end to all of the fighting, but it also served to cease the flooding chaos that was threatening to destroy the universe. At that moment, Orphan's Heart of Chaos was repaired, allowing the Prince to awaken as his powers were finally restored.

Without their powers to protect them, the Angel Force Rangers were thrown off the building. The spirits of the other Power Rangers began to fade away as well along with the swords formed from the Sword of Destiny.

As the Rangers lost consciousness, they were plummeting to their deaths. Nothing could stop them from the landing that would end their lives, except for another miracle. Luckily, there were angels looking out for the Champions of the Universe.

Yahweh led the Celestials to save the Power Rangers. He easily caught Landon, while the rest of the Celestials went after different Rangers. Samael had caught Dylan, while Dumah caught Haley. Cid was caught by Leviathan and Daemon caught Tommy. Barachiel caught Alice, while Ric was caught by Shamsiel. And Serena was caught by Kokabiel.

The Celestials took the Angel Force Rangers to safety, while the other Rangers were taken to safety as well.

* * *

><p>For a long time there was only darkness until finally he could hear something. It was a soft voice and a warm hand that finally reached out to him, causing him to finally open his eyes.<p>

Landon woke up in a hospital bed, feeling oddly stiff. A soft sigh escaped from his lips as he finally regained vision to see that he was really in a hospital. He began to push himself up when the hand from earlier pushed him back down on the bed.

"You need your rest, Landon," stressed Alice. "You've been unconscious for two days."

Alice looked probably as horrible as Landon did. She wore the same hospital gown as him and had a lot of bandages around her body. Landon felt some on his head then another one on his lip as he finally looked at his reflection at a nearby mirror.

"We look like shit," said Landon.

There was a slight pause that immediately caught Landon's attention. He looked to Alice to see that she was very tense like she was keeping something a secret from him. He squeezed her hand, stressing her to tell him about the others.

"Most of us are fine," said Alice, "but not all of us."

"Who?" asked Landon.

Alice paused silently until Landon squeezed a little harder. It wasn't like it could've been before though as it dawned on Landon that he lost his superhuman strength along with his Rangers power in the fight against Satanail. "Serena and Dylan aren't looking too good," said Alice. "The doctors say they'll recover just fine, but Tommy…"

"Oh," Landon said, reading her expression. "Is it because he's a clone?"

"That's one theory," said Alice. "The doctors don't know what to do. We have the other Ranger who are in good condition working on a way to help Tommy."

"Can I see everyone?" asked Landon. "I want to see how everyone is doing."

"I'll go get a doctor and ask," Alice said, slowly walking out from the room.

Landon waited for what felt like hours until a doctor finally came in. He was carried into a wheelchair, Alice was in charge of taking him to the rooms of the other Rangers, which were all nearby.

That's when Landon learned that all of the Power Rangers were receiving treatment in one of the larger hospitals in Los Angeles. It was the one place that could help treat so many people, which was closed down just to specifically take care of the Earth's heroes.

"Any word from the Celestials?" Landon asked as they were taken to Serena's room.

"None at all," said Alice. "They were the ones who brought us here though. I'm assuming that they are working on trying to repair all of the damage that Satanail did."

Landon nodded his head since that was another theory that made sense. He looked up from his hands to see quite a lot of people in the room of the Karoven Princess. Of course, Cid and her parents were there along with most of the Astro Rangers. Justin from the Turbo Rangers was there too, looking out the window as Landon and Alice entered the room.

Cid wore a hospital gown just like them and there was even a bed in the room for him, but he chose to remain at Serena's side. The soldier held onto the hand of his princess, while her parents stood at the opposite side.

Serena was underneath the covers with an awful bandage on her head. Her hair was horribly unkempt, which was unlike her, as she finally took notice to her guests. "Do I look as shitty as I feel?" asked the princess.

"I'm not one to judge," said Landon. "I feel like Hell too."

"Glad I'm not the only one then," Serena said, laying her head on the pillow. "I'm gonna take a little nap. If…if something happens with Tommy, good or bad, let me know…Promise?"

"Of course," Alice said to her friend.

The princess closed her eyes as she went to sleep with everyone in pretty much still in the room. Cid went up to his friends as he finally tore himself away from the princess long enough to check on them.

"How are you feeling, Landon?" asked Cid.

"I'll feel better when I see how everyone else is doing first," said Landon.

"Like a true leader," Cid said, smiling as he shook Landon's hand. "You won't feel better until you know the full health of your team. I'm pretty much in perfect shape now, but Serena will probably be bedridden for at most two more days."

"Good," said Landon.

Cid waved them off as he returned to Serena, while Alice took Landon to the next room.

They went across the hall to where Dylan was supposed to be. When they entered, they found all of the surviving Mystic Force Rangers present along with a fully-clothed Ric. Landon saw his roommate sitting on a chair right next to a smiling Dylan.

The new Mystic Father looked about just as bad as Serena did. He had a bandage around his head and his arm was in a cast, but he still looked in good health despite the injuries.

"I could just cast a spell to heal you," Vida said to Dylan.

"No!" Dylan said, loudly. "These are my war wounds. I earned them so I will wear them with pride. Do not deprive me of this. Oh, hey Landon's awake!"

"And a little better now that I know that you two are fine," Landon said to Dylan and Ric.

Ric couldn't help but to grin as he patted his roommate on the shoulder. "You know that it would take more than an unkillable Daimon to make me take me down," said Ric. "I grew up on the streets, kid. Plus, I had to make sure that Dylan would make it out of the Apocalypse in one piece."

"Oh shut up," Dylan laughed at Ric.

Landon was happy to see that those two were just fine. He stayed in the room for a few more minutes, offering his condolence to Leanbow and Nick for the loss of Udonna.

After a while, Alice took him out of the room to visit the last of their friends. Alice was making slow progress to a room that was a little further down the hall, which caused Landon's stomach to tighten up into a ball.

When they finally made it, Landon saw all of the life-support technology that was hooked up to Tommy. The clone was perfectly still in bed with a weeping Haley at his side. She looked horrid, not because of injuries since she was fully recovered, but because of how much seeing Tommy like this was hurting her.

Jason and Kimberly stood beside their daughter, while a few other former Power Rangers and doctors were trying to come up with a means to save Tommy. Kat, Zack, Aisha, Tanya, and Rocky were in the room to do all that they could to help. They were all stumped though at what they could do though since Tommy was a clone and nobody had experience in the medical treatment of clones.

Not even Adam could come up with a solution to save Tommy.

"This is killing me!" Adam said, kicking the wall. "I don't know what to do to save my son! Why is this so complicated?"

"We'll figure out something, Adam," said Billy. "I promise that we won't let Tommy die…not again."

There was pure silence in the room. Landon felt like he was intruding as Alice took him to Tommy's bedside. They both looked at their pale-faced friend to see just how close he was to meeting Samael, again.

It wasn't fair, Landon felt horribly upset as he took his hand and held onto Tommy's hand. He looked to see Haley looking at him with tears running down her face as she looked just as hopeless as he did.

"You can't die, Tommy," whispered Haley. "Not now."

"We won't lose you, friend," Landon said to Tommy. "We lost too many friends during the battle, I refuse to say goodbye to another."

"A_nd you won't have to!"_ boomed a familiar voice.

Jason, Kimberly, Adam, Aisha, Zack, Rocky, Kat, Tanya, and Billy looked like they had seen a ghost. In fact, they did as they recognized this glowing figure that entered the room. Landon, Haley, and Alice were surprised as well as they saw the sage that had offered them the knowledge on how to defeat Satanail.

"Zordon!" shouted all of the former Rangers.

"_It is good to see you all again, Rangers,_" said Zordon. _"You have all gone above and beyond the call of duty. You did the unthinkable by defeating Satanail and saving Creation from utter destruction. And that is why I am here. I have come with a gift from the Creator."_

"The Creator," said Haley. "What…what is He going to do?"

"_Save Tommy,"_ said Zordon. "_The reason nothing you can do is able to help Tommy is because he lacks a proper soul. Without a true soul, Tommy lacks the basic will to survive a life and death situation like this. As a reward for everything that you've done, Rangers, the Creator has created a soul for Tommy so that he may live."_

Zordon held up an ethereal hand, releasing a holy ray of light that entered Tommy's body. When the light faded, Zordon was gone, but the gift was received.

Almost immediately, Tommy opened his eyes up as he took in a deep breath.

* * *

><p>Four months had passed since the Ultimate Battle between Good and Evil.<p>

The universe and the Earth, especially, recovered from the damage that was done by Satanail. Half of the Earth had been devastated in the battle because of the chaos that had spread. Other neighboring galaxies had been affected, but since the chaos was sealed away quickly enough, it prevented irreversible damage to be done.

Angel Grove was in ruins though as the scars of the war affected the city the most. It took a great deal of efforts from the Earth's community and the generosity of other planets to help rebuild what had been destroyed in the war.

The city was rebuilt and stood far more beautiful than it ever did before. As a shinning testament to humanity's ability to rebuild, Angel Grove was a shinning beacon of hope. It was this city where a new memorial was built in order to recognize the Power Rangers for their honor and valor. Numerous statues were put up all over the city as well as a large monument built at downtown Angel Grove where the Angel Force Rangers and all of the other Power Rangers made their final stand.

It was a giant wall and on it were the names of every single Power Rangers and friend who fought in the battle. Names were appropriately marked for those who fell in battle. All were recognized, even the Power Rangers who didn't originate from the Earth.

Today, the newly rebuilt city was finally allowing its citizens to return to their homes. But most importantly, the world leaders and leaders from throughout the universe flocked to Angel Grove for a ceremony dedicated to the Power Rangers.

It was time for everyone to know what the Power Rangers did and how close they were all to annihilation.

The President of the United States was the first to take the stage as it was his duty to welcome everyone. He was welcomed with loud applause with the crowd applauding in front of him, while the other leaders and the guests of honor were behind him. "Today is a wonderful day," said the president. "Today, we give thanks to our heroes, the Power Rangers. For generations, the Power Rangers have stood guard, protecting all that is good and saving innocent lives from the forces of evil. But never before have we faced such a huge threat as we did a few months ago."

"The safety of everyone in the universe was in jeopardy," continued the president. "We all believed that the United Alliance of Evil's invasion, led by Dark Specter, was the worst thing that could happen. We were proven wrong though. The physical incarnation of all things evil unleashed an army of Daimons against us. Reality was crumbling apart as this wicked being desired nothing more than to destroy the entire universe. But it is thanks to the Power Rangers that we are still here today. Now, I wish to welcome to the podium, the leader of the Angel Force Power Rangers, the Red Ranger, Landon Samuels."

A loud round of applause was followed up as the president turned to greet Landon. The former Red Ranger shook the president's hand before making his way to greet the crowd of thousands. He briefly looked back to the other Angel Force Rangers who simply nodded their heads, pushing Landon to go on.

Landon let out a deep sigh as he stared at the crowd for a moment until a smile finally appeared on his face.

"I'm happy to see so many people here," said Landon. "I speak on behalf of all the Power Rangers by saying all your faces were in our heads as we fought against the Daimons. All we could think about was the lives that would be lost if we failed to defeat Satanail. You were the motivation behind the battle. We wanted nothing more than to protect all of you from evil, we wanted nothing more than to save you."

"A Power Ranger is someone who is more than just a mortal," continued Landon. "To be a Power Ranger, you have to be willing to put the needs of others before yours. Its more than just fighting evil, looking cool, and driving huge Zords. Being a Power Rangers means that you are the last line of defense, you are the only one who is keeping the universe from being swallowed up by evil. But that's not the only thing that makes you a Power Ranger because anyone can be a Power Ranger."

"The only requirement to be a Power Ranger is to be brave and honest. It does not matter how old you are or your gender. Race and ethnicity aren't a requirement, neither is status. Sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and political ideology don't mean a thing either. Anyone can be a Power Ranger, everyone has the potential within them to be a hero."

"But there is something else I wish to say before we continue with the ceremony," said Landon. "I want to take the time and remember the lives that were lost in the battle." He turned behind him to the giant wall that served as a new memorial to the Power Rangers. "These are the names of the men and women who sacrificed their lives to make sure you can all be here today. But there are also the innocent men, women, and children who had been lost in the crossfire. Let us never forget the dead. Let us carry them with our hearts, always. Let us continue living, for them."

* * *

><p>A rowdy wave of applause filled all of Angel Grove as everyone listened and watched the ceremony for the Power Rangers. There wasn't a person who refused to watch, even they were watching from above the tallest building.<p>

Orphan, Samael, and Yahweh watched the scene unfolding before them. They watched and listened to the dedication that was given to the Power Rangers. It was lovely, none of the Celestials could argue about that as a balloon managed to float all the way up to them.

It was Yahweh who caught the balloon with an almost childlike glee in his eyes as he handed it over to Samael. His younger brother took the balloon, smiling lightly as he let it free so it could float as high to the heavens as it possibly could.

"As much as I hate to admit it," said Orphan, "the Power Rangers are worth of their praise. They proved more then on one occasion how they can accomplish the impossible."

"Oh?" Yahweh said, raising an eyebrow at Orphan. "Big brother is actually admitting he is wrong about something? Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see this day. Are you sick, Orphan? Did Satanail come back from the dead and stab you in the heart again?"

The comment didn't go ignored as Orphan decided to kick Yahweh in the back. The hit nearly knocked Yahweh off the ledge of the building, but Samael grabbed his brother by the shoulder to keep him from falling. Not that they had anything to worry about since Yahweh could fly, especially now that they were all fully recovered from what Satanail had done to them.

"Behave, brothers," said Samael. "We can't rule Creation together if we bicker."

Orphan and Yahweh broke apart from each other out of devotion to Samael. The three Celestials then began to approach the ledge of the building to look down at the show that was taking place. They easily spotted the Angel Force Rangers amongst the leaders of the world.

Samael frowned as he realized that there was somebody who should've been there but couldn't. He looked to Orphan, briefly seeing the young man who had gave up his life to save the First and the universe. "Do you fully intend to keep your promise to Eric, Orphan?" asked Samael.

The sudden question caught Orphan off guard as he looked away from the edge. He turned to his beloved, while Yahweh was watching their every move. "Is there a reason why I should?" asked Orphan. "He was just a human, after all." Orphan set his sights back on the ceremony as more applause and cheering could be heard. For a moment, the First paused before finally speaking again. "I am a Celestial of my word though. The promise was my oath so I will keep it, but I wish to know why you did what you did, Samael."

"What do you mean?" said Samael.

"Erasing the Rangers' memories," interrupted Yahweh. "You didn't really think that Orphan and I wouldn't sense it, did you? We know that you erased all traces of Connor's existence from the Rangers' memories. Why?"

Samael should've known that he wouldn't have gotten away with this. The Celestial of Death gave out a soft sigh as he looked up to the sky. "It was an act of mercy," said Samael. "Losing both Connor and Eric would've been too much for the Rangers to handle. Eventually, it would've killed them prematurely. I spoke to Oriel about this; she informed me that a world where the Rangers only lost Eric had better outcomes. The Rangers would heal and continue on with their lives until the time finally came for us to meet again."

After that, Orphan and Yahweh remained silent. They stepped away from Samael as the youngest of the trio continued to look down at the ceremony.

"There is still so much work that the Rangers have to do," continued Samael. "Even without their powers, they are going to continue protecting the universe while we watch over them." The Celestial rose up to his feet as he turned around, looking passed his brothers. He was well aware that someone else was here as a smile began to grace his face. "Isn't that right, Zordon?"

The Celestials looked to see a new figure standing before them. The figure wore what appeared to be the uniform of a Red Power Ranger. The uniform was all red with the exception of the golden belt buckle that bore a large X and a patch over his left breath that had another X with runes written on it. His helmet was bore a V at the front of it. At the side of the mysterious being was Alpha 8 who carried a small chest in his robotic arms.

The newcomer stepped away from Alpha 8 as he knelt down before the three Celestials. He kept his head down as he began to speak to the three. "My destiny has always been to protect the universe from evil," said the man. "As Zordon, I watched and led the Power Rangers into battle against the forces of darkness. Now, as Superior Red, I will continue to play my role in ensuring that the universe is safe and to make certain that nobody like Satanail can strike against us."

"As will we, Superior Red," said Orphan. "We will watch from Paradise and make sure that all of us are safe, Celestial and mortal. We've already begun to make preparations of this. Chaos and Creation need to be in harmony, which is why we've purified the chaos that has been contained in Eden by moving it to the Garden of Pandora where it will be under the care of Eve. Her loyalty to me is without question, but we've also made certain that Samael has complete access by transferring my Heart of Chaos to him."

"We've been busy restoring order in Paradise," said Yahweh. "Our return has been accepted without too much trouble, but some of the Fallen have proven to be too much of a hassle. Like Beelzebub, we had to lock him away in Luther's old cage, where he'll stay for all of eternity. It took a little more swaying for Luther, but keeping him on probation has kept everyone calm, so far."

"And now there is you," said Samael. Superior Red picked his head up as the Celestial of Death came up to Alpha 8 with what appeared to be a set of keys. Samael opened the chest in Alpha's hands, placing the keys within it before locking it back up. "We are trusting you with the duty of ensuring that the Power Ranger legacy continues. History must progress; generations more of Rangers will answer the call to defend the universe as they always have."

Superior Red nodded his head as he got back on his feet. He walked away from the three Celestials, rejoining Alpha 8 as the two of them departed for parts unknown.

Samael found himself soon surrounded by Orphan and Yahweh. He gave his hands up to the both of them as he briefly turned back to the ceremony. "Goodbye, Rangers," whispered the Celestial of Death.

As the words escaped his mouth, the three Celestials departed for Paradise.

* * *

><p>The day came and went with the newly rebuilt Angel Grove beginning to sparkle in the moonlight.<p>

The celebration for the Power Rangers continued without skipping a beat. The day was filled with numerous events and so was the night. There was no point in holding back as everyone felt the need to let their joy out.

It was interesting, to say the least, as the Angel Force Rangers watched another parade from a balcony. The eight of them full of smiles and pride, while the celebrations continued a couple dozen feet below them.

Well worth it though as the stars twinkled above them.

Ric kissed Dylan on the cheek as the Mage sat on his lap. He briefly turned his head back to Landon, throwing his hand after his former roommate. "Congratulations on the speech again, bro," said Ric. "You made me cry like a little bitch."

Dylan rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. It still amazed him how he ended up with someone like Ric. "Clean up your language, Ricardo," Dylan said, pinching Ric's lips together.

"Thanks, man," Landon said, kicking at Ric's chair. "I just spoke from the hear though. I know it was what all of you would've done anyways if you were in my place."

Alice had to disagree though as she took her legs off of Landon's lap. She hiked her dress up a bit, while leaning back with her glass of champagne. "I think I could've done a better job," she said. "I'm way better at speeches then you are, baby boy."

"Ignore her, Landon," Serena said, taking her head off Cid's shoulder. "For someone without formal training, you are an excellent orator."

"I agree," Cid said, lifting his glass up to him.

"Today was just a great day, period," Haley said as she leaned against Tommy's body.

Tommy couldn't help but to grin as he continued to lock his arms around Haley. He never felt better then when he woke up with a real, honest to Creator, soul. "Second best day of my life," said Tommy. "The first was meeting all of you guys."

"Oh boo!" Alice and Ric said together.

"Kiss ass!" shouted Landon.

A few more words were thrown at Tommy before Haley finally got her friends to settle down a minute. It took a lot of effort, but she managed to get it done by changing the subject to something that wouldn't provoke such "hostile" reactions.

It involved their future.

What did each of them have planned now that they were no longer Power Rangers and Angel Grove was finally rebuilt?

Haley started it off by announcing that she was going off to university. She was still going to UCLA, but now she had a harder time on deciding what she would do for the rest of her life. It wouldn't be so bad though as Tommy let the others know that he was going to attend university with Haley. He let it slip that what he planned on doing involved teaching since he liked working with kids.

Alice and Landon were going to get involved with an intergalactic government. Since there were no more Power Rangers to protect the universe, the two came up with the idea of creating a police force to help keep the galactic peace. Landon thought to call it Space Patrol Delta, but Alice went on about how ridiculous the name sounded as she went into some of the finer, technical details.

Dylan was going to be busy rebuilding the Mystical Realm. Now that he was the Mystic Father, it was his responsibility to protect good magick. Lucky for him that Ric decided to tag along to help him as his partner. Although he couldn't cast a single spell that didn't mean Ric was incompetent. Dylan and the others already knew just how capable of a warrior Ric was when he wanted to be.

Serena and Cid were going to return to KO-35 in the morning. The young princess revealed how Orphan had visited her in her dream, informing her that she had been chosen to rule as the queen of a new empire. It was an empire that would be blessed by Paradise and one that wouldn't crumble. She was afraid of this eventual empire she would be responsible for building, but Cid made certain that he would be at her side. Whatever she needed, Cid would be there for her and would do everything in his power for her.

Their lives were just beginning for each of them.

They looked up to the sky just in time for the firework show to begin too. They ran towards the edge of the balcony, hanging off the railing as the first round began to go off. Their cheers were joined by the thousands of voices below them. The colorful explosions went off for what felt like hours. The eight of them were amongst the loudest as each of them cheered at the top of their lungs when the finale came.

Over by the ocean, a sign went off in a firework explosion. The Rangers paused as they read it and went completely silent, while the crowd continued to cheer.

It read, "We love you, Power Rangers".


	40. Author's Note

Author's Note: Hey guys! I just wanted to let you know that after all of this time I'm finally gonna write Galactic Pirates. Instead of featuring the Angel Force team like I originally had in mind, I'm gonna create a whole new team of Rangers that carries elements established in Angel Force and Gokaiger. There's a poll on my profile so let me know if you'd rather see season 2 first or a Final Fantasy X AU that I'm also getting to work on.

-Xeikm


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